THE LINK BETWEEN INDUSTRIAL AND ACADEMIC ENGINEERING

The transition from the academic to the industrial setting is often a trying one for most engineering students.Many graduating seniors are unsure of which industry they would like to work in, how to balance 40 (and often 50) hour work weeks and a social life, or how to function in an industrial culture that is oftentimes less well defined than an academic culture.For undergraduate engineering majors, the senior design project is the most comparative experience to that of the industrial workplace.During this project, students are given the opportunity, usually as a team, to utilize all of their previous coursework to accomplish a common technical goal.However, this project only covers one year.Industrial partnering can be used to prepare engineering students throughout their scholastic career for an ever-growing industrial setting.A partnership between a college or university and a company can give students exposure to a variety of industries, allowing them to make well-informed decisions when actively seeking employment.Such a relationship also has the potential to blossom into a recruiting process for the college involved.There are an infinite number of ways to incorporate industrial partners into academic coursework.Some examples are pairing senior design groups with an industrial "consulter," who would be able to lend some real-world insight to the project, or forming research projects based on specific company idiosyncrasies.Engineering educators play a central role in fostering these company/college relationships, and are imperative to their success and longevity.By remaining present and active throughout the interactions between students and professionals, an educator can ensure that graduates are well-equipped for their future careers in engineering.