For the first time (Friday, July 24, 2009) the MassNanoTech Institute and The Center for Hierarchical Engineering (CHM) organized a science and engineering graduate school fair designed for the many visiting undergraduate students on campus this summer participating in Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, and for the wider five college community of students interested in applying to UMass Amherst graduate school.  Most every graduate-level science/engineering department and program was represented with over seventeen participating. Also included were workshops on C.V. writing, applying to grad school, and interdisciplinary approaches to research. The event was sponsored by MassNanoTech, The Center for Hierarchical Engineering (CHM), the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP), the UMass Graduate School, and the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (OURS).

Channel 22NEWS, WWLP Springfield, MA.
Published : Friday, 24 Jul 2009, 4:50 PM (EDT)
Reporters Jackie Bruno and Matt Caron

Sci/Tech Stays Strong Despite Job Woes

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - Unemployment numbers are on the rise and college students near graduation are feeling the stress of a dismal job market.

But a couple career fields are looking brighter than ever. Science and engineering.

UMass Amherst's Science and Engineering Graduate school held a fair today to attract students from across the country who are studying at UMass for the summer.

They are hoping to persuade these bright young minds to come back to UMass after they graduate.

And since the economy is so tough right now, graduate school may seem like the perfect opportunity to further their career until the job market bounces back.

"Despite the economy doing whatever. I think there's got to be a demand for people who are technically knowledgeable. There will always be a demand for people who know how to use tools," said Kirby Seitz, a junior at UMass Amherst.

"Our nation is in desperate need of engineers and scientists, particularly in some of the new growing fields. We're standing in front on the nanotechnology exhibit, this is cutting edge technology," said Susan Bronstein, the Director of the Learning Resource Center at UMass.

And according to U.S. News and World Report, they listed an engineer as one of the best jobs for 2009, saying it pays big bucks and has good job security.