ME Alumni Connect Day

ME Alumni Connect Day brings together engineers in different stages of their journey

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 19:55:18 +0000

ME Alumni Connect Day brings together engineers in different stages of their journey Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/09/2022 - 12:55

Michael Lock Swingen

ME Alumni Connect Day enjoyed another great turnout this year, with over 40 alumni and nearly 400 students participating. The event provides an opportunity for students to connect with alumni, build their network and gain insight into what it's like to be an practicing engineer.

Participants connected over lunch, mock interviews, and across 12 class panels in Material Science, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Manufacturing, System Dynamics, Advanced Product Design, and Mechatronics.

Professional Development Advisor Katherine McConnell, who organized the event, highlighted the value of activities such as class panels. "If a student is enjoying certain course material, they can speak with an alum and learn how that material might translate into a future career and how it might come into play later,” said McConnell.

The event is also a chance to help engineering students understand that they don’t have to know everything right away.

“We have the alumni come in and say, ‘It’s important to learn all this information, but that doesn't mean that you have to be able to recite it from memory ten years later,’” said McConnell. “There are resources along the way and you build skills in the direction that your career goes.”

Above all, becoming an engineer is a journey.

Fourth-year undergraduate Megan Conard said she enjoyed seeing where a degree in mechanical engineering has taken the alumni she met at ME Alumni Connect Day.

“It's a great chance to network with people who once stood in my shoes and see where their life has led them, as well as connecting with my own peers in the major,” said Mi-Han Conard.

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ME Alumni Connect Day returns with an engaging in-person experience

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 15:50:48 +0000

ME Alumni Connect Day returns with an engaging in-person experience Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/25/2021 - 09:50

Rachel Leuthauser

After a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic, ME Alumni Connect Day is back. The in-person event gives students the opportunity to connect with alumni, network and gain valuable career advice.

ME Alumni Connect Day 2021 was a success thanks to the nearly 40 alumni who attended and up to 500 students they engaged with. Students connected with alumni over lunch, during class panels and while participating in mock interviews.

There were 50 mock interviews in all, and ten class panels total in Manufacturing, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, System Dynamics, Material Science, Sustainable Energy, Mechatronics and Advanced Product Design.

“Thanks so much to everyone who joined,” said Senior Professional Development Advisor Katherine McConnell, who organized the event. “This is such a fun event, and it was great to see everyone back on campus!”

View more photos from ME Alumni Connect Day 2021

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Connecting beyond the classroom at annual ME Alumni Connect Day

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 17:22:55 +0000

Connecting beyond the classroom at annual ME Alumni Connect Day Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/13/2019 - 10:22

Oksana Schuppan

At ME Alumni Connect Day, students complete mock interviews, ask their most pressing career questions and have lunch with alumni all in one day. Thanks to over 50 mechanical engineering alumni volunteers, students were able to engage with alumni over lunch and breakfast, on 12 class panels and during more than 90 mock interviews.

Thanks to over 50 mechanical engineering alumni volunteers, students were able to engage with alumni over lunch and breakfast, on 12 class panels and during more than 90 mock interviews at ME Alumni Connect Day.

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Alumni bring ME Alumni Connect Day 2018 to life

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 19:29:20 +0000

Alumni bring ME Alumni Connect Day 2018 to life Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/28/2018 - 12:29

Oksana Schuppan

The third annual ME Alumni Connect Day was a success thanks to the engagement of students, alumni, faculty and staff.

On November 9, forty-five mechanical engineering alumni traveled to campus to meet with one another, connect with students, conduct mock interviews and participate in classroom panels. Alumni arrived with varying experience levels and experience across industries. Graduation years ranged from 1977 to 2018.

Over 500 students participated in at least one event during the day. Events included 12 classroom panels, 75 mock interviews, breakfast with graduate students and a networking lunch attended by approximately 200 graduate and undergraduate students. To follow, alumni were invited to attend an alumni happy hour.

Classroom panels are central to the objective of the event, designed to demonstrate how the content learned in a course connects with real engineering work in industry. For example, a student might learn how fluid mechanics is related to a role in the biomedical field and how the same subject matter might relate differently to a role in space flight. This year, 30 alumni working for 29 different companies and representing careers in manufacturing, automation, construction, electronics, automotive engineering and consulting spoke on panels. Students indicated that the event helped them see what it means to be an engineer in practice and how course material relates to future engineering practice. They also commented that “insights of these professionals were invaluable.”

Throughout the day, alumni reflected on their time as CU ME students, sharing helpful advice with current ME buffs. Alumni discussed interview practice techniques, the importance of being open to learning new things, work-life balance, classes they wish they had taken, and how to make the most of work travel, among many other professional and personal topics. Through their involvement in the event, alumni demonstrated the power of networking and the extraordinary value that comes from talking with peers and mentors.

But students weren’t the only ones to learn at this event; alumni also benefited from their interactions with students. This year, students had the opportunity to showcase impressive work at a student project expo, sharing posters and prototypes to highlight the achievements of groups like CU Baja, Engineers Without Borders, Engineers in Medicine and the student-founded EdBoard Technologies. After learning from students, a recurring comment from alumni was that CU students had reinvigorated their hope for the future.

Senior Professional Development Advisor Kat McConnell says, “We owe the success of this event to our alumni. With so many new ways to get involved with the ME department, alumni are changing the way we connect students with industry.”

Though ME Alumni Connect Day 2018 has come to a close, ME alumni involvement continues to bring professionalism opportunities for students to life.

Alumni are changing the way students connect with industry, demonstrated by the 500+ students and 45 alumni attending ME Alumni Connect Day 2018. The third annual ME Alumni Connect Day was a huge success!

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Flickr Album: ME Alumni Connect Day

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 22:35:50 +0000

Flickr Album: ME Alumni Connect Day Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/27/2017 - 15:35

40+ CU Boulder mechanical engineering alumni & friends met with students in class panels and one-on-one Friday, Nov. 10 to talk life after graduation.

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