Engineering department hosts first Meet and Greet with employers

Saint Francis University hosted its first “SFU Engineering Meet & Greet” on September 27. The event was organized by the Engineering department and the Office of Career Services to give students a chance to talk one-on-one with potential employers. Conversations ranged from the types of engineering projects that each company specializes in, to the specific skills students need to be successful in their job search. Students also made contacts for potential internships in their area of interest. 

 In the photos:

On the left: Craig Neal of CONSOL Energy chats with Ryan Fife a sophomore environmental engineering major.  On the right: Michael Bradley with M3S Networking, talks with sophomore environmental engineering majors Ashley Rovder and Bartholomew Blair, and junior petroleum and natural gas engineering major Shannon Szymusiak. 

Companies represented included: the Blair County Conservation District, CDI Corporation, Chevron, Consol Energy Inc., GeoTech Engineering Inc., M3S Networking and Range Resources­--Appalachia LLC. Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky also attended the event.

 Some of the company representatives serve in an advisory capacity to the university’s suite of engineering programs which includes bachelor of science degrees in environmental engineering, petroleum and natural gas engineering, and 3+2 engineering. The university is also launching a new 4-year general engineering degree in the fall of 2017.

Approximately 60 students are currently majoring in an engineering discipline at Saint Francis with students coming from diverse geographical backgrounds. According to Department Chair Dr. John Harris, the engineering programs have attracted students from Brazil, Canada, Venezuela, Trinidad, China, Slovina, Angola as well as students from the East to West Coast and many regions in between. 

 “Engineering at Saint Francis University is advancing at a rapid rate. Two new laboratories, sophisticated specialized equipment and three new faculty are just a few of the advancements made this year,” said department chair Dr. John Harris. “With the addition of our new general engineering major starting fall 2017 to our already existing petroleum and natural gas engineering and environmental engineering majors, we have established ourselves as a serious engineering school.  A small liberal arts school with a robust engineering department is a rather unique find across the nation.  I am particularly proud of our faculty, who are dedicated to their students’ success, and of our engineering curriculum which has a real vision to prepare our next generation of engineers to meet societal needs.

For more information on engineering at SFU visit www.francis.edu/engineering or contact Dr. Harris at jharris@francis.edu. To participate in the 2017 “Meet & Greet” contact Kelsea Palmer, engineering laboratory manager/instructor, at kpalmer@francis.edu.