Last week I had the privilege of attending a College of Engineering Advisory Board Luncheon, or C.E.A.B.L. if you’re into acronyms. I was armed with a Nikon 12 Megapixel camera…it’s considered illegal in almost 12 states, due to its x-ray capability. I kind of felt like the donkey being led by the carrot hanging from the stick; the carrot in this case being a fully catered lunch from Carinos, which is a fine establishment in my opinion. Freshly cut salad, piping hot eggplant parmesan, and all the bread I could stomach. They really had to twist my arm to get me to this event.
But aside from the obvious perks, I quickly realized the potential of this event to strengthen the College of Engineering’s relationships with leading representatives from industry. Leaders from TDIndustries, Cisco Systems, and Siemens were in attendance...just to name a few. Also making their appearances were representatives from UNT’s student body. The students had the opportunity to present their research projects on large poster boards in the hall outside of where we were eating lunch.
So after my last piece of key lime pie, I headed out to the hall where several posters were on display. The students were already into deep conversations with the industry leaders as I walked around and took photos. I couldn’t help but think, “Sir, are those boxers really appropriate?” My x-ray camera was acting up again. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a title on one of the posters. It was, Wireless Sensors for Energy Monitoring and Conservation in Re-tasked Buildings. This was obviously the Mechanical and Energy Engineering’s research project.
As I moved down the line of posters, another title caught my eye. It was System and Data Fusion Algorithms for Civilian Vehicle Recognition and Tracking. This had to be Electrical Engineering. After some detective work, I was sure that it was. Overall the event was going very well.
Being an engineering student myself, I realized the value of networking with several of the industry leaders. I , along with the other students attending the luncheon, picked up several tips from our visitors, and I’m sure they learned a few things they didn’t know when the day began. To sum it all up, the event was a mutually beneficial event for all parties involved. I look forward to continuing to build my network via UNT’s many professional engineering events.
