430 engineering students hosted in Columbus
More than 400 engineering freshmen took a road trip Sept. 21 to Columbus to visit several businesses and learn more about the central Nebraska community and potential job opportunities.
The first-of-its-kind trip featured discussions with professional engineers from the area, and visits to locations like ADM, Nebraska Public Power District, Loup Power District, BD Medical, BD Pharmaceutical, Vishay Dale, Camaco, Behlen Mfg. Co., Duo Lift Manufacturing, Katana Summit and John Crane Orion.
Dave Williams, director of retention for the College of Engineering, led the trip and worked with Dennis Hirschbrunner, a retired vice president of marketing at HDR and UNL alumnus, and Roger Helgoth, CEO of Kirkham Michael. Hirschbrunner and Helgoth are members of Nebraska Engineering Dean Tim Wei’s Executive Advisory Board and facilitated connections with their business contacts at Columbus Chamber of Commerce and companies the students visited, to generate more involvement between Nebraska companies and UNL engineering students.
“Our goal is to expose students to the exciting careers they can have with an engineering degree and to the opportunities right here in Nebraska, and in Columbus,” said K.C. Belitz, president of Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our area, and the nation as a whole, will need many more engineers than are currently graduating from U.S. universities and we are excited to be able to encourage these students by connecting them to the ‘real world’ of engineering. We couldn’t be more pleased that the College of Engineering chose Columbus to help them achieve that goal.”
The trip is part of a new community initiative for the college’s Engineering Learning Community and exposed students to Nebraska companies who want to hire them when they graduate. The learning community began with a residence hall cluster of engineering students who form helpful study groups. A wider group of 40-plus College of Engineering students travels each Spring Break to U.S. cities such as Chicago and Boston, where they meet with UNL engineering alumni.
Nebraska Engineering students sign in for an afternoon touring Columbus industries.
Ten busses transported Nebraska Engineering students to Columbus, where the city's industries welcomed them with tours, networking and food.
Awaiting the arrival of hundreds of UNL engineering students in Columbus.
Engineering students get lunch and enter the stadium at Columbus.
430 Nebraska Engineering students gather in Columbus with some of their hosts.
Engineering students from UNL gain materials from Columbus businesses.
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A representative of a company in Columbus shares information with UNL engineering students.
Hundreds of engineering students visit with companies in Columbus that might be their future employers.
