Within the histories of two long-established organizations—the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society, based in 1904, and IEEE, fashioned in 1963—15 years won’t appear very lengthy. Since their merger in 2010, nonetheless, greater than 40,000 members have been inducted into IEEE-HKN, 57 chapters have been fashioned (30 of that are outdoors the United States), and greater than US $4 million has been raised to assist the event of the following technology of engineering leaders. This system is run by IEEE Educational Activities.
On 14 February 2009, Eta Kappa Nu signed a merger settlement with IEEE. It went into impact 1 September 2010, making HKN the official honor society of IEEE.
IEEE-HKN acknowledges scholarship and educational excellence, figuring out pupil leaders, young professionals, and eminent students in IEEE’s technical fields of curiosity.
The settlement was signed by Bruce Eisenstein, president of HKN; Richard Gowen, president of the IEEE Foundation; and John R. Vig, 2010 IEEE president and CEO. The signing occurred in the course of the IEEE assembly sequence in Puerto Rico at a ceremony attended by greater than 200 members of IEEE and Eta Kappa Nu.
In honor of the milestone anniversary, IEEE-HKN is internet hosting celebrations at a number of IEEE gatherings all over the world.
IEEE-HKN can also be enthusiastic about its second annual worldwide Hackathon, to be held from 14 to 23 November, by which groups of IEEE and honor society student members work collectively utilizing engineering ideas to resolve an issue presently dealing with the society’s chapters. Examine its first hackathon held final 12 months.
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its big selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to assist our members at each step of their careers.” —2024 IEEE-HKN President Ryan Bales
A number of movies have been produced that characteristic individuals concerned in and impacted by the 2010 merger. They embody reflections from three HKN presidents: Steve Watkins (2018), Ryan Bales (2024), and Sean Bentley (2025).
“HKN has at all times been student-focused, so one of many issues that it gained from IEEE was entry to its big selection {of professional} actions, like conferences, journals, and paths for skilled involvement—which permits IEEE-HKN to assist our members at each step of their careers,” Bales says. “With its signature emphasis on scholarship, character, and angle, HKN introduced its conventional ethos of service to IEEE. IEEE-HKN college students present over 100,000 hours of service per 12 months to their fellow college students, native preuniversity college students by means of STEM outreach, and neighborhood service actions.”
Bentley says that dedication “aligns with IEEE’s spirit of volunteerism, with its members giving their time to their occupation.”
He says he sees HKN’s service mentality as an essential component in its capability to foster engagement and create neighborhood—which in flip leads to a better proportion of IEEE-HKN college students who stay IEEE members past their pupil years.
A devoted web page lists all of the deliberate celebratory actions.
Collaborations gas IEEE-HKN’s progress
Along with aligning IEEE and HKN’s values, the merger gives ongoing opportunities for collaboration.
It’s evident within the rising partnerships between the 2 organizations’ pupil branches, which final 12 months devoted greater than 18,000 hours to collectively plan and execute 279 occasions, a 36 p.c improve over 2023.
There are additionally rising partnerships with IEEE societies. Greater than 20 of the societies financially sponsored final 12 months’s Student Leadership Conference, making it extra inexpensive for college kids to attend whereas giving society members the chance to share real-world technical and profession information with the following technology of engineering leaders. The 2025 IEEE Medal of Honor Laureate, Henry Samueli, an IEEE-HKN Eminent Member, donated his US $2 million honorarium to create an endowment for IEEE-HKN’s Scholar Management Convention.
“Within the spirit of One IEEE, an essential characteristic of all IEEE-HKN conferences is that sponsoring societies have representatives available to encourage college students to seek out their technical residence,” says Nancy Ostin, director of IEEE-HKN.
This 12 months’s Scholar Management Convention is scheduled for 7 to 9 November on the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The society additionally holds two digital conferences annually, Pathways to Industry and TechX, that are open to all IEEE members at a reduced price.
This 12 months the merger has been celebrated at a number of IEEE gatherings together with SouthEastCon, IEEE Region 1 and Region 2 joint conferences, the IEEE Life Members Evolution Conference, and IEEE CompSac. There’s additionally this anniversary video on YouTube.
IEEE-HKN additionally plans to mark the milestone within the October concern of its Bridge journal, in addition to working with the IEEE Foundation on an anniversary campaign to boost cash for the distinction society.
When reflecting on the accomplishments of the past 15 years, Ostin says, “As IEEE’s honor society, HKN’s core values of scholarship, character, and angle align with IEEE’s strategic targets by inspiring mental curiosity and information sharing, fostering lifelong engagement, and empowering know-how leaders. Being an HKN member is a lifelong designation, and we’re proud that our members are leaders in trade, academia, and authorities, at all times in search of methods to present again to our present and future college students.”
This text was up to date on 5 September 2025.
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