Ohio State’s Engineering Expo turns 50

Posted: 

In 1966 a group of engineering students with an entrepreneurial spirit spearheaded a career fair which would become the first of many at Ohio State.

The first Engineering Expo took place in the lobby of Hitchcock Hall, with just a handful of employers onsite. Now 50 years later, those humble beginnings have evolved into one of the largest career fairs in the entire Midwest, and today is considered a can’t-miss event by both students and recruiters alike.

Students meet with recruiters at an early Engineering Expo in the 1970s.
Students meet with recruiters at an early Engineering Expo in the 1970s.

Held at the Ohio Union, the Engineering Expo spans over two days—a change recently made to accommodate the vast number of employers seeking Buckeye talent. Each year the Expo’s numbers break previous records. In 2016, a total of 285 well-known companies from diverse industries will exhibit at the event, including Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines and Google. Organizers say as many as 5,000 students are expected to flood the Union each day.

Much like it began, the Expo continues to be planned and coordinated by the student body. With support from Engineering Career Services (ECS), Engineers’ Council and its elected Student Expo Coordinators manage table assignments, venue confirmation, material ordering and select the committee which handles many day-of tasks. Despite the long hours, the coordinators feel the pay-off is well worth it.

“Overall, all three of us enjoy the challenges and experiences that come along with leading such a crucial event,” said coordinator Collin Callahan, an industrial and systems engineering major. “We appreciate everything the College of Engineering and ECS have done for us through the years and want to give back. We also want to assist and improve the students’ experience as they are searching for jobs. We hope to bring advancements that will improve the Expo for years to come.” Callahan’s fellow coordinators are Lex Clark and Andrei Morosky, also industrial and systems engineering students.

Top companies such as ArcelorMittal, Boeing, Dow Chemical, Abbott Laboratories, Facebook, Ford, Procter & Gamble, Shell and many more come to Ohio State each year looking to hire Buckeye engineers for internships, co-ops and full-time positions. According to organizers, some companies, like General Motors, have participated in the Expo for decades.

“General Motors recruits engineers from several partner universities each year and continues to look to The Ohio State University for top talent,” said Karen Morley, General Motors-Ohio State Recruiting Team Leader. “Our General Motors recruiting team is comprised primarily of past alumni and we look forward to recruiting at the Engineering Expo each year.” Morley herself is an Ohio State engineering alumna.

The Engineering Expo has changed a lot since its inception, mainly to accommodate its astronomical growth. Along with switching to a two-day format, the Expo has also adopted a later time frame to accommodate more students’ schedules. Coordinators also decided to organize this year’s employer tables by industry cluster, hoping to reduce the amount of time spent traveling from room to room and allowing students to visit with more companies.  As for what the future holds for the Expo, organizers say the only real limit is the size of the venue.

“There is a short list of employers who asked to register after the deadline, but we were already at capacity,” explained Employer Services Manager Amy Franklin of ECS. “And I would love to be able to offer two tables to the employers who request them, but space is very tight at the Union—even though we’re using almost the entire Union!”

Franklin said upcoming Expos could feature QR codes on student name badges, allowing employers to track attendance at their booths.

The 2016 Engineering Expo is today and tomorrow (September 20 and 21) from 1-6 p.m. at the Ohio Union.

by Meggie Biss, College of Engineering Communications | biss.11@osu.edu

Categories: CollegeStudents