Gear up for engineering events this fall at CLC

Nearly 100 percent of all College of Lake County (CLC) engineering graduates are successful after transferring to a four-year school when they start at CLC. High school students looking to get their start in engineering should attend the upcoming virtual events to learn more about the high quality, accessible, affordable and transferable program at CLC.

“The first two years of an engineering program tend to be the hardest and CLC engineering graduates routinely report the smaller class sizes and highly accessible faculty and tutoring they experienced at the college helped them succeed not only at CLC, but after they transfer as well,” said Rob Twardock, engineering instructor at CLC.

Thinking about starting the journey to becoming an engineer? Join the Explore Engineering session on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 4-6 p.m. to learn what it is like to be an engineering student in college. Presentations will include a college student panel, practicing engineers panel, information on the Lake County Robotics Competition and virtual tour of the CLC’s Baxter Innovation Lab.

“This is a great opportunity to learn about the various engineering professions such as civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical, computer science, aerospace and more,” said Twardock. “These events are geared towards high school students who will consider studying engineering or computer science in college and would like to make the most of their college experience.”

Designed for students seriously interested in pursuing an engineering career, Engineering Night is October 8 from 6:30-9 p.m. This online event includes a panel discussion by engineering employers who will share their insights on the skills sets they seek in new hires, a presentation by CLC engineering professors on a general overview of the engineering college search process and presentations by area engineering schools, such as Bradley, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), Illinois Tech (IIT), Iowa State, Northern Illinois University (NIU), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), UW-Milwaukee, Bradley, Michigan Tech and Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). During the four-year school breakout sessions, students and their parents may join Zoom breakout rooms hosted by various four-year engineering programs to learn more about the work they can do now at CLC that will lead them on the path towards transferring.

The college’s engineering transfer program will continue to share sessions throughout the year, including information on internships, scholarships and guaranteed admission partnerships with UIUC (Engineering Pathways), UIC and NIU.

“We take students where they're at in terms of math and science, and provide them the support they need to succeed at engineering,” said Twardock. “Our program also has great facilities, including the Baxter Innovation Lab, which hires up to 10 interns per year and provides engineering students a home to design, prototype, and build their innovative ideas.”

For more information and to register for both events, visit www.clcillinois.edu/STEM.