During the summer of 2000, alumni from the past three decades joined the 62 participants of MITE²S 2000 in a weekend event "Celebrating 25 Years of Cultivating the Future." Among the nearly 200 attendees marking this milestone were sponsors, former MITE²S staff, and guests.

The opening banquet featured Dr. Franklin Chang-Díaz (MIT Ph. D. '77), NASA astronaut and researcher, who discussed the development of the VASIMR engine that will hurl man to Mars in the next decade. Dr. Chang-Díaz, who is leading NASA's development of the plasma engine, told the MITE²S students that the pilots of the first manned mission to Mars in 2016 could be members of the audience.

In two riveting panel discussions, alumni shared the impact the program had on their personal and professional development, and the social and cultural barriers they faced and overcame to succeed in science and engineering.

Due to intense weather, the scheduled luncheon speaker, Reginald Van Lee '79, '80, Vice President, Booz, Allen & Hamilton was stranded in New York City. Dr. John Wilson, Assistant Provost, MIT, stepped in and delivered a passionate, motivating speech about the necessities and rewards of having vision and perseverance—particularly for people of color—to succeed in engineering and science.

Sandra Begay-Campbell, Executive Director, American Indian Science & Engineering Society capped off the weekend events by giving a charge to the students and alumni to use their talents and abilities to help solve problems in their own communities in addition to those of the greater society.

The weekend gave the students, alumni, sponsors, staff and guests an opportunity to get inspired, share success stories, and renew old (and form new) friendships. Moreover, it was a time to celebrate the program's past achievements and lay out the vision for its future—to double the size of the summer program, to introduce new engineering disciplines into the Engineering Design curriculum, and to launch a Saturday academy for local high school students.

The staff of the MITE²S Program was both delighted and heartened by the enthusiastic participation of alumni and sponsors at the celebration. In addition to the sponsors of the MITE²S 2000 session, we thank our major sponsors of the anniversary celebration Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Company.

MITE²S 25th Anniversary Photo Gallery

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Last updated: 29 September 2000