On Friday, Feb 9, I joined the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, University of Rochester chapter, at the annual Northeast Regional Conference (NERC). SASE itself is a fairly new national organization that connects Asian-heritage scientists and engineers from all collegiate and professional levels. Likewise, the University of Rochester chapter is much younger, as the organization began only one year ago.
In that time, the UR SASE chapter has attended two NERCs including the one I attended and one National Conference, and has hosted a variety of events ranging from networking tips, design challenges, dim sum trips, and much more. Furthermore, the UR SASE chapter is expanding by creating a mentor/mentee program, increasing outreach to high schools by offering STEM partnerships and developing a stronger network to other SASE chapters.
Traveling to the conference
The journey to the SASE NERC began quite early on Friday as we set out for Jersey City, New Jersey. Our UR SASE chapter comprised thirteen students and our professional advisor, Isthier Chaudhury. Although a six-hour drive was ahead of us, the car ride was actually not as grueling as I thought it would be. This was mostly due to the fascinating stories Isthier and Leo told about material science and horror stories about house shopping. With occasional stops, we finally arrived at the hotel.
Due to an unfortunate reception cancellation, we found ourselves with quite a bit of spare time Friday night. We decided to head to New York City to have a group dinner, visit, and sight-see Times Square. After navigating the PATH trains, we ate dinner in Korean Town and traversed the streets of Times Square. We headed back early to our hotel to prepare for the upcoming day.
Waking up at 7 am (an hour earlier than I normally wake up for classes), we dressed in business attire. As I arrived at the main ballroom for check-in, I was amazed to see all of the fancily dressed students walking around along with the many professionals including recruiters, engineers, and scientists from companies like Procter and Gamble, MIT Lincoln Labs, and even the CIA.
This year, the SASE NERC focused on the model, Empower You to Innovate.
The opening session began with a wonderful guest speaker, Professor Mukund Iyengar, who talked about his journey of quitting his job in a corporation to pursue an entrepreneurial dream. One line from his speech that stuck out to me was, “Someone asked me [before I’d quit] if I looked forward to Mondays or Fridays, and I realized I much more looked forward to Fridays.” For someone to have given up his secure job in pursuit of a passion was an amazing thing to hear. But it was also extremely insightful for me as I realized I had many things I looked forward to on Mondays at Rochester. This allowed me to acknowledge my passion for school and gave me encouragement for my endeavors.
A morning full of interactive workshops lay ahead. Several of my peers commented on how great the workshops were, allowing them to network with other chapters, while others commented on the knowledge they gained on building a personal brand. Also, many of my fellow peers made great remarks toward the tech startup panel which featured various entrepreneurs. I personally found the workshop led by the CIA to be fascinating as it encompassed the different ways engineers, analysts, and scientists collaborated to solve threats to the United States.
After two workshops, everyone settled for lunch provided by the conference. During lunch, I sat next to a representative from Proctor and Gamble (P&G) and learned many fascinating aspects of being an engineer or scientist for P&G. After lunch there were more workshops, but instead, I had a fifteen-minute resume review with a recruiter from the MIT Lincoln Labs. This was a phenomenal opportunity to learn insights from an employer’s perspective, including things to consider like resume aesthetics that will make the resume stand out and what my goal should be through the next three years of college.
Shortly after the review, I attended a career fair and learned about opportunities at companies like the CIA, Sollus, MIT Lincoln Labs, UTC Aerospace, and many more. The career fair and the resume review were definitely the most outstanding part of the conference for me as I not only received a ton of information, but I also made deep connections with people in the industry.
Finally, the conference ended with a closing ceremony with Charles D. Olivio, announced the Small Business Person of the Year in New Jersey. His speech included wise words about broadening your skills and ultimately making yourself irreplaceable. His journey was filled with many ups and downs and he ultimately gave strong encouragement to me and my peers.
In conclusion, the trip was filled with many beautiful memories. Not only were the workshops and speakers influential and helpful, but the memories made will always be cherished. To quote Yijjin Li, former secretary of UR SASE, who was able to join us on the trip, “I got the chance to bond with peers from our chapter, other chapters at NERC, as well as many professionals.”
SASE would also like to give special thanks to the Student Association Appropriations Committee, the Goergen Institute for Data Science, the departments of mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, and brain and cognitive sciences for funding us and making this trip possible! Without the support of our school, we would not have been given the amazing opportunity to attend this event! Also, we would like to give special thanks to Isthier Chaudhury for attending this trip with us as our professional advisor, mentor, and our dear friend.
