2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introduction: In 2021 an extra-curricular program was initiated at a large R1 University in the Midwest for undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate students to create connections with industry professionals in various BME fields. This was established in order to help address the perceived gap between industry skills taught in the curriculum and landing a career in industry [1–3].The goal of the program was to form a year-long mentor/student relationship where the mentor would provide guidance for students searching for co-ops and internships and industry jobs after graduation. Students get advice from their mentor on topics ranging from resumes, interview techniques, variety of jobs available with a BME degree, and expanding their professional network.

Methods: In the past three years 90 undergraduate students participated in the program along with 47 industry mentors. Industry mentors come from a variety of companies and job positions such as Product Development Engineers, Management Consultants, Research Specialists, and Technology Strategy Managers, just to name a few. Data related to career placement from the engineering college career services from the years 2012 to 2019 were compared to data after the implementation of the industry mentorship program. In addition, responses to a required senior exit survey from graduating students (about 2 weeks before graduation) were analyzed from years 2022 to 2024. Information about pre-graduation work experience such as internships and co-ops was obtained. Post-graduate plans such as job placement were also included in the survey results. For the full paper, analysis of industry mentorship program participants (students and mentors) will also be included.

Results: Between 2012 and 2019, only 34% of BME students reported having any internship or co-op experience before graduation. Increases in the percentage of students participating in either an internship or co-op experience increased to 45%, 67%, and 72% reported by graduating seniors in 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively. Similarly, since the initiation of the program, more graduating seniors have reported having already obtained industry job positions. In the years of 2012 to 2022, roughly 32% of respondents reported an industry job. In the two most recent academic years this has increased to 44% and 41% of students reporting having obtained an industry job before graduation.

Conclusions: The combination of survey results indicate that the mentorship program has improved the rate at which BME undergraduate students secure internships, co-ops, and industry positions before graduation. Future focus will be spent on identifying the specific elements of the program that contribute most to its success, as well as lessons learned, to enable other institutions to implement similar successful programs.

References:
1. Berglund J. The Real World: BME graduates reflect on whether universities are providing adequate preparation for a career in industry. IEEE Pulse. 2015;6(2):46-49. doi:10.1109/MPUL.2014.2386631
2. Nocera TM, Ortiz-Rosario A, Shermadou A, Delaine DA. How Do Biomedical Engineering Graduates Differ from Other Engineers? Bridging the Gap Between BME and Industry: a Case Study. In: ; 2018. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://peer.asee.org/how-do-biomedical-engineering-graduates-differ-from-other-engineers-bridging-the-gap-between-bme-and-industry-a-case-study
3. Desing RM, Shermadou AS, Nocera TM, et al. Identifying Supports and Barriers in Engineering Students’ Processes Toward Career Attainment. Biomed Eng Educ. Published online August 14, 2023. doi:10.1007/s43683-023-00119-1