Highlights
Dr. Calvin Mackie
Opening Session Plenary Speaker
Friday, July 15, 2005, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Ballroom of the Americas (Level Two)
After graduating from McDonogh No.35 High School in New Orleans, LA in 1985, Calvin Mackie was conditionally accepted into Morehouse College where he began his college career in remedial reading after scoring a weak 800 on the SAT college entrance examination. Over the next eleven years, Mackie embarked on an unbelievable journey of academic and personal achievement that no man-made test could have predicted.
As an undergraduate, Mackie was a dual-degree achiever. In 1990, he earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Morehouse College, where he graduated magna cum laude. Two years later, he earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. In March 1996, he was conferred the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mechanical Engineering.
While pursuing his doctorate degree, he served as an instructor of mathematics, including intermediate algebra and pre-calculus at Morehouse College. He also tutored students in engineering graphics in the Atlanta University Center Dual Degree Program. Committed to community service, his involvements have included the High School Outreach Program, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, and the NAACP. He is an active member of the 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans and the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Sisters of Southeast Louisiana.
In 1992, he co-founded Channel ZerO, an educational and motivational consulting company. He operates under the premise that exposure and experience are two important parameters of success and his approach to working with people is simple and practical, using unique strategies and methodologies to motivate and inspire.
In addition to his involvement with Channel ZerO, Mackie is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, specializing in heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Recently, Mackie received the Pi Tau Sigma/ASME Excellence in Teaching Award in Mechanical Engineering for 1999-2000. In November 1999, he was awarded a patent on a device to retrofit luggage stowbins on 737 and 757 Boeing commercial airliners. He also authors a motivational column entitled, "Think About It!" for the Black Collegian Magazine.
