The Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering took advantage of a warm, early season Apple Cup to host a tailgate barbecue with students, faculty, and alumni.
Organized by the school’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), student clubs, the event featured hot dogs, hamburgers, mocktails, and tailgate games while creating a space for alumni to reconnect with faculty and share career advice with current students. The idea grew from efforts by Assistant Professor Wheaton Schroeder to align alumni visits to speak with classes with Cougar football weekends.
“The idea is to bring in alumni so that we can have extra speakers for our bioengineering 140 class,” Schroeder said. “It also provides a networking opportunity between our undergraduates and our alumni to help them with jobs.”
For many, the event reflected the community spirit that defines WSU. “This is great. This is what Cougs are about,” said School Director Su Ha. “Not only our alumni, but their families and our students get together, having good food and great conversations.”
Student leaders said the event provided a chance to collaborate across disciplines while building professional connections.
Valike Tamakloe, vice president of BMES, added that the event highlighted how much students in different programs have in common. “There’s a lot more similarities between our majors as chemical and bioengineers,” he said. “A lot of us take the same classes and work in the same fields, so this is a way to network together and help each other develop career opportunities.”