BMES Career Symposium
Several years ago, students in the Biomedical Engineering Program sought to fill a need and turned to the leadership of the Biomedical Engineering Student Society (BMES) for assistance. While CU has robust Career Services offerings, the career fairs had not attracted many companies from the biotechnology/biomechanics/medical technology fields, areas of extreme interest for students in the Biomedical Engineering Program. In response, the BMES leaders put together their own career fair with the help of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program.
The first BMES Career Symposium was held in the fall of 2022, which brought together 12 companies/organizations with 137 students. Unlike a typical career fair, the BMES leadership enhanced the career fair experience by having industry talks, tabling and one-on-one informational interviews. BMES has continued to offer the Career Symposium each falls following a similar format. In the last two years, BMES has added student preparedness workshops covered a range of topics including company research, resume refinement, and networking.
Please join us for the fifth annual Biomedical Engineering Career Symposium to be held at CU Boulder campus! The Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder is an interdisciplinary program that prepares talented students for a variety of positions. With nearly 500 students (undergraduates and graduate students), our event is a unique opportunity to develop a relationship with our program and students; and find prospective interns, entry-level engineers and advanced researchers.
The Career Symposium consists of tabling, presentation/demonstrations and 1:1 meetings.
Tabling:
Tables will be set up in the ballroom. During tabling, students will gain knowledge about possible career paths in the industry, while learning about individual companies. Organizations can share what they are looking for in employees and/or current employment opportunities.
Presentation/Demo Description:
The interactive demonstrations will consist of a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Representatives will be able to discuss company achievements, recent developments, company culture, employment opportunities, and more. Demonstrations can include company products and other visual aids. After the presentation, representatives will field questions to encourage a discussion for the students to gain exposure to the industry.
1:1 Description:
During 1:1 meetings, a company or medical school representative and student will have an 8 minute conversation, followed by a 2 minute transition. The meetings will take place in a separate room from the ballroom. In addition, each representative will have their own table, which creates a more private setting. This section of the career symposium is an opportunity for students to gain interview experience. Students and representatives may be able to foster stronger connections through a more in-depth discussion than what is offered solely during tabling. Representatives will be provided with a list of the students they are meeting with prior to the event, which will include their major and graduation year. (This option is popular with students.)
At the University of Colorado Boulder Biomedical Engineering Virtual Career Fair, students will connect with industry leaders, medical schools and graduate programs to learn about groundbreaking innovation in a professional setting. Students will hear firsthand from leading companies about cutting-edge projects, latest trends, and the skills they seek in future employees. During group and one-on-one sessions, students can network with industry professionals and school representatives to gain valuable insights into the diverse career paths within biomedical engineering and medicine.
Prior to the event, students can take advantage of a skill-building workshop to sharpen their resume writing, professional toolkit, and effective communication. For a meaningful symposium experience, students are expected to research participating companies.
Eligible students will receive an invitation through Handshake and/or by email to participate in the Career Fair.
Innovating the world of healthcare
Biomedical Engineering is an exciting, multidisciplinary field that lies at the interface of medicine, biology and engineering.
Current research in biomedical engineering at CU Boulder focuses on innovative areas such as biomechanics and mechanobiology; medical devices; imaging and diagnostics; and therapeutics. Our goal is to create technology—drugs and devices—to treat these injuries and illnesses safely and effectively.
We partner with top-ranked medical institutions (CU Anschutz), laboratories (NIST), and numerous Front Range medical companies to promote translational approaches to solve pressing biological problems and unmet medical needs.
The CU Biomedical Engineering program offers multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees. Undergraduates may choose the minor, major (industry/graduate school track and premed track), and an accelerated master (combined BS/MS). We also offer a stand-alone masters and a PhD.
The undergraduate curriculum encompasses engineering design, math, chemistry, physics, biology, and computation with courses from mechanical, electrical and chemical and biological engineering departments, along with dedicated biomedical engineering coursework. Seniors enrolled in a year-long capstone course collaborate with companies and other students on a comprehensive design project.
The graduate program is designed to be flexible to meet the individual student’s needs. Students will collaborate with faculty and other advisors to create a tailored degree plan based on their career interests and goals.
The entire program has seen exponential growth in a short time, going from 120 students to 483 students in just 6 years. This growth provides tremendous opportunities for employers.
For questions, please contact
bmescareersymposium@colorado.edu
Fall Career Symposium
Thursday, Oct. 1 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm