Information Session

1
Information Session
Connecting graduate students in science and
engineering with regional opportunities
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Information Session
Outline

1. The Beginning
2. The Approach
3. The Reality
4. The Future

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Information Session

• The Beginning

4
The Beginning

• Several MSE PhD Students Interested in Staying
• In Pittsburgh/Western PA After Graduation
• Difficult to Identify Companies that Hire PhDs
• No Mechanism for Looking for Regional Employment
  at the PhD Level
• Poor Understanding of the Role of MSE PhDs in
  Regional Companies
• Are There Suitable Opportunities in this Region?
• Disconnect Between PhD Students and Regional
  Industry

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The Beginning

• Regional Goal to Retain Highly Educated Students
• Example
• Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
• Article in CMU Newspaper
• One of Main Goals is to Retain CMU Students in
  This Region After Graduation
• He is not the only one.

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The Beginning

• 1) CMU MSE PhD Students Interested in Staying in
  the Region Post-Graduation.
• 2) Regional Goal to Retain Highly Educated
  Students.
• Perceived Disconnect
• A Number of Students Would Stay in the Region,
• But Often Find it Difficult or Impossible.
• The Pittsburgh / Western PA Region Wants These
  Students to Stay, But Has Difficulty Retaining
  Them.

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The Beginning
Many Groups Exist to Promote and Facilitate
Development of the Pittsburgh/Western PA Region

• PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure and Technology
  Alliance)
• ICES (Institute for Complex Engineered Systems)
• Alumni Events (Tepper School of Business)
• PTC (Pittsburgh Technology Council)
• InnovationWorks
• Allegheny Conference
• SMART (Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for
  Tomorrow)

CMU
Pittsburgh
PA, MD, NJ, DE
One Major Goal Retention of Highly-Educated
Students
IDEA Involve Highly Educated Students in These
Efforts
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Information Session

• The Approach

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The Approach

• Several Students Decided to Investigate this
  Further....
• Approach Form a PhD Student Group to Explore and
  Discuss These Issues.
• Initial Goals
• Attempt to Better Understand Connection Between
  Regional Development in Areas Related to Our
  Employment and Science/Engineering Research
  Through Discussions.
• Educate Students About Regional Opportunities
• Promote Networking Between PhD Students and
  Regional Industry
• Educate Students about Regional Technical
  Entrepreneurship Resources
• Create a Mechanism For Looking Into Regional
  Employment Opportunities.
• NOT A GOAL
• Convince MSE PhD Students to Stay in Pittsburgh

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The Approach
Meeting Schedule

• Organizational Meetings
• Second Friday of Each Month
• Review Progress
• Deal with Organizational Issues
• Suggest Course of Action for Following Month
• Discussion Meetings
• Last Friday of Each Month
• Discuss Relevant Articles
• Have Visitors from Regional Industry
• Have Visitors from Other Groups with Similar
  Goals
• Eat Pizza!

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The Approach
Desired Impacts and Effects of Group
Short Term
Long Term
Medium Term
Presence of Group Allows Access to Perspective of
Graduate Students Influencing Local Policy
Decisions
Group Gathers and Maintains a Centralized Source
of Information for Entrepreneurship and Local
Industry
Publicity of Presence of Group Attracts Companies
Closely Related to University Research
Eventually Extend to all of CIT Not Just MSE
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The Approach
General Organizational Strategy

• Significant Amount of Work and Time is Required
  to Maintain this Group
• Responsibilities are Split into Small, Manageable
  Roles
• Attempt to Minimize Time Burden on Busy Students
• Positions are Ideally Managerial in Nature
• Research and Classes are the Priority

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Information Session

• The Reality

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The Reality

• Achievements and Accomplishments
• Identified Major Goals of Group
• Wrote a Proposal for PITA (Pennsylvania
  Infrastructure and Technology Alliance) to Obtain
  a Budget of About 2600.00 Per Year
• Established An Organizational Framework
• Visitors From 3 Different Companies and a Number
  of Regional Organizations / Groups

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The Reality

• Goals
• 1) Promote Networking Between CMU Engineering
  PhDs and Regional Industry
• 2) Educate Interested CMU PhD Students about
  Regional opportunities.
• Provide a Mechanism for Engineering PhD Students
  to Search for Regional Opportunities

