Most came by bus or car, but they had airplanes and spaceships on their minds. Five hundred students and exhibitors from across San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange County came to UCI on September 7 to hear Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides speak, and to meet leaders of aerospace companies including Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
The inaugural Aerospace Workforce Development Symposium & Expo, co-hosted by Base 11, Dassault Systemes and UCI Engineering, was held in conjunction with the 20th Annual Mars Society Convention, which attracts Mars aficionados from around the world.
At #2017MarsSocCon @UCIrvine. Expecting 500+ students at #aerospaceexpo. @base11STEM @TheMarsSociety @UCIEngineering @STEMConnector #stem pic.twitter.com/6xW5FiXod5
— Al Bunshaft (@AlBunshaft) September 7, 2017
Symposium Inspires
Gregory Washington, Stacey Nicholas Dean of Engineering at UCI, opened the symposium emphasizing to the students that the aerospace industry workforce is rapidly aging, creating opportunities for a new generation of innovators and leaders.
@UCIEngineerDean More than half of the top 10 in demand jobs in 2017 did not exist in 2006 #AerospaceExpo#Diversity@TheMarsSociety#Base11
— Landon V. Taylor (@LandonVTaylor) September 7, 2017
During the highly anticipated keynote, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides urged students to think of planet Earth as a spaceship hurtling through the solar system. And he called on them to choose between the role of passenger or crew on that spaceship.
@virgingalactic keynote @gtwhitesides “Are you gonna be crew, or a passenger?” to students at #AerospaceExpo #STEM pic.twitter.com/m9RJT8p2v1
— Noramay Cadena (@noramayc) September 7, 2017
A panel discussion brought together experts from the aerospace industry, academia and nonprofits to share personal experiences and advice with students.
Diverse talent needs to be cultivated – Maria Tirabassi @northropgrumman @AlBunshaft #AerospaceExpo #STEMEd
— Landon V. Taylor (@LandonVTaylor) September 7, 2017
The symposium continued with a series of short Ted-like talks that explored aerospace workforce development issues from the perspectives of students, academia and industry.
David from @Caltech talks about practicing your problem solving skills as a critical success factor. @base11STEM #stem #AerospaceExpo pic.twitter.com/URgSWJy35p
— Al Bunshaft (@AlBunshaft) September 7, 2017
John Tomblin of @NIAR_WSU speaks at #AerospaceExpo @UCIEngineering about Innovation Campus and shortening time to productivity. #stem pic.twitter.com/QcLr8oyqcL
— Al Bunshaft (@AlBunshaft) September 7, 2017
How do you overcome the obstacles in your life to thrive? Jeremy Bout @EdgeFactorShow #STEMEd #AerospaceExpo #Pursueforexcellence pic.twitter.com/DCk1NTMgzi
— Landon V. Taylor (@LandonVTaylor) September 7, 2017
Expo Excites
Following the symposium, students met industry recruiters and tested flight simulators and aerospace software at the expo with more than 20 exhibitors. University engineering teams from across the region showcased some of their coolest projects — from rockets to a Mars rover.
“After attending the Aerospace Expo, my advantage almost feels unfair,” said Santa Monica College student Alejandro Stefan. “I walked out with advice from Virgin Galactic, Boeing, Dassault Systèmes and Northrop Grumman, (to name some); I saw their projects first-hand and spoke to their engineers — and I got to do so for free!”
Amazing energy and activity at #AerospaceExpo @UCIrvine @UCIEngineering @base11STEM #stem pic.twitter.com/NZGOKMYDiI
— Al Bunshaft (@AlBunshaft) September 7, 2017
At the expo, UCI unveiled its Mobile Rocket and Fab Lab trailer, the first of its kind in the country and a key asset in the race among universities to be the first to launch a rocket into space.
Wrapping up summer vacation with a great #AerospaceExpo. Many thanks to @base11STEM and @UCIrvine student center for having us! pic.twitter.com/I7dG5YBgeI
— SEDS at UC San Diego (@SEDS_UCSD) September 10, 2017
Thank you @UCIrvine and @UCIEngineering for a fantastic Aerospace Symposium! pic.twitter.com/ofx1bvQESi
— Sebastian (@sebastianro24) September 7, 2017
A big thank you from Base 11 to all who came out to explore opportunities in aerospace. We’ll see you next year!