Student Transition Engineering Program at University Park (STEP-UP)

The Student Transition Engineering Program at University Park (STEP-UP) is a student-run event that aids engineering students in their transition from a Commonwealth Campus to University Park.

This online event is facilitated by the following Penn State chapters of national organizations:

• National Society of Black Engineers
• Society of Women Engineers
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
• Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers

The event coordinators arrange networking opportunities with both students and industry professionals, professional development workshops, and friendly competitions that test students’ engineering skills.

Students who attend STEP-UP gain valuable skills in navigating a large campus, building meaningful relationships, and thriving both academically and professionally.

Why participate?

The benefits of participating in STEP-UP include the following opportunities:

• Create a community you can connect with from the start
• Corporate networking
• Breakout sessions with corporate sponsors
• Mentoring to help you get involved on campus and help with the transition to University Park

Participants will attend team-building activities and professional development breakout sessions. This program gives a unique opportunity to meet other students who are transitioning to University Park with similar majors in engineering. It will also provide you with a mentor who will help guide you to get more comfortable with the campus and show you what it has to offer.

Event Descriptions

Extreme Engineering Competition

As engineers, being able to solve a task by implementing fundamental skills from the classroom is key. The Extreme Engineering Competition allows participants to work in teams to strengthen their communication skills with individuals of different backgrounds. This is a great way to develop problem-solving skills and gain interpersonal connections with other students. This event will also involve the participation of program mentors to support the teams and company representatives that will judge and provide feedback to the teams.

Résumé Workshop

Professional development is a stepping stone to becoming a future leader in industry. In an effort to produce the best candidates for any engineering position, we start with the résumé. The Résumé Workshop is an hour-long event held on the second day of the program. First, participants will be advised by upper-division students on the basics of a résumé. Then, company representatives will have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with students and give additional feedback on their résumés.

Cost

There is no cost associated with this program for participants.

Become a sponsor

Sponsorship through STEP-UP is available as three tiers. A more detailed description is available in the STEP-UP sponsorship brochure.