On May 29th, current and prospective Oregon Pathways to Industry Research Careers (OPIRC) program students from Lane Community College (LCC), Umpqua Community College (UCC), and University of Oregon (UO) visited HP in Corvallis, Oregon. HP is a technology company that manufactures personal computing devices, traditional printers and state-of-the-art 3D printing systems. Students were able to tour the facilities, where they got a first-hand look into HP's clean rooms (low dust space critical for microelectronic development), printer part manufacturing space, 3D printing suite, and industrial scale printers. The tours were led by HP employees who launched their careers through the Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program (KCGIP).
Cameron McGrath, an alumnus of the 2017 KCGIP semiconductor track, reflected on the visit by noting, "A key part of the KCGIP is showing students what is possible with a career in industry. Having graduated from the program and now working at HP in a field I hadn't considered previously, I'm excited to show HP's work to the current students who will shape our future. We are fortunate to have a wide array of careers represented at a single site, enabling us to show many possibilities in a single visit."
In a similar event, Central Oregon Community College (COCC) students explore career opportunities at a local science-based company, Serán Bioscience (Bend, Oregon). The company, which processes and encapsulates pharmaceutical compounds, showcased their work through a site tour and Q&A session with KCGIP alumni. To enhance their understanding of the industry, students had the opportunity to observe the manufacturing process Serán Bioscience uses to develop pharmaceutical compouds for the companies that contract their work.
The KCGIP loves to support its master's students and is excited about expanding those opportunities for community college students and UO undergraduates through OPIRC. If you are a community college student and want to learn more, please visit the NSF Science Pathways website.
Photo of LCC, UCC, and UO students and staff in the Heritage Center at HP
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