ECCO Center
Engineering Collaboratory Creating Opportunities (ECCO) is dedicated to expanding the representation of African Americans, Latino Americans and Native Americans (AALANA) in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and the engineering profession.
Open to all students, the ECCO Center provides programming to support successful graduation rates, coordinate community service opportunities, and prepare students for leadership roles in the engineering profession.
ECCO Center programs and events are open to all students. They are held through the academic year to enhance students’ educational experience while providing networking and relationship-building opportunities.
History
African American, Latino American, and Native Americans (AALANA) have been historically underrepresented in the engineering profession and the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. ECCO was created in 2015 to address the factors that lead to under-representation and to encourage all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, to access the many opportunities available to them at RIT.
K-12 Outreach
ECCO Experience
The ECCO Experience is a fun, informative, and social experience for students accepted to Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Students interested in working to expand AALANA representation in engineering are encouraged to apply. The event is held annually, the night RIT’s Accepted Student Open House, and registration is capped at 60 participants.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact the ECCO Center at ECCOCenter@rit.edu or at 585-475-2162.
National Engineers Week Family Day
Held annually during National Engineers Week in February, students in grades 5-12 are invited to visit the Kate Gleason College of Engineering labs and facilities to engage in hands-on engineering projects and demonstrations.
If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact the ECCO Center at ECCOCenter@rit.edu or at 585-475-2162.
Partnership Programs
Atlanta University Center Dual Engineering Program
The mission of the Atlanta University Center Consortium Dual Degree Engineering Program is to significantly increase the number of minority engineers who are globally aware, socially engaged, and well equipped for scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical careers. In collaboration with a wide array of corporations, engineering schools, and other partners, the Consortium-wide program offers services that complement those provided by its member institutions: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. The Atlanta University Center Consortium is the world’s oldest and largest association of historically Black colleges and universities.
The Consortium is a vibrant intellectual community with a long tradition of scholarship, service and community engagement. Designed for students at select liberal arts colleges who decide to enter the field of engineering, and who, after completing three years (through the junior year) at their liberal arts college, transfer into most of RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering programs. Most students accepted for this program have achieved at least a B average, with grades of A or B in their calculus, calculus-based physics, and chemistry courses.
