Student Professional Awareness Conference (S-PAC)

Engineers must be professionally proficient, astute and acutely aware of their responsibility to society. Student Professional Awareness Conferences or S-PACS (pronounced "ess-paks") explore the broader subjects that affect engineers' careers.

S-PACs were first introduced in 1979 as a method of increasing professional awareness in a student's technical education. Since then, these conferences have become a strong force for improving the engineering profession. S-PACs give students an opportunity to learn from the varied experiences of successful engineers.

S-PACs are structured events where students listen to experienced engineers from diverse backgrounds speak on a topic from one of six categories: Career Growth, Working, Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility, Self-Management, Engineers and Public Policy, or The Importance of a Professional Society to You.

After the talk, students have a chance to interact with the speakers and industry representatives in an intimate, low-pressure setting. S-PACs allow corporate representatives to see what students are really like and vice versa.

The Student Professional Awareness Conference at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering is a half-day event last held on March 3, 2007. We will focus on working in the real world and career growth. Students will learn about: maniacal bosses, incredible projects, mistakes, victories and the human element in engineering in general. After this exploration, the participants will sit down together for pleasant lunch on a sunny saturday afternoon.

For more information or to sign up email: ieee@usc.edu. We look forward to your presence at our S-PAC!