{"472221":{"#nid":"472221","#data":{"type":"news","title":"BME\u2019s Fall Tradition","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThere are some fall traditions at the Georgia Institute of Technology that have become established symbols of the season, sending a communal buzz across campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThere\u2019s football, of course \u2013 crisp Saturdays at Bobby Dodd Stadium; there are the food trucks, returning in full force like migratory birds along Atlantic Drive and Tech Green; and for the last 11 years, there has been the Biotechnology Career Fair, proactively throwing open windows of opportunity for students and companies alike in one of Georgia Tech\u2019s most anticipated annual events.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cThis has become one of those win-win situations, an experience that benefits both students and prospective employers,\u201d says Sally Gerrish, coordinator of the event as director of Student, Alumni and Industry Relations for the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe Coulter Department, a joint department of Emory University and Georgia Tech, served as host of the fair in the Molecular Science and Engineering Building (in September, per usual), bringing 514 students (mostly undergraduates) together with 25 companies that were seeking to fill internships and full-time positions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAlso, five corporate sponsors supported the effort. The attendance and the number of sponsors were both record highs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EMaking all of the moving parts work together at the fair was a committee of 13 students, \u201cwho really ran the fair and did a phenomenal job,\u201d Gerrish says. \u201cThey\u2019re responsible for everything \u2013 recruiting volunteers, contacting industry partners, organizing pre-fair events.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThese pre-fair events are aimed at preparing students for the job search, for building relationships with potential employers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cWe want students to have a successful experience at the fair,\u201d says Liane Tellier, co-chair of the Career Fair Committee.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ETo do that, the committee helps participating students through pre-fair events and info sessions focused on creating resumes, alerting students of the job opportunities at various companies, preparing for interviews, and networking with alumni who have been through all of those drills already.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019d like to ensure that the career fair also offers a wide variety of career options for our qualified student population,\u201d notes Charles Ge, who also co-chaired the committee.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ESo this year, the committee assembled a wide range of companies in biotech-related fields, ranging from medical device companies (Medtronic, for example), medical products (like Johnson \u0026amp; Johnson), and institutes of higher education and training (such as Keck Graduate Institute).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EIn addition to those, the who\u2019s who list of companies and organizations at the fair included C.R. Bard, Becton Dickinson, Chart Industries, Clarkston Consulting, Epic, Eppendorf North America, Halyard Health, Georgia Bio-Emerging Leaders Network, Huron Consulting Group, Pabst Patent Group LLP, Procter \u0026amp; Gamble, QGenda, Sebacia, Inc., Southern Spine LLC, Stryker Orthopaedics, Universal Hospital Services, Inc., and W.L. Gore \u0026amp; Associates, Inc. Sponsoring the event and also on hand were Boston Scientific, PrepMD, St. Jude Medical, T3 Labs and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cThe fair is a wonderful opportunity for companies to visit our university and become aware of the highly talented students that we graduate,\u201d says James Rains, professor of practice and director of the BME Capstone program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFor students, he says, \u201cits a rare opportunity to meet with companies that are competing in the healthcare industry.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EGerrish remembers when the event drew only 250 students. It\u2019s more than doubled in size, and has grown in scope also, attracting mostly BME students, but also students from almost every other engineering discipline.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u201cWe have a growing number of students from different majors,\u201d Gerrish says. \u201c which is great, because this event is really for any student on campus interested in biotechnology,\u201d Gerrish says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p2\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003ERains listened closely to company feedback at the event, and was happy to report, \u201cthey are amazed to find so many students that are both intelligent and engaging \u2013 a rare combination for engineers,\u201d he says. \u201cThey also noted that our program is unique because we prepare our students to be immediate contributors within an organization, making them highly attractive as potential hires.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Biotechnology Career Fair brings in record numbers"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBiotechnology Career Fair brings in record numbers\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Biotechnology Career Fair brings in record numbers"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2015-11-20 17:26:48","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:20:08","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"472181":{"id":"472181","type":"image","title":"BME Career Fair crowd","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1475895223","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:43","alt":"BME Career Fair crowd","file":{"fid":"203941","name":"img_8604.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8604_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8604_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1575329,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_8604_0.jpg?itok=jEo8j6bK"}},"472191":{"id":"472191","type":"image","title":"BME Career Fair signups","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1475895223","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:43","alt":"BME Career Fair signups","file":{"fid":"203942","name":"img_8527.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8527_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8527_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1613144,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_8527_0.jpg?itok=0CT0Sen1"}},"472201":{"id":"472201","type":"image","title":"BME Career Day - greetings","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1475895223","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:43","alt":"BME Career Day - greetings","file":{"fid":"203943","name":"img_8599.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8599_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8599_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":820039,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_8599_0.jpg?itok=e5iHXTTn"}},"472211":{"id":"472211","type":"image","title":"BME Career Day - meetings","body":null,"created":"1449257190","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:26:30","changed":"1475895223","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:43","alt":"BME Career Day - meetings","file":{"fid":"203944","name":"img_8646.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8646_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_8646_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":912463,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_8646_0.jpg?itok=7hK6FCa_"}}},"media_ids":["472181","472191","472201","472211"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/node\/jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Officer II\u003Cbr \/\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for\u003Cbr \/\u003EBioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}