UGA College of Engineering connects students with industry

January 30, 2015

The University of Georgia College of Engineering hosted an Engineering Career and Internship event this week in order to foster relationships between students and employers. An estimated 312 engineering students met with industry professionals from 57 businesses, representing eight states and 19 Georgia cities. The companies ranged from civil, mechanical, environmental and biological engineering firms, to utility companies, government entities, and more.

“We were very pleased with the turnout from both students and employers,” said Donald Leo, dean of the UGA College of Engineering. “The outstanding response speaks to the quality of education at our college, the faculty who are preparing students for a future in engineering, and the interest that potential employers have in our program. We look forward to continuing to cultivate the critical, symbiotic relationships between students, the college, and business and industry.”

Thomas Huelsnitz, an engineering graduate student from Homerville, said, “This career event provided me an open forum to talk with numerous potential career contacts. I spoke with one company I likely would not have pursued on my own. I quickly learned that my skill set and interests intersect with some of their job offerings. This interaction wouldn’t have happened were it not for this event.”

David Miller, a project engineer for the Pond & Company, an architectural engineering firm in Atlanta, and a UGA engineering alumnus, commented, “We really appreciated being invited to take part in UGA’s College of Engineering Career and Internship Night. What a great opportunity to meet the talent from the college. We were very impressed with the students we met. Being a Georgia-based firm, we are excited to form an alliance with UGA’s emerging engineering program. We look forward to continuing to support and participate in this event.”

“We have several objectives in offering a career and internship session,” said Kelley Saussy, the college’s director of experiential programs, who was responsible for organizing the event. “First, we want to promote the high caliber of students and programming at our college to industry leaders in the engineering field. Next, we want to connect our students with companies that are recruiting for internships, co-ops and full-time positions. Additionally, we want to provide our students with opportunity to hone their interview and communication skills with potential employers.”

Saussy added the college will have a similar event this fall. Employers in attendance included: