Earlier this month, STEM students and alumni geared up for the first hybrid (face-to-face and virtual) STEM Expo hosted by the STEM Professional Services, Careers, Internships and Co-ops office. As many employers are still not participating in large, in-person events due to COVID-19, STEM Careers, Internships & Co-ops felt the hybrid event was the best option to accommodate employers and provide as many opportunities as possible for students and alumni. On October 7, students traveled to Stambaugh Stadium for the event, where the face-to-face portion was held in Gymnasiums A-C and the virtual portion was held in the DeBartolo Stadium Club. While this was one event, the difference in atmosphere between the two portions was like night and day! Downstairs, the face-to-face portion was filled with the sounds of overlapping conversations of students, alumni, and employers. Meanwhile, the virtual portion was very quiet in order for students, alumni and employers to participate in the same conversations via laptop!

A total of 80 local and national employers connected with our students and alumni, 65 attended face-to-face and 15 attended virtually. Employers met with students and alumni to provide information on their organizations and discuss potential openings for internships, co-ops and full-time positions. In total, 538 students participated in the Fall 2021 event. For the virtual portion specifically, students participated in 82 1:1 sessions and 23 students attended group sessions.

YSU STEM students and alumni continue to trek through the everchanging landscape of higher education and the workforce in the COVID-19 era. Thank you to Butech Bliss and Ultium Cells, sponsors of the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 STEM Expo, for their continued support of STEM career programming at YSU and to all of the employers who participated in the Fall 2021 F-2-F/Virtual STEM Expo.

Additionally, thank you to the volunteers who helped make this event a success. Be sure to look out for more information on the Spring 2022 STEM Expo!