This weekend kicked off the 8th annual Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow Leadership Conference. Held Friday and Saturday, the conference was sponsored by the College of Engineering in collaboration with four student organizations, which included Emerging Leaders in Engineering, Institute of Industrial Systems and Engineers, Triangle Fraternity and Vex U Cyber Robotics Club.
The two-day conference brought in speakers from various engineering industry leaders and offered a variety of leadership and development opportunities, such as networking and professional development.
Three main keynote speakers attended this year’s conference: Dr. David Sun Kong, the director of MIT media lab’s Community Biotechnology Initiative, Clayton Mooney, co-founder of Clayton Farms and Dr. David Sly, an Iowa State professor and the director of Start Something in the College of Engineering.
Break-out sessions were also delivered by various leaders and provided options for students to choose from a variety of topics related to engineering and leadership. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and get advice about the engineering industry from professionals.
Kylie Shipp, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, felt the conference gave her new excitement about her major and future career opportunities.
“It’s an inspiration to be here,” Shipp said. “Before this, I just felt like I was almost burnt out from my classes. But after listening to everybody speak, it’s like you find new motivation and excitement about going back and doing your classes and all the opportunities available.”
Holly Dunlay-Lott, a materials engineering advisor and Engineering Leaders of Tomorrow advisor, noted the excitement of seeing students partake in the conference.
“It’s just so exciting to see students taking time out of their busy schedules to come in on the weekends and really put forth the effort to just grow as leaders and as communicators and as people of our society,” Dunlay-Lott said. “So it’s just fun, and it’s really fun to see students that come back each year, and to have seen the growth they have made.”
For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.engineering.iastate.edu/elt.
