Purdue Engineering Student Council runs 43rd annual Industrial Roundtable
More than 15,000 students flooded Purdue’s Memorial Mall Sept. 12-13 to explore professional opportunities during the annual Industrial Roundtable (IR). Representatives from 400-plus companies representing more than 22 industries attended the fair to tap into the student talent pool.
One of the largest student-run career fairs in the nation, IR is operated and staffed by Purdue Engineering Student Council (PESC) members and allows company officials to connect and interact with students. While the fair traditionally attracts scores of engineering, science and technology students, it is open to all Purdue undergraduate and graduate students seeking internships, co-ops and permanent employment opportunities. In addition to the in-person days, a third day is devoted to virtual interactions. Leading up to IR, an additional benefit is the availability of seminars — 50-minute informational sessions designed for recruiters to showcase potential careers within their companies, spark student interest and answer questions ahead of the fair.
“The Industrial Roundtable is impressive for two major reasons: the sheer size of the event and the caliber of students attending,” said Adrienne Cibulka, a mechanical engineering junior from St. Louis who served as the director of the 2023 fair. “Running the fair has been the most rewarding part of my time at Purdue, and it really speaks to the spirit of the university.”
Industry leaders in aerospace, defense, energy, healthcare, pharma/biotech and technology/science were in attendance. Some of the companies represented included Tesla, Eli Lilly, Accenture, Amazon Robotics, AstraZeneca, GE Aerospace, GE Healthcare, General Mills, General Motors, Gulfstream Aerospace, IBM, Intel, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Polaris, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Stellantis, Texas Instruments, Toyota and Unilever.
To maximize the presence of industry officials on campus for the fair, Purdue and SEMI hosted a Semiconductor Info Session Sept. 11 in the Buchanan Club at Ross-Ade Stadium. Students interested in jobs within government and the private sector attended and had the opportunity to network with executives from more than 40 participating companies. Students also received a summary of how to pursue a semiconductor career path through the College of Engineering’s Semiconductor Degrees Program (SDP), a suite of innovative programming for both graduate and undergraduate students.
“Our students are some of the best and brightest the nation has to offer,” Cibulka said. “We’ve received feedback from recruiters year after year that Purdue students are some of the most well-spoken and best-prepared candidates they will speak to during the recruiting season.”
Cibulka lauded the efforts of seven fellow students who ensured that the 2023 event was another success: Sruthi Anil (ME) and Nathan Petrucci (BME) in registration; Michael Svara (FYE) in hospitality; Amartya Singh (ECE) in public relations; Emma Kessinger (ABE) and Sam Schwartz (ME) in facilities; and Kathleen O’Sullivan (ECE) in seminars.
“I truly cannot explain how proud I am of my amazing team of fellow students for putting on an event that has such a positive impact on the student body,” Cibulka said. “Thousands of students will receive internships, co-ops and full-time jobs because of IR.”
First held in 1980, the fair has continued to grow and has been awarded Event of the Year by the National Association of Engineering Student Councils multiple times.