Students returning to campus, leaves changing color, football Saturdays, and pumpkin-spiced everything have become staples of summer turning to fall.

For the Tickle College of Engineering, one annual event in particular also fits that bill: the Office of Engineering Professional Practice’s Engineering Expo.

This year’s incarnation returns to an in-person experience at Thompson-Boling Arena, after COVID forced it to move virtual in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021.

“For our office, the Engineering Expo is the premier recruiting event that we host,” said Office of Engineering Professional Practice Director Todd Reeves. “Being able to have it on campus, where companies and students seeking potential co-op and internship experiences can meet face-to-face, is special.”

Students taking part in internship and co-op experiences during the school year usually rotate from school to work semesters with their host company, with some choosing to take their experiences during the summer. Across all majors, students earn an average of $3,200 per month during their experiences.

On the first day of the expo, students meet one-on-one with prospective employers, with a second day set aside as an interview day for students to go through a formal interview process with companies that have an interest in them and with whom they have an interest.

As in past years, every engineering discipline is represented many times over by the needs and wants of the attending companies, which include Altec, AMS Corporation, AstraZeneca, Brasfield & Gorrie, Bridgestone, DENSO, Garmin, International Paper, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Messer Construction, Pictsweet, Procter & Gamble, Shaw Industries, Texas Instruments, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and UPS.

The Office of Engineering Professional Practice was founded in 1926 to help engineering students add experience to their education and prepare for the transition from student to employee through paid, educationally relevant co-op and internship opportunities.

The office maintains relationships with more than 1000 businesses and interacts with more than 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students each year, helping them achieve more than 700 annual placements with participating companies.