Within the histories of two long-established organizations—the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society, based in 1904, and IEEE, shaped in 1963—15 years may not appear very lengthy. Since their merger in 2010, nevertheless, greater than 40,000 members have been inducted into IEEE-HKN, 57 chapters have been shaped (30 of that are exterior the United States), and greater than US $4 million has been raised to help the event of the subsequent technology of engineering leaders.
On 14 February 2009, Eta Kappa Nu signed a merger settlement with IEEE. It went into impact 1 September 2010, making HKN the official honor society of IEEE.
IEEE-HKN acknowledges scholarship and educational excellence, figuring out pupil leaders, young professionals, and eminent students in IEEE’s technical fields of curiosity.
The settlement was signed by Bruce Eisenstein, president of HKN; Richard Gowen, president of the IEEE Foundation; and John R. Vig, 2010 IEEE president and CEO. The signing happened in the course of the IEEE assembly collection in Puerto Rico at a ceremony attended by greater than 200 members of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu.
In honor of the milestone anniversary, IEEE-HKN is internet hosting celebrations at a number of IEEE gatherings world wide.
IEEE-HKN can be enthusiastic about its second annual worldwide Hackathon, to be held from 14 to 23 November, wherein groups of IEEE and honor society student members work collectively utilizing engineering rules to unravel an issue at the moment going through the society’s chapters. Examine its first hackathon held final yr.
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its wide selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to help our members at each step of their careers.” —2024 IEEE-HKN President Ryan Bales
A number of movies have been produced that characteristic folks concerned in and impacted by the 2010 merger. They embrace reflections from three HKN presidents: Steve Watkins (2018), Ryan Bales (2024), and Sean Bentley (2025).
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its wide selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to help our members at each step of their careers,” Bales says. “With its signature emphasis on scholarship, character, and angle, HKN introduced its conventional ethos of service to IEEE. IEEE-HKN college students present over 100,000 hours of service per yr to their fellow college students, native preuniversity college students by way of STEM outreach, and group service actions.”
Bentley says that dedication “aligns with IEEE’s spirit of volunteerism, with its members giving their time to their career.”
He says he sees HKN’s service mentality as an necessary factor in its means to foster engagement and create group—which in flip ends in the next proportion of IEEE-HKN college students who stay IEEE members past their pupil years.
A devoted web page lists all of the deliberate celebratory actions.
Collaborations gasoline IEEE-HKN’s development
Along with aligning IEEE and HKN’s values, the merger gives ongoing opportunities for collaboration.
It’s evident within the rising partnerships between the 2 organizations’ pupil branches, which final yr devoted greater than 18,000 hours to collectively plan and execute 279 occasions, a 36 % improve over 2023.
There are additionally rising partnerships with IEEE societies. Greater than 20 of the societies financially backed final yr’s Student Leadership Conference, making it extra inexpensive for college students to attend whereas giving society members the chance to share real-world technical and profession data with the subsequent technology of engineering leaders.
“Within the spirit of One IEEE, an necessary characteristic of all IEEE-HKN conferences is that sponsoring societies have representatives readily available to encourage college students to seek out their technical dwelling,” says Nancy Ostin, director of IEEE-HKN.
This yr’s Scholar Management Convention is scheduled for 7 to 9 November on the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The society additionally holds two digital conferences every year, Pathways to Industry and TechX, that are open to all IEEE members at a reduced charge.
This yr the merger has been celebrated at a number of IEEE gatherings together with SouthEastCon, IEEE Region 1 and Region 2 joint conferences, the IEEE Life Members Evolution Conference, and IEEE CompSac.
IEEE-HKN additionally plans to mark the milestone within the October concern of its Bridge journal, in addition to working with the IEEE Foundation on an anniversary campaign to lift cash for the glory society.
When reflecting on the accomplishments of the past 15 years, Ostin says, “As IEEE’s honor society, HKN’s core values of scholarship, character, and angle align with IEEE’s strategic targets by inspiring mental curiosity and data sharing, fostering lifelong engagement, and empowering know-how leaders. Being an HKN member is a lifelong designation, and we’re proud that our members are leaders in trade, academia, and authorities, at all times on the lookout for methods to offer again to our present and future college students.”
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