The newest graduate student group on campus is on a mission to connect science and engineering students with industry leaders. Science and Industry Exchange for Women, better known as SciiX, plans to put on events throughout the year to give students an opportunity to make professional connections and learn more about non-academic career paths.
Co-presidents Anisa Myzaferi, a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Rachel Koltun, a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Materials, founded the group because they wanted to see different perspective on career options, especially from a female point of view. “It’s good to see a balance. Our advisors at UCSB are a small sample – we want to widen the perspective on job opportunities,” said Rachel. Even though students need to focus on coursework and research, Anisa stressed the importance of understanding what happens after the degree and what to start doing now to be prepared.
The group hosts its first event, Post Graduate Career Panel, on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. in Elings 1601. Panelists from various companies will be on hand to discuss their experiences and what it’s like to work in the industry sector. Represented companies include HRL Laboratories, Raytheon Vision Systems, Wyatt Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Transphorm, Soraa Inc., GE Global Solutions, and Dupont. Many of the guests are UCSB alums. After the discussion, attendees will have the chance to chat with the panelists at the networking reception. SciiX welcomes any and all graduate students in science and engineering to attend.
External Vice President Erin Kyle, a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Materials, emphasized that they want to focus on networking. For this event, she said, they specifically sought out companies that they knew students were interested in working at.
Moving forward, the group plans to host similar events and welcomes suggestions from students on companies to include. They also hope to offer site visits to companies in the local area. For more on the group, check out their website. They also write a blog, which is for "career- and life-minded graduate students in STEM." If you have questions about the group or the event, email ucsbsciix@gmail.com.