Episode 67: From Rural Town to Duke to NASA to BBQ Pitmaster w/Rocket Scientist, Dr.Howard Conyers
In This Episode, Minority Trailblazer Dr.Conyers shares;
01
What he learned from John Hope Franklin
02
How he became a Rocket Scientist
03
Tips for Parents and Students coming from Rural Towns
In 2009, at the age of 27, he earned a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, making him one of less than 20 African Americans in the country to earn this degree. He completed his undergraduate studies in Bioenvironmental Engineering in 2004 from North Carolina A&T State University.
Long before all of this educational training, he proved to his father at the age of 11 that he was ready to continue the family and community tradition of SC Whole Hog Barbecue by cooking his first pig alone, a lot of pressure for a kid especially with family members judging in Paxville, SC.
By day, he makes use of his PhD by working as an engineer at NASA Stennis Space Center since 2009.
By night and weekend, he has equally impressive attributes that makes him sought out nationally, one of which is that he’s a noted traditional South Carolina whole hog barbecue pitmaster. He has use this tradition as a platform to host educational dinners on South Carolina Barbecue, A Creole and Gullah Family Reunion, and most recently on Senegalese cuisine, where he invites in noted culinary experts like Benjamin Dennis, Pierre Thiam, and Vance Vaucresson.
He has been featured in publications including Southern Living Daily South, the New Orleans Magazine, the Advocate, and the New Orleans Time-Picayune to name a few. Dr. Conyers is a Fellow of the National Food and Beverage Foundation. Beyond cooking, he was recognized in 2016 as a NextCity Vanguard, as 1 of 40 of the best and brightest young urban leaders under age 40 across the nation.
Currently, he resides in New Orleans with his wife Kathryn and their two boxers, Aggie and Lily Rose.
