On the afternoon of November 21, 2014, over 100 BE undergraduate and graduate students networked with 24 representatives from 13 local, national, and multi-national companies at the first ever BE Career Exploration Event.

The purpose of the event was to provide the BE undergraduate students with the opportunity to network with industry representatives in a bioengineering-specific setting. An undergraduate attendee of the event remarked, “The MIT Career Fair is massive and does not host many industries that are interested in Course 20 students. This event is just for us which makes it more promising and less stressful.”

BE alumnus Nate Tedford, PhD, attended as a representative of local biotech Gingko Bioworks. The event provided Nate a chance to catch up on what BE students are doing and also conduct some business. Nate elaborated, "It was a productive way to meet exceptionally talented undergraduate and graduate students with relevant training and interests, and we are currently in discussion with a number of these folks for internships and full time positions at Ginkgo. We'll certainly look forward to this event in the coming years and the high quality of the candidates coming from BE."

The event was precisely coordinated and executed by BE Undergraduate Board co-Presidents Katie Bodner and Denise (Nikki) Neibloom, along with their executive staff. Their hard work meant that the industry representatives had little to worry about except showing up on time. Bodner and Neibloom even arranged for the visitors, most of whom were unfamiliar with the Institute, to be escorted from the Hayward Lot to Building 6; just one of the many details that went into making the event a success.

BE staffers Cathy Greene and Dan Darling, along with Deborah Liverman of MIT Global Education and Career Development Center, provided guidance with company recruitment and event coordination.

Dan Darling commented, “The event was held in 6-104–not really BE’s neighborhood. I enjoyed seeing people from all over the MIT community wander past the room and peek in and see our well-dressed students clutching their resumes, meeting with industry folks in an organized and vibrant setting with our department name prominently displayed.”

The attending companies represented a wide range of industries including biotech/biomedical, consulting, and pharmaceutical. The full list of company attendees include: Adimab, Amgen, Applied BioMath, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cambrian Innovation, Clarion Healthcare, ClearView Healthcare Partners, Decision Resources Group, Ginkgo Bioworks, Joule Unlimited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, and SeresHealth.

Photo caption: The BE UG Board 2014 Executives at the BE Career Exploration Event. From the left: Vice-President: Deniz Aksel, Co-President: Nikki Neibloom, Campus Relations: Jennifer Ibanez, Secretary: Jennifer Thornton , Co-President: Katie Bodner , Treasurer: Karinna Vivanco.