Connecting students with industry partners

students attending a presentation
Students attend a Career Insights session at the 2018 CBEE Winter Career Reception.

Career Expo week brings many companies to campus to recruit students for internships and entry-level positions, but smaller events held around campus at this time allow students and industry representatives to connect on a more personal basis. On Feb. 20, the evening before the Career Expo, more than 100 students, 15 industry representatives (including many Oregon State alumni), and CBEE faculty participated in the third annual 2018 CBEE Winter Career Reception at the Memorial Union.

Students attended their choice of three “Career Insights” informational sessions, hosted by industry partners Cascade Pacific Pulp, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Enzymatic Deinking Technologies, Lonza’s Bend Research HQ, Micron Technology, and SLR International. Also participating was Oregon State’s Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and the Arts office, providing information to students about getting started in undergraduate research on campus. This format provides a recruiting and marketing opportunity to companies, while helping students appreciate the myriad career opportunities and diverse industries available to them as new engineers.

A catered networking reception followed the presentations, giving the students, mostly juniors and seniors, more opportunities to connect with industry visitors, also including new CBEE Industry Advisory Board member and Oregon State alumnus Kyle Gee from ThermoFisher Scientific.

The CBEE Club, Oregon State’s AIChE Student Chapter, is instrumental in putting on this event, with the support of the participating companies and the CBEE Corporate Relations office. The work of the CBEE Club’s industry liaison officer, along with CBEE Club member volunteers and corporate event sponsorship, make the event possible.

CBEE-Industry connections are a two-way street that can enhance CBEE academic programs and also help meet industry needs related not only to staffing, but also technology and marketing. We welcome industry involvement with our program. Upcoming opportunities to connect with CBEE students include the May 18 Engineering Undergraduate Expo, which showcases our senior student projects. The next Career Reception will be held in the fall term, on Oct. 16.

For more information about these and other ways to connect or the CBEE Industry Advisory Board, please contact Lynn Ekstedt, CBEE Corporate Relations.

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