The biannual University Engineering Employment Expo is set for next Monday, January 30. Held in the Activities and Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the expo is one of the largest student-run engineering career fairs in the nation.

Intended to connect students and prospective employers, there are currently 30 companies attending with more signing up every year. Some of the companies participating in the expo include 3Red Trading, Burns and McDonnell Engineering and Exelon Generation.

Vivek Narayan, co-director of the expo and a junior in engineering, said that registration is still open for companies and that they usually have companies signing up until the Friday before the event.  

Having joined the expo his sophomore year, Narayan enjoys working to help his fellow students further their careers.

“My sophomore year, I was put in charge of coordinating parking and shipping,” he said.“ I enjoyed the committee so much I decided to run for co-director so that I could help be a bigger part in organizing an event that helps out hundreds of students on campus with finding jobs and internships.”

The spring expo is typically smaller than the fall expo, which usually has upwards of 100 companies, Narayan said. This might be due to the fact that the spring expo is only one day while the fall expo is over two days.

Companies are looking for all types of students to join them. In the past, they have hired students for both full-time jobs and internships.

Junior in computer science Rick Hallman said that although he already has an internship lined up, he will be attending the expo regardless.

“I think it’s always just nice to keep my options open; You know, just give myself a lot of different venues to try out,” Hallman said. “I usually just like to pass around my resumes and maybe talk with different companies to see what they’re all about, see if their work is fulfilling. Not just computer-oriented but also people-oriented. Kinda something I feel like would make a difference.”

Mary Jablowicz, sophomore in engineering, said that she is currently looking for an internship and has been applying to a lot of Research Experiences for Undergraduates, REUs. She also might be exhibiting her own Virtual Reality Dance Dance Revolution project at the expo.

For Narayan, the expo has also proven to be a way to meet new friends.

“I have made some of my closest friends from joining the expo committee,” Narayan said. “One of my close friends who was even on the expo committee will be returning as a company representative to hire students for the fall expo.”

All revenue made from the expo is used to subsidize student engineering programs on campus.

Gillian Dunlop and Karen Liu contributed to this report.