As the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program grows, so does the need to share career opportunities in the field.听 To help meet that need, the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the Biomedical Engineering Program partnered to host the 2nd Annual Biomedical Engineering Career Symposium held in the Glenn Miller Ballroom in October.
The career symposium brought CU students together with local biomedical/biotechnology companies that included Medtronic, Tolmar, Terumo BCT, CONMED, Meddux, Stryker, Darwin Biosciences, BOA, KBI Biopharma and Tensentric.听 Company representatives met with students to share internship and career opportunities, as well as career advice.听听
The evening was introduced by BMES leaders, Jordan Roos and Ellie Goldman, followed by a presentation from Dean Keith Molenaar and BME Director Corey Neu. Students heard presentations from Medtronic, Terumo BCT and Tolmar, each sharing their company vision; their recent innovations in products and services; and the value of joining their company.听听"The Career Symposium allows direct student-industry engagement, and is a fantastic example of how the BME Program is working to help grow the Colorado biomedical technology ecosystem, " said Corey Neu.
Participating students had an opportunity to meet with company representatives. Some students were afforded one-on-one meetings with representatives that allowed more time for an in-depth conversation.听 The career symposium was well-received by students who indicated that they look forward to the next event and that they enjoyed the format of the symposium.听 One student said 鈥淚 wish the whole thing was longer!听 It would have been nice to hear from more companies and have more time for tabling.听 Great event!"
The career symposium was important to me because听I wanted to give students in the BME program an incredible opportunity to meet with company representatives in hopes of landing a job or internship. I love to see my classmates succeed and I hope that the career symposium opened doors for my peers in the biomedical engineering field.听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听Ellie Goldman
This year, BMES in conjunction with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences ProReady Initiative offered a workshop on career fair preparation.听 Presenters went over resume fundamentals like formatting and skills/experiences to highlight.听 They also discussed how best to prepare for the symposium that included company research, questions to ask employers and practicing their introduction.听 Students were even asked to practice their elevator pitch.听 There was a strong emphasis on using the career symposium for networking and how best to follow-up with the contacts made during the event.听 This added workshop had a positive impact, as one company representative remarked 鈥淢ost students were very well prepared with r
esumes and background research on the company. Exactly as expected.鈥�
This year鈥檚 career symposium brought together BMES leadership with last year鈥檚 leadership, when two former BME alumni now at local companies joined this year鈥檚 career symposium to represent their company.听 This full circle moment is exactly the sort of alumni engagement the BME program hopes to expand.听
Plans are underway for next year鈥檚 Biomedical Engineering Career Symposium, where we hope to attract more companies to attend.听
This event was important听to me because it is the only BME-specific career fair on campus. Last year, I was able to make connections at the career symposium which turned into a summer internship. I wanted to return the favor by hosting the event this year. It is super important that CU BME students are provided professional development opportunities.听 听 听 听 听 听Jordan Roos