MAES: Latinos in Science and Engineering, Inc. (MAES), originally the Mexican American Engineering Society, was founded in 1974. It organizes an annual

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

and

career fair A job fair, also commonly referred to as a job expo or career fair or career expo, is an event in which employers, recruiters, and schools give information to potential employees. Job seekers attend job fairs to speak face-to-face with potential e ...

History

MAES was founded in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1974 to increase the number of

Mexican Americans Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

and other

Hispanics The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties former ...

in the technical and scientific fields. The idea to establish a professional society for Mexican American

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

originated with Robert Von Hatten, an

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

electronics engineer Electronics engineering is a sub-discipline of electrical engineering which emerged in the early 20th century and is distinguished by the additional use of active component, active components such as semiconductor devices to amplify and control e ...

with TRW Defense Space Systems in Redondo Beach,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Mr. Von Hatten had for several years served as volunteer for programs directed at combating the alarming number of

high school dropouts Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

. He envisioned a national organization that would serve as a source for role models, address the needs of its members, and become a resource for industry and students. In mid–1974, Mr. Von Hatten contacted Manuel Castro to join him in the campaign to form the professional organization. During a subsequent series of meetings, a cohort of individuals banded together to lay out the foundation for the “Mexican American Engineering Society.” The founders, listed below, drafted the articles of incorporation and the first bylaws of the society: * Oscar Buttner –

Rockwell International Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. R ...

* Sam Buttner –

Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 15 million people with electricity across a service territory of app ...

* Manuel Castro – Bechtel Power * Clifford Maldonado –

Northrop Corporation Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its 1994 merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, most successfully the B-2 Spiri ...

* Sam Mendoza –

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...

, Fullerton * Frank Serna – Northrop Corporation * Robert Von Hatten – TRW Defense Space Systems The society filed incorporation papers as a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, tax exempt organization with the

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...

in October 1974, and it received its charter on March 28, 1975. The

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

granted the society a federal tax–exemption letter and employer identification number on January 4, 1979. Ten years later, to reflect its broader technical membership, the organization filed to change its name to the “Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, Inc.” This change was granted on July 19, 1989. MAES is one of several membership–based organizations that represent

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

in engineering and science. As a mature organization with over 30 years of experience addressing the concerns of Latinos, MAES is a source of expertise on barriers to and methods for improving educational access and attainment. The society recognizes the importance of encouraging more youth to pursue careers in

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

as a means for economic advancement and

workforce development Workforce development, an American approach to economic development, attempts to enhance a region's economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than businesses. It essentially develops a human-resources strategy. Work-force deve ...

. Many of its programs, with the financial help of members, companies, and government agencies are directed at increasing the number of students at all grade levels who will study, prepare, enter, and excel in the technical professions.

References

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External links

Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, Inc.
National organization's site.
California State University, Long Beach Chapter

California State University, Fullerton MAESSan Antonio MAESSan Antonio College MAES
{dead link, date=May 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
University of Houston MAESUTEP MAES/SHPE_Mission
Engineering organizations Organizations based in Houston Scientific organizations established in 1974 Hispanic and Latino American professional organizations