Community College Lab Field Trips

[ChiralWaltz]

I'm the communications officer for our community college American Chemical Society chapter. I would like to have professionals involved in the industry influence us students that are in the academic setting. I believe that the insight they have may have could be a good way to cultivate professional development.

Why would a chemistry lab want us to visit and why would someone want to spend their time helping us?

 

[berkeman]

I'm the communications officer for our community college American Chemical Society chapter. I would like to have professionals involved in the industry influence us students that are in the academic setting. I believe that the insight they have may have could be a good way to cultivate professional development.

Why would a chemistry lab want us to visit and why would someone want to spend their time helping us?

It can be a recruiting tool for them. Generally the students who belong to groups like yours and go on field trips are among the better students. So businesses can view the time spent giving tours, etc., as time invested in recruiting.

When I was chairperson of our student IEEE society back in undergrad, we did several field trips to electronics companies in the Bay Area (Northern California). The companies even paid for the tour bus transportation...

 

[AlephZero]

as Berkeman said, it's the "marketing" end of recruitment. People are not likely to choose a career path they know nothing about, so companies need to show students what they do.

And it's also a lever for arranging a reciprocal visit, if the company management wants to find out what research your university department is doing!

 

[ChiralWaltz]

Thanks for the replies and the ideas. I've put some thought into it and I will be contacting some local biotech companies, a crime lab and the local university. I spoke with a professor who may have some contacts, which is another route as well.

I wish we could offer a reciprocal visit but unfortunately our community college doesn't do research.

Thanks again for the help