Inaugural Huntsville Employer Summit highlights engineering students, alumni potential

With a goal of increasing recruitment of Auburn Engineering students, the Engineering Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR) descended upon the Auburn University Huntsville Research and Innovation Campus to host the inaugural Employer Summit on Wednesday, Aug. 17. More than 60 representatives from 35 companies were in attendance to engage with college representatives, including current students, young alumni, CDCR staff and select faculty.

“The summit was designed to help Huntsville employers engage with Auburn University through recruitment, capstone projects and research,” said Apryl Mullins, CDCR assistant director for corporate relations.

A highlight of the day was a student and young alumni panel facilitated by Marissa Miller, career counselor in the College of Engineering, with participants Byron He ’20, associate software engineer with SAIC; Emma Perkinson, mechanical engineering co-op student with Technology Service Corporation; and Lindsey Waggoner ’21, aerospace engineer with Dynetics, Inc. The participants shared their feedback on their job search process, how they interacted with employers throughout the process, what attributes they looked for when narrowing down their search and what recruitment practices resonated with them.

Other topics presented throughout the summit included an overview of the potential that internships and co-ops offer to both students and employers, the value of connecting and partnering with students and faculty on senior design and research projects, and a discussion on the challenges and opportunities surrounding recruitment and branding to new graduates. Mary Scott of Scott Resource Group, an independent consulting, research and data analytics firm that provides professional services to employers engaged in attracting, selecting, hiring and retaining targeted campus talent, delivered the day’s keynote address.

“In talking with employers since our office was created, we have noticed that it is often difficult for employers, especially smaller employers with not much name recognition, to know where to begin in navigating a large university and how to engage for recruitment and collaborating through projects and research,” Mullins said.

“Our goal with this program was to facilitate relationships and open the door of Auburn University to these employers. It is important to our office to work with companies to create the best opportunities for our students to receive valuable, high-impact experiences throughout college and employment options upon graduation,” she added.

The Employer Summit was sponsored by Daikin, Hexagon, Nousystems Inc., Adtran, Colsa Corporation, ReLogic Research, Teledyne Technologies, Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3 Corps) and Corvid.