(49f) Professional Development for Students through Company Outreach

Evaluating and understanding available opportunities in chemical engineering are important components of professional development for undergraduate students. To support this type of development, a group of women chemical engineers at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has developed a grassroots outreach program to expose students to chemical engineering careers in the pharmaceutical industry. The event, held annually at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) for the past 9 years, has generated survey data from the students. The data has yielded insights on the program’s impact to (1) increase an understanding of what chemical engineers do in the pharmaceutical industry, (2) present a broader view of academic options, (3) build higher confidence in the students’ choice of major, (4) understand the impact of imposter phenomenon, and (5) foster a sense of belonging and pride to be a woman in a STEM field. The in-person (first 7 years) and virtual (last 2 years) event includes seminars, poster sessions, lab tours, networking sessions, and discussion panels. We present data from ~250 women chemical engineering students who participated in the events. While these events enhanced the company’s ability to attract and hire top talent and engaged current employees as role models for the next generation of women in STEM, they can also supplement the formal chemical engineering education to expose students to the professional skills needed in the workplace and how to frame decisions about their career choices.