U of A Students Host Virtual Pre-STEM Mixer

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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers student leaders hosted an online event for students to connect with industry members. The STEM Career Fair Mixer, also known as Pre-STEM Mixer, helped students connect with companies prior to the career fair.   

 The event was held on Blackboard, and around 15 students participated.    

Five companies joined the event which included Southwest Power Pool, Cree, Eagle Picher, Lockheed Martin and L3 Harries Technologies.   

The goal of the mixer was to help students connect with electrical engineers, seek internship opportunities and have resumes reviewed.    

Hannah Bylak, president of the U of A chapter of IEEE, said these types of events are extremely important for students.     

"I think a lot of students don't necessarily know where to look or where to start when contacting companies, and it can be intimidating," she said. "When you have an event that is sponsored by the school, you know that these companies are looking for students."    

Robert Saunders, IEEE student adviser, said the students did an amazing job hosting the event and were determined to see it succeed. 

"In this environment where we are loosely connected, and students are feeling overwhelmed, it was great to have our student leaders invite their peers to this online event. It provided a personal touch that employers and students really appreciated. One of the recruiters said the only thing that could be better was to be in person," he said. "I am extremely proud of our student leaders who are forging ahead with their many efforts to restore our academic community."

For more information on the IEEE student chapter at the U of A contact Robert Saunders at rsaunder@uark.edu.