On September 22nd, more than 40 School of Science and Engineering (SSE) Capstone students joined their professors on a journey to strengthen the bridge between academia and industry at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI). Hosted on campus by SSE and the Office of Employability in the new E+E Atrium, this first-ever SSE Industry Mentoring event brought together Senior students, supervising professors, and 15 corporate managers from 10 prominent multinational companies (Dachser, BCGX, Capgemini, Our Crowd (Israeli VC fund), CIH Bank, Fast Runner, Finatech, Green Renewables from Netherlands & Green Open Lab), creating an opportunity for invaluable learning, idea exchange, and professional growth.
During this networking event, SSE capstone students presented their Capstone ideas to earn priceless mentoring and constructive feedback. In addition to invaluable feedback, students began networking with industry leaders who are hiring talent like AUI SSE.
Capstone projects represent the culmination of 4 years of education, where students apply their acquired knowledge and skills to real-world challenges. These projects demonstrate the practical application of engineering principles on subjects ranging from Finance to Healthcare to Supply Chain to Machine learning. Under Dean of SSE, the SSE capstone has become essential for students to receive feedback from experienced professionals, as he explained “Industry is an important player in the academic life of our students and faculty. We welcome these 10 companies to network and provide contemporary feedback to students and faculty. Going forward, this will become a standard process for SSE to include industry in classes, events, and the Capstone Exhibition in December.”
This networking event illustrates the ongoing commitment of the Office of Employability to accompany students to Discover Their Future(s). As Chief Employability + Entrepreneurship Officer explained, “Networking is critical to understanding your broad range of opportunities. During every networking event on campus, you students can connect with external mentors who seek to support or even hire them based on their unique interests, experiences and hopes for the future. Going forward, the Office of E+E will host weekly and monthly networking events on campus so students can “Discover Your Future(s) while completing academic degrees.