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The Reality

• Goals
• Publicize the willingness of CMU engineering PhD
  students to remain in the Pittsburgh / Western
  Pennsylvania Region after graduation if suitable
  employment opportunities exist.
• Interact with existing regional development
  initiatives to provide the PhD Student
  perspective to make their efforts more effective.
• Encourage student consideration of potential
  career opportunities throughout their time in
  graduate school

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The Approach
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The Reality
CrossLink Organizational Structure
External CommunicationsAlysha Grenko
Internal Communications Group
SustainabilityNick Jones/Nick Rock
ASM Liason Vincent Sokalski
MarketingDhishan Kande
FinanceKelsey Miller
WebsiteLisa Chan
General Members
Faculty AdvisorProf. Robert Heard
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The Reality
Sponsors and Affiliates

• Sponsors
• Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES)
• Pennsylvania Infrastructure and Technology
  Alliance (PITA)
• CMU Department of Materials Science and
  Engineering
• Affiliates/Previous Meeting Visitors
• ASM International
• Project Olympus
• Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC)
• Seagate Research
• ANH Refractories
• Innovation Works
• PPG Industries

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The Reality

• Achievements and Accomplishments
• Created a Name and Logo
• Designed / Ordered Business Cards for Student
  Members
• Group Website Developed and Launched
• Several Presentations/Interviews Have Been Given
• Students Involved Have Learned a Lot

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The Reality

• Name / Logo / Tagline

Connecting graduate students in science and
engineering with regional opportunities
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The Reality

• Promotional Materials

Pic of mug
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The Reality

• Group Website
• www.ices.cmu.edu/CrossLink

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The Reality

• We Have Learned A Great Deal
• There Are Many Efforts at Promoting Regional
  Development in Technical Areas Including MSE
• Pittsburgh is a Great Place for Someone Who Wants
  to Start a Business
• Group Works Best By Integrating with Existing
  Initiatives and Groups and Making Recommendations
• Example ASM Golden Triangle Chapter
• Just the Presence and Advertising of Group Has
  Positive Impact on the Situation

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The Reality

• We Have Learned A Great Deal
• Representatives From Companies are Willing to
  Speak with Students if Invited
• A Faculty Advisor Needs to Be Involved for
  Continuity and Sustainability of Group
• Group Will Be Difficult to Reproduce in Other
  Departments Without Faculty Involvement
• The Ability to Invite Visitors From Industry is
  Beneficial to All MSE PhD Students Interested in
  an Industrial Career Path
• Organizing this Group is Actually Fun!

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The Reality
Meetings

• Organizational Meetings
• Intend to Reduce in Number Once Group is
  Running Properly
• Perhaps Once Every Other Month
• Critical to Hold Regular Meetings to Keep Things
  Moving
• Discussion Meetings
• Mechanism for Students to Invite Visitors From
  Companies They Choose
• Ability to Ask Questions Directly to MSE PhDs
  Working in Industry
• Opportunity for Students to Gain More Perspective
• Format is Very Informal

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The Reality
Desired Impacts and Effects of Group
Short Term
Long Term
Medium Term
Presence of Group Allows Access to Perspective of
Graduate Students Influencing Local Policy
Decisions
Group Gathers and Maintains a Centralized Source
of Information for Entrepreneurship and Local
Industry
Publicity of Presence of Group Attracts Companies
Closely Related to University Research
All of These are Still Possible in Principle,
Hopefully the Website Can Play a Large Role in
This
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Information Session

• The Future

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The Future

• Continuous Recruitment of New Students
• Increased Faculty Involvement
• Promote Formation of Similar Groups in Other
  Departments
• Strong Emphasis on Group Discussion Meetings and
  Industrial Visitors
• Integration with Existing Organizations Such as
  ASM Golden Triangle Chapter
• Use of Website to Help With Group Organization,
  Advertising, and Discussion Meetings

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The Future

• CrossLink has a Great Potential, BUT
• Organization and Discipline is Required to Keep
  it Going to Fulfill that Potential
• Focus of Group Must Be Continuously Reevaluated
  and Sharpened
• Integration of Group with MSE and CIT Through
  Faculty Involvement is Critical
• Recruitment of New Students Must Be Done on an
  Annual or Semi-Annual Basis