Bird's eye view of EXPO 2010
Student speaks to a very attentive recruiter at Career Expo 2010.
The Fall 2010 University of Texas at Austin Engineering Career EXPO was hosted at the Frank Erwin Center September 21-22. The Career EXPO is an annual, student-run event that gives university engineering students an opportunity to meet with companies looking for current engineering students and upcoming graduates for internships and full-time positions. The EXPO had 324 companies in attendance, hiring students for internships, co-ops and full-time positions.
Organizers
The EXPO is organized by the Student Engineering Council (SEC). The SEC is an organization composed of engineering students whose purpose is to represent students of the Cockrell School of Engineering on campus and in the community. The EXPO committee, responsible for organizing the EXPO, is chaired by Kristen McConnell and Roberto Valle. Ms. McConnell and Mr. Valle are both Mechanical Engineering seniors. The EXPO is completely organized and run by students, and is one of the largest career fairs in the country.
Pre-EXPO activities
The EXPO started off with a golf tournament, which offered the students a great way to meet recruiters in a more informal setting. The tournament took place at the Star Ranch Golf Course in Hutto on Monday, September 20. Recruiters from fifteen companies played in the tournament.
Potential employers explain career opportunities to UT engineering students.
Later that evening, there was a Senior dinner reception. Sixty companies had recruiters there looking specifically for seniors who will soon be graduating. It was held on the seventh floor of the University of Texas Club, inside the northeast side of the stadium.
The Main Event
The next two days were the main event. From 11 a.m. — 6 p.m. on Tuesday, and from 10 a.m. — 4 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Frank Erwin Center, students had an opportunity to meet with companies from around the nation who are interested in hiring them. The companies at the EXPO run the gamut in size and type. As a sample, a few of the companies looking for mechanical engineers were: Apple, Applied Materials, Boeing, Capital One, Chevron, Dell, Frito-Lay, GE, IBM, NASA, Sun Microsystems, TxDOT, US Army Corps of Engineers, and Veritas Advising Group. More information on the companies in attendance can be found at the EXPO 2010 web site.
