October 2023
IEEE-HKN Graduate Student Support
IEEE-HKN has several ways that it is working to support our graduate students and undergraduates who are considering graduate school. A survey of HKN members indicates that 61.2% of HKN members plan on attending Graduate School within two years of graduation.
Based on the feedback of our graduate students, a Mentorship Program was piloted last year that paired 14 graduate students with nine mentors. Mentors and mentees formalized their goals by signing a contract which also included agreed upon meeting times and topics to cover which ranged from how to build a start-up while bonding to how to evaluate post-graduation job offers. Graduate students can also elevate and highlight their research contributions in THE BRIDGE Magazine’s Graduate Spotlight feature which is seen by thousands of readers. Finally, a webinar series devoted to the interests of graduate students entitled GradLabs debuted in 2022. Produced in partnership with Tufts University, Grad Labs helps graduate students navigate topics such as finding research topics, how to train your advisor, and how to manage interpersonal relationships.
Other HKN offerings include: Pathways to Industry and HKN Tech X (virtual conferences), THE BRIDGE magazine, HKN Career Conversations and HKN Connection podcasts, Pathways to Academia, Alumni Receptions, Graduate School Recruitment Fair, and more
With all of its offerings, IEEE-HKN is committed to partnering with its Chapters’ departments and its students throughout their careers knowing that our mission of Scholarship, Character and Attitude produces electrical and electronic engineers who will ultimately serve humanity.
IEEE-HKN is here to support your Department, and to enhance and increase the services to HKN students which in turn increases student success in our technical fields of interests. Your HKN students and chapter can be valuable ambassadors within the University and community. We encourage you to support their efforts and work with us for our mutual benefit. For more information or to discuss HKN, please contact Nancy Ostin, n.ostin@ieee.org