In the stories of two organizations established for a long time – the ETA Kappa Nu (HKN), founded in 1904, and IEEE, formed in 1963-15 years, may not seem very long. Since their merger in 2010, however, more than 40,000 members have been inducted at the IEEE-HKN, 57 chapters have been trained (including 30 outside the United States), and more than $ 4 million have been collected to support the development of the next generation of engineering leaders.
On February 14, 2009, ETA KAPPA Nu signed a merger agreement with the IEEE. He entered into force on September 1, 2010, making HKN the official Honorary Company of the IEEE.
IEEE-HKN recognizes scholarships and academic excellence, identifying student leaders, young professionals and eminent researchers in the technical fields of interest of the IEEE.
The agreement was signed by Bruce Eisenstein, president of HKN; Richard Gowen, president of the IEEE Foundation; And John R. Vig, President and chief executive officer of the IEEE 2010. The signing took place during the IEEE meeting series in Puerto Rico during a ceremony attended by more than 200 members of the IEEE and ETA KAPPA NU.
In honor of the start of the stage, IEEE-HKN organizes celebrations during several IEEE rallies around the world.
The IEEE-HKN is also enthusiastic by its second annual international hackathon, which will be held from November 14 to 23, in which the teams of students of the IEEE and the Honorary Company work together using engineering principles to solve a problem currently confronted with the chapters of the company. Read his first hackathon held last year.
“HKN has always been focused on students, so one of the things she has acquired from the IEEE was access to her wide range of professional activities, such as conferences, magazines and paths for professional participation – which allows the IEEE -HKN to support our members at each stage of their careers.” —2024 President IEEE-HKN RYAN BALES
Several videos have been produced who present people involved and affected by the 2010 merger. They include reflections from three HKN presidents: Steve Watkins (2018), Ryan Bales (2024) and Sean Bentley (2025).
“HKN has always been focused on students, so one of the things it has acquired from the IEEE was access to its wide range of professional activities, such as conferences, magazines and paths for professional participation, which allows the IEEE-HKN to support our members at each stage of their career,” said Bales. “With its signature accent on the scholarships, character and attitude, HKN brought its traditional philosophy of service to the IEEE. The IEEE-HKN students offer more than 100,000 hours of service per year to their students’ comrades, to local preunitity students through STEM awareness and community service activities. ”
Bentley says that the commitment “aligns with the spirit of volunteering of the IEEE, with its members giving their profession to their profession”.
He says he considers HKN’s service mentality as an important element in his ability to promote commitment and create a community, which in turn leads to a higher percentage of IEEE-HKN students who remain members of the IEEE beyond their student years.
A dedicated web page lists all the planned party activities.
Collaborations fuel the growth of IEEE-HKN
In addition to align the values of the IEEE and HKN, the merger offers current collaboration opportunities.
It is obvious in growing partnerships between the student branches of the two organizations, which devoted last year more than 18,000 hours to jointly plan and execute 279 events, an increase of 36% compared to 2023.
There are also growing partnerships with IEEE companies. More than 20 of the companies have financially subsidized the student leadership conference of last year, which makes students more affordable to give members of the company the possibility of sharing technical and professional knowledge of the real world with the next generation of engineering leaders.
“In the minds of an IEEE, an important characteristic of all the conferences IEEE-HKN is that sponsorship companies are representatives to encourage students to find their technical house,” explains Nancy Ostin, director of IEEE-HKN.
This year’s student leadership conference is scheduled for November 7 to 9 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The company also has two virtual conferences each year, Pathways to Industry and Techx, which are open to all members of the IEEE at a reduced rate.
This year, the merger was celebrated during several IEEE rallies, notably Southeastcon, IEEE REGION 1 and Region 2 Joint Reeings, the IEEE Life Members Evolution and IEEE Compsac conference.
IEEE-HKN also plans to mark the note of the October number of its Bridge Magazine, as well as to work with the IEEE Foundation on a birthday campaign to collect funds for the Honorary Society.
When you think about the achievements of the last 15 years, Ostin says: “As an honorary company of the IEEE, the fundamental values of HKN of scholarships, character and attitude align with the strategic objectives of the IEEE by inspiring intellectual curiosity and the sharing of knowledge, the promotion of life engagement and that we allow leaders of technology. to our current and future students. »»
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