Engineering and Science Career Fair is matchmaker for students and employers

Students who land interviews at The University of Akron Engineering and Science Career Fair may not have far to travel to meet with hiring managers. Thirty companies have secured on-campus interview rooms to meet with students in the days following the fair, which takes place Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Employers have come to expect to find quality candidates when they visit the College of Engineering career fair,” says Director of Engineering Co-op and Placement Deanna Dunn. “Companies don’t want to lose their top choices to competition, so many of them scoop up our students within days of the fair.”

The College of Engineering will welcome recruiters from 160 companies, many of whom are College of Engineering alumni returning to attract the next generation of UA grads to their companies for both co-op and full-time positions.

One engineering student who already has her summer co-op secured with Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is second-year corrosion engineering student Abigail Helbling.

“I’m looking forward to the hands-on experience I’ll gain this summer at Marathon,” says Helbling. “I know it will be a great opportunity to learn how engineering of all kinds affects the real world and to relate that experience back to my classes in the fall.”

Abigail is following in the footsteps of corrosion engineering students like Jacob Sines, a senior whose co-op experience with Marathon has parlayed into his full-time position after his May graduation. UA offers the nation's only baccalaureate program in corrosion engineering, and Sines is one of 11 students who will become the nation’s first students to receive a B.S. Corrosion Engineering degree upon graduation in May.

“MPC’s relationship with The University of Akron is extremely valuable,” says Chris Aldrich, senior corrosion specialist at Marathon Petroleum Corp. “There is a growing need for well-rounded students interested in various engineering fields, including corrosion engineering. The University of Akron has provided top-notch candidates for potential careers in several of MPC’s business units.”

Engineering candidates from all disciplines, including aerospace systems, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, corrosion, electrical and mechanical, along with students from the engineering technology areas (automated manufacturing, computer information systems, computer science, construction, electronic, mechanical, and surveying and mapping) will be in attendance at the Engineering and Science Career Fair.