Welcome to the 2022 School of Engineering Design Conference

Welcome to the annual School of Engineering Design Conference. It has been our tradition for more than 25 years to meet every year with our industry partners and sponsors, and the community to celebrate our graduating class. This year's design conference will include a co-op employer forum & award presentations, and industry-sponsored senior project presentations.

The conference will be held on August 5th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. See the schedule below for details.

In Memory of Esther Padnos

This year's conference is in the memory of Esther Padnos.

Dr. Paul Plotkowski

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A Message from Dr. Paul Plotkowski, Dean of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing

In the early 1980s, a group of West Michigan industrialists approached GVSU with the request to introduce engineering programs. That was the first step in a tremendous partnership between Grand Valley and our industrial partners in producing outstanding engineering professionals.

Since then, the program has seen remarkable growth in the number of students and graduates, in how we prepare them and in the facilities and resources to support student learning, industrial and community engagement.

Along the way, we were very proud when The National Academy of Engineering recognized our unique partnership naming the GVSU School of Engineering as one of twenty-nine “Exemplars of Real World Engineering Education.” Recognizing a partnership that continues to flourish.

I am pleased to welcome you to the annual GVSU Engineering Design Conference. I look forward to this daylong celebration of our student’s accomplishments, and the ever-thriving public-private partnership that makes the GVSU School of Engineering so unique and effective.

Dr. Wael Mokhtar

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A Message from Dr. Wael Mokhtar, professor and Director of School of Engineering

Experiential learning has been in the core of the School of Engineering since it was founded. Course projects, cooperative learning (co-op), capstone projects, and recently Industrial Graduate Fellowship (IGF) are among the vehicles that carry this goal. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Engineering Design Conference which is our annual celebration of several experiential learning tracks of the School.

This day would not be possible without the hard work and ingenuity of our graduating seniors, the involvement and contributions from the family and friends who support our students in so many ways, our alumni who paved the road before them, our generous and talented industry mentors, supervisors and sponsors who work with our students through co-op and course projects, and our donors who have supported our students and School throughout the years.

The faculty and staff of the School of Engineering know that we cannot provide the type of exceptional educational experiences that we foster at GVSU without your involvement and support. For that we are truly grateful.

Please join me today in celebrating these important partnerships and the significant achievements of our newest graduates!

Chris Babbitt

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A Message from Chris Babbitt, Assistant Director of the Career Center

The Career Center welcomes our valued employer partners, our esteemed faculty and the School of Engineering Class of 2022! Cooperative education experiences provide students with meaningful, productive work while energizing organizations with fresh ideas.

Co-ops are powerful recruiting tools for professionals to assess students’ on-the-job performance before extending a full-time employment offer.

This program allows students to make immediate contributions in their chosen field, strengthening our community and industry. We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the many accomplishments and relationships established through the program.