Engagement opportunities

Ph.D. student dissertation committees consist of at least 4-5 members. Industry members who participate on dissertation committee help broaden the student's research perspective with practical application and real-world feedback.

The time commitment for external committee members varies by student and program, but in general, one should expect:

• At least 1 in-person/phone committee (group) meeting per term perhaps 1-2 hours in length
• As defense approaches, may expect additional in-person/phone group meetings.
• Feedback on proposal idea and research path through the term, perhaps 8-10 hours per term
• Student research may be 6 months to 2 years until dissertation/completion of degree.
• Committee member should be physically present during the defense

If you are interested in participating on the Ph.D. committee, please email the appropriate department chairperson(s) who best fits your area with the following information:

• Your name and email
• Industry employer name and title,
• Academic background (MS and/or PhD in xxxx from University of aaaa),
• What type of research topic areas you think you could best contribute.

Since our students are in various stages of their doctoral studies, you may not receive immediate feedback. We will retain your name and information, and will reach out to you to update your information on a yearly basis.

As active industry leaders, you are aware of the latest technical demands in your specific industry. We enthusiastically endorse you teaching our students something critical to your area, so they can be qualified and better prepared to work with you.

Our full academic terms are 15 weeks, fall (late August mid December), winter (early January late April) and spring/summer (early May late August); courses can be setup as full-term or half-term (7 week) options. Typically, class offerings are identified at least one term ahead of time to ensure time to advertise as well as finalize teaching syllabus.

Our department chairpersons work closely with their industry board members to align curriculum with industry skills and techniques.

Please contact our Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Leslie Monplaisir, to learn more.

Adopting a guest lecture or course helps to bridge the gap between the College of Engineering students and industry. Similar to teaching a 1 credit course, but in a more condensed format. Sometimes, guest lectures and courses are requested by engineering student organizations. What we will need from you:

• Your name, email, and employer name
• Industry topic area you wish to teach
• Estimated length of topic (1 hr 4 hrs; or longer)
• Brief description of topic
• Student academic pre-requisites required (if any)
• Space/resource requirements for the lecture

Please contact our Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Leslie Monplaisir, to learn more.

We want our students, both undergraduate and graduate, to leave our programs with as much experiential learning opportunities as can fit into their schedule. Working on a real-world issue as part of an interdisciplinary student team with industry is a way for industry to get connected with our bright students.

Our full academic terms are 15 weeks, fall (late August mid December), winter (early January late April) and spring/summer (early May late August); courses can be setup as full-term or half-term (7 week) options. Industry would identify the research topic, and students register for a 1 credit 'student team course' with the industry point-of-contact as the instructor.

The College of Engineering will provide templates of project proposals, but in general, industry should think about these areas:

• Project title/problem description (3-4 sentences is fine for advertising project)
• Deliverable: What type and format?
• Resources/labs required from WSU? Or at industry location?
• Student-industry time commitment: The time commitment very important in managing the student's expectations.

Please contact Mary Zinser to learn more.

Sponsoring a distinguished lecture series partnership between the College of Engineering and industry is an opportunity to connect students with professional leaders and to enhance interaction among industry experts. The planning for a speaker series occurs in the spring/summer months for the upcoming academic (fall and winter) terms.

Commitment includes:

• Collaborate with WSU to identify speaker(s) up to 1 speaker per month during the months of October, November, February, March and April
• Help advertise the speaker series within your broader networks
• Funding supports flight/travel expenses, speaker award, food and other miscellaneous expenses

College of Engineering will:

• Help with travel/flight arrangements
• Advertise the speaker series on website and throughout the engineering community
• Secure room and food reservations for event

Please contact our Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Leslie Monplaisir, to learn more.

The WSU academic calendar allocates about 15 weeks in the May-August timeframe, which enables substantial time for a summer internship. Students usually have their summer plans identified by late February, so it's important to post opportunities early.

If you wish to post domestic internship and job opportunities, please use our Handshake platform.

Engineering K-12 outreach depends on the use of college resources in order to provide a foundation for future engineers. The college creates and teaches summer engineering and computer science camps for ages 9 through 17, enrolling about 200 students from the Detroit-local area. We want our campers to eventually enroll in WSU, and later become active members of local industry. By becoming a K-12 outreach sponsor and/or providing scholarships for summer programs and Saturday workshops, partners can help reduce the costs associated with student registration and tools/resources needed for our camps/workshops.  

Please contact our Community Outreach Director, Jasmine Roberson, to learn more.