Engineering week began on campus yesterday, and today’s Engineering Fair promises to be the largest ever.

Iowa State is ranked the 11th largest engineering school in the country, and there will be representatives from 180 companies attending the fair.

Today’s student-run fair will be held from 1 to 8 p.m.

The fair is usually held at the Memorial Union, but with 180 companies in attendance this year compared to last year’s 112, the fair needed to be held at Hilton Coliseum.

Loni Pringnitz, assistant director for ISU’s engineering career services, said, “The growth of the fair has just been phenomenal —tripling in the last three years. The economy is good right now; therefore, more and more companies are hiring.”

Companies such as Texas Instruments, Intel Corp., Microsoft, 3M, Boeing Co., Frito- Lay Inc., Lockheed Martin, Proctor & Gamble, IBM, General Motors, Rockwell Collins and Motorola will attend today’s fair.

The fair is organized by nearly 50 ISU engineering students in the Engineering Student Organization.

Tom Ligouri said the fair “provides students opportunities to speak to company representatives about internships, co-ops and permanent job opportunities.”

Ligouri said students planning to attend the fair should plan ahead.

“There are 180 companies attending, so they should plan their route around the Coliseum. Students should bring their resumes; there are lots of interviews held in the days following the fair,” he said.

“We found that career fairs are one of the best ways to meet ISU students who are interested in working for our company. It allows one- to- one interaction and an opportunity to talk to the students about their college experiences and career interests. This could never be replaced with reading a stack of resumes,” Scott Meline, lead recruiter for Proctor & Gamble, said.

Meline added that Proctor & Gamble hires “the best engineering students,” and that is why the company recruits at ISU.

“More than 25 years of recruiting ISU students speaks for itself,” he said. “Year after year, we’ve hired students who’ve demonstrated the technical skills and leadership capabilities we’re looking for.”

Loni Pringnitz also said that nearly 40 percent of the engineering students who graduated from ISU last year took jobs with companies in Iowa.

“Not too long ago, Governor Branstad was talking about the large number of bright, educated students who left the state after graduation to find work. Our numbers indicate a steady increase since 1991 of engineering students who stay and work here,” Pringnitz said.

There will be transportation provided by Cy-Ride to and from the fair.

There will also be $10,000 worth of door prizes provided by 20 companies.

In addition to the fair, this year there will be a Seminar Series held in Marston Hall.

Stephanie Elliot, director of alumni relations and special events, said there will be two seminars presented by ISU alumni where students can learn about life in the engineering workplace.

Mary Jane Hagenson, specialty chemicals general manager for Phillips Chemical, spoke yesterday afternoon.

Hagenson graduated from ISU in 1976 with a master’s degree in bio-medical engineering and earned her doctorate in 1980.

Tom Ligouri, director of external relations in the engineering department, said Hagenson “gave an interesting perspective for women in engineering.”

Chris Richardson, president of Square D in Palatine, IL, will be speaking today in room 114 of Marston Hall. Richardson graduated from ISU with a bachelor’s degree in industrial administration in 1971.

Ligouri said Richardson “will tell the students about his experiences on moving up the ranks of Square D.”

Richardson has been with Square D for 26 years. He has held various management and supervisory positions. As president and chief operating officer of Square D and Schneider North America, Richardson is responsible for all North American operations including finance, manufacturing, sales and marketing.

A question-and-answer session will follow his presentation.

Elliot said the Seminar Series “provides a means by which alumni and students can interact with each other.

“Students can ask the alumni what to expect as they make the transition to career from student life,” Elliot said. “The alumni can share in an informal setting their personal experiences and tips for students as they navigate their path into the career world.”

Registration will be taken until 10 a.m. To register, call (515) 294-9988, fax (515) 294-9273, or e-mail [email protected].

The seminars are sponsored by the College of Engineering, Office of the Dean.