On the evening of Jan. 31, a busload of engineering students departed Corvallis on a three-day journey known as the Seattle Industry Trek. Their itinerary was packed with tours of industrial facilities, meetings with industry representatives, and opportunities to see all kinds of engineers on the job in a variety of settings.

For the 36 students, it was an inspiring and eye-opening look at the breadth and diversity of opportunities that will become available to them after graduation.

Industry Site Visits

Site visits included Boeing’s production facility in Renton, covering 1.1 million square feet of floor space; Bristol Myers Squibb’s pharmaceuticals research and development site; Eaton’s Seattle electrical products manufacturing facility; Hoffman Construction’s headquarters; and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

“The Boeing facility was huge,” said Javier Garcia Ramirez, a senior in computer science and a member of the first graduating class of Catalyst Scholars. “We got to see them building the airplanes, which was amazing. But what was really cool about the trip was that most of the people giving the tours were Oregon State alums, so we got to ask them questions and get their Perspectives.”

Meeting with Oregon State University Alumni

A highlight of the Seattle Industry Trek was the alumni mixer, where students had the opportunity to meet and network with Oregon State Engineers in different stages of their careers, working in a variety of industries. Garcia Ramirez says he talked to a number of alumni at length, including a Google software engineer who had graduated about three years ago.

“That was especially valuable for me, as a computer science major,” Garcia Ramirez said. “It was great to get early career advice from somebody who just went through the computer science program here at Oregon State. I also got to talk with alumni who have been working a lot longer, and they have tons of knowledge to share.”

The trip also provided participants the opportunity to spend some time with other students in the College of Engineering, including those outside their own majors, and to make some new friends along the way. Garcia Ramirez says the connections students make now are likely to continue long after they finish school.

“I talked to one engineer from Boeing who says he’s still in touch with people from college, 40 years after graduation,” Garcia Ramirez said. “No matter what industry they work in, they still have that connection through Oregon State.”