Engineering conference brings Speed students national opportunitiesBy Matt Morris

This past weekend, U of L was represented by eleven delegates who took part in the 2002 National Association of Engineering Student Council Leadership Conference held in Pittsburgh, PA. The event was hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, and forty-two engineering colleges from around the nation attended.

The conference gave students an opportunity to talk to the 58 employers on hand to discuss possible internship positions as well as job opportunities for upcoming graduates. Some of the companies present that might be recognizable included Honda, General Motors, Federal Express, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency.

In addition to hosting a career fair at the national conference, there was a chance for councils to attend a lecture by Purdue University students on tips for hosting a successful job fair. Each year Purdue University hosts a two-day job fair attended by approximately 300 companies. They shared some of their secrets of success to help other schools out.

Each student was also given the opportunity to attend several different informative lectures concerning different topics in engineering. Among the numerous lectures at the event, there was a lecture given by Dr. Eric Beckman on tissue engineering. There were also technology lectures, information on planning for small businesses, and professional services giving information on engineering licensure and FE exams. The navy was also there with information on their nuclear propulsion program and engineering opportunities within the program.

“The national conference wasn’t all business,” said sophomore electrical engineering major Ross Molle. “The Friday night dinner cruise was a great chance to relax and see the sights of Pittsburgh at night.” Also, there were late night activities each night after the day ended.

Many students were very impressed with the organization of the event. Planning was impeccable, and it seemed that everything ran as expected. There were only a few minor changes made over the course of the entire weekend, and it was nothing to take away from the experience of the conference.

The event was an experience that allowed schools to talk about their own councils and make suggestions for improvement as well as allow students themselves to learn about so many different relevant topics in the engineering realm. Greg Steeves, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, said, “It was a great chance to meet engineering students from around the country and by interacting with other councils, we were able gather information that will help improve our own coun