The National Society of Black Engineers annual conference ended on Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It was the third time the conference has taken place in Pittsburgh and comes at a crucial time. Statistics reported last year show the number of minorities receiving science and engineering degrees is declining. How do you stop the decline and get more African-Americans in engineering? We’re posing that question to C. Fred Higgs III, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Hear this story Wednesday on Essential Pittsburgh. It will be rebroadcast at 8:00 PM and posted online.