Welcome to the annual School of Engineering Design Conference. It has been our tradition for more than 25 years to meet every year with our industry partners and sponsors, and the community to celebrate our graduating class.  This year's design conference will include a co-op employer forum & award presentations, industry-sponsored senior project presentations, and the Order of the Engineer ceremony.

The conference will be held on August 6th from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  See the schedule below for details.

A message from Dr. Paul Plotkowski, Dean of the Seymour and Esther Padnos College of Engineering and Computing

In the early 1980s, a group of West Michigan industrialists approached GVSU with the request to introduce engineering programs. That was the first step in a tremendous partnership between Grand Valley and our industrial partners in producing outstanding engineering professionals.

Since then, the program has seen remarkable growth in the number of students and graduates, in how we prepare them and in the facilities and resources to support student learning, industrial and community engagement.  

Along the way, we were very proud when The National Academy of Engineering recognized our unique partnership naming the GVSU School of Engineering as one of twenty-nine “Exemplars of Real World Engineering Education.” Recognizing a partnership that continues to flourish.

I am pleased to welcome you to the annual GVSU Engineering Design Conference. I look forward to this daylong celebration of our student’s accomplishments, and the ever-thriving public-private partnership that makes the GVSU School of Engineering so unique and effective.

A message from Dr. Wael Mokhtar, professor and Director of School of Engineering

Experiential learning has been in the core of the School of Engineering since it was founded. Course projects, cooperative learning (co-op), capstone projects, and recently Industrial Graduate Fellowship (IGF) are among the vehicles that carry this goal. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Engineering Design Conference which is our annual celebration of several experiential learning tracks of the School.

This day would not be possible without the hard work and ingenuity of our graduating seniors, the involvement and contributions from the family and friends who support our students in so many ways, our alumni who paved the road before them, our generous and talented industry mentors, supervisors and sponsors who work with our students through co-op and course projects, and our donors who have supported our students and School throughout the years.

The faculty and staff of the School of Engineering know that we cannot provide the type of exceptional educational experiences that we foster at GVSU without your involvement and support. For that we are truly grateful.

Please join me today in celebrating these important partnerships and the significant achievements of our newest graduates!

A message from Chris Babbitt, Assistant Director of the Career Center

The Career Center welcomes our valued employer partners, our esteemed faculty and the School of Engineering Class of 2021!  Cooperative education experiences provide students with meaningful, productive work while energizing organizations with fresh ideas.

Co-ops are powerful recruiting tools for professionals to assess students’ on-the-job performance before extending a full-time employment offer.

This program allows students to make immediate contributions in their chosen field, strengthening our community and industry.  We look forward to celebrating and recognizing the many accomplishments and relationships established through the program.

Join us here virtually at 9:00 a.m. for the topic of Maximizing the Benefits of an Industry / University Collaboration

Co-op Employer Forum & Award PresentationsHosted by: Diane LaFreniere, Sebastian Chair, Cooperative Education

Join us here virtually and in person at the Innovation Design Center at 1:30 p.m. for the Industry-Sponsored Senior Project Presentations

Industry-Sponsored Senior Project PresentationsHosted by: Dr. Chris Pung, Dr. Wendy Reffeor & 2021 Graduating Seniors

Join us here virtually at 5:00 p.m. to watch the Order of the Engineer Ceremony

Order of the Engineer Ceremony (available August 6th)

Hosted by: School of Engineering faculty & staff with Keynote Speaker Reuben Sarkar, President and CEO of the American Center for Mobility

View the Co-op Awards, Outstanding Graduates, and Senior Project Awards

Conference Awards

Click on the industry sponsor logos to see the corresponding project page. Available August 6!

We have three possible avenues for sponsored projects:

1. Senior project is an 8 month (Jan-Aug) student capstone project.
2. The DOER center provides expert assistance on a contract basis.
3. Smaller-scale projects can be completed as course projects.

More information about the Engineering Industry

DOER Center

Contact: Karl Brakora, (616) 331-6824 or [email protected]

Senior Project

Chris Pung, (616) 331-6262 or [email protected]

Wendy Reffeor, (616) 331-6010 or [email protected]

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