Advanced Manufacturing Summit equips BGSU students with industry knowledge and connections

The event, held Oct. 22 in Bowling Green, brought together the greater BGSU learning community with many key players in an important economic sector

For Bowling Green State University students pursuing careers in one of Ohio’s key economic sectors, the Advanced Manufacturing Summit on Oct. 22 provided the stage to interact with major employers, build a network and further develop career pathways – all without leaving campus.

Chayse Wolke, a mechanical and manufacturing engineering major and the co-president of the Society of Women Engineers along with Molly Widmar, said the summit was another way to gain professional development as a student.

Wolke served as a panelist during the summit and interacted directly with professionals in her field, another complement to coursework, a pre-professional organization and co-op experiences through which she has developed career skills as a BGSU student.

“All of those have helped prepare me career-wise,” Wolke said. “Personally, I think you can learn as much as you want from a book, but you also need the professional, soft-skills side as well. With the summit, it was a lot of networking, talking with people and learning how to present yourself, which is a major skill you can’t always get from a classroom setting.

“Especially in our club, one of the main things we highlight is professionalism – knowing how to talk to people and working toward what you want to do after school.”

The event, which included panelists from Whirlpool, Owens Corning and GROB Systems and a keynote address from Andrew Stocking, the president and CEO of Principle Business Enterprises, brought together the educational community at BGSU with many important industry players.

The summit was hosted by the University's Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator, a new initiative that connects students to career opportunities in the field. Gabe Dunbar, Ph.D., senior director of Career Design at BGSU, said the Advanced Manufacturing Accelerator gives students a thorough portrait of the industry before graduation.

"The Advanced Manufacturing Accelerator is our first career accelerator focused on industry rather than a particular academic program or career path,” Dunbar said. “We know our students will take on many different roles within a company or an industry, so we want to expose them to a wide range of career paths and opportunities.”

In addition to meeting with and learning from industry leaders during Thursday's summit, BGSU students had the opportunity to meet with career coaches to continue developing durable skills like communication, teamwork and critical thinking that often prove critical during pre-career and early career experiences.

Kassie Cooper, the director of the Advanced Manufacturing Career Accelerator at BGSU, said the day's events provided an environment for students to further develop their professional journeys.

“BGSU has been very intentional about not only providing the setting for students to interact with potential employers, but also equipping them with the durable skills they’ll need in the workplace and the curiosity to reflect about the career paths that would be truly meaningful to them,” she said. “The Advanced Manufacturing Summit was another way for students to hear from the people shaping their industries and to explore how they might fit into a great career.”

Wolke, a native of Findlay and the fifth member of her family to attend the University, said the summit served as an extension of her co-ops, which have reinforced the many different ways her degree can be used in a work setting.

“That is exactly what we’re focusing on right now in the Society of Women Engineers: helping the girls figure out which industry they want to go into and what role within mechanical engineering,” she said. “With my co-ops, I chose to try several different industries, which gave me different experiences. There is literally so much you can do with this degree. It applies almost everywhere.”

As students seek their best fit professionally, the Advanced Manufacturing Summit offered an additional opportunity to map industry trends and learn from potential employers.

“This is an excellent example of how BGSU is aligning our career readiness strategies with the demands of Ohio's workforce,” Dunbar said. “This accelerator will fast-track students towards being ready for a career in advanced manufacturing with embedded industry knowledge, work-integrated learning experiences and a robust network of industry partners."