In an unprecedented commitment to bring more women and underrepresented minorities into engineering, a coalition of businesses, professional societies, and academic and advocacy organizations met in Washington on October 17th to establish the Engineers Week Diversity Council.

Held at the National Museum of African Art, the meeting’s organizers noted that the unusual venue was specifically chosen to underscore the seriousness of the council’s effort.

All of the council’s founding partners, along with many engineering firms and societies, have ongoing outreach policies and programs aimed at increased diversity, but the Diversity Council is the profession’s first attempt to reach consensus to work together and unite those various efforts under a single umbrella to provide for a comprehensive national agenda.

Engineers Week 2008 is scheduled for February 17th to 23rd.