(D-125) Student-led events improve industry engagement from students in undergraduate and graduate programs

Introduction: Two-thirds of scientific research and development is conducted in industry settings [1]. The biomedical engineering industry alone encompasses 20,000 jobs and is expected to grow 10% by 2030 [2]. Despite this job growth, attrition from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is a well-documented challenge. On average, only 27.1% of STEM graduates enter the STEM workforce; this number is even lower for underrepresented minority graduates, of which only 19.7% enter the STEM workforce [3]. Improving the exposure of undergraduate and graduate students to industry career options is an urgent need that can improve student motivation, achievement, and equity in the STEM pipeline [3]. To this end, we organized events throughout the 2022 - 2023 academic year that focused on improving student exposure to industry careers, and we tracked student participation, engagement, and outcomes.

Materials and Methods: Between September 2022 and May 2023, the authors organized 11 industry-focused events with the goal of engaging academia and industry and broadening students’ exposure to industry. All events were free for students, and all but one were held on the University of Washington campus. 7 of 11 events were hybrid with virtual attendance options. Attendance was taken at each event and information was collected about attendee affiliation (B.S., M.S., or PhD student, faculty, or staff). Surveys were sent out to the bioengineering student body to gauge interest in various career goals; students who responded they had attended industry-focused events were further surveyed to assess event utility and career path outcomes.

Results, Conclusion, and Discussion: 57% of undergraduate and 63% of graduate students reported industry career goals (Fig 1a). During the 2022 - 2023 academic year, we hosted 11 industry-focused events subdivided into industry seminars (4), networking mixers (3), panels (2), a resume workshop (1), and a company site visit (1). We observed the highest attendance for networking mixers followed by industry seminars (Fig 1b). In total, these events partnered with 34 companies and attracted 361 participants, the majority of which were undergraduate students, followed by PhD students (Fig 1c). 84.6% of students reported that these events were beneficial to network and learn about the industry landscape; moreover, 23.1% reported getting a job or internship directly through connections made at these events. Together, these results demonstrate there is great interest – from both industry and academia – in student-organized collaborative events, and that these efforts lead to tangible career path outcomes for students. :

References:

[1] Ahmed, F., Fattani, M. T., Ali, S. R. & Enam, R. N. Strengthening the Bridge Between Academic and the Industry Through the Academia-Industry Collaboration Plan Design Model. Front Psychol 13, 2505 (2022).

[2] Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/biomedical-engineers.htm.

[3] Wernick, N. L. B. & Ledley, F. D. We Don’t Have to Lose STEM Students to Business. J Microbiol Biol Educ 21, (2020).