Students in Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) Fellows Program are getting an inside look at industry with site visits to companies across Missouri.

The visits, which began in 2022, give the Fellows an opportunity to tour facilities, meet professionals and learn how research and innovation are applied in real-world settings at least once each semester. 

“The goal is for students to see what companies actually do and how they do it, while also strengthening our connections with industry partners,” says Dr. Rachel Kohman, assistant dean of entrepreneurship education.

During one of the program’s earliest visits, students traveled to St. Louis to tour three organizations: Boeing, Clayco and T‑REX. The visit featured facility tours and conversations with professionals, including Missouri S&T graduates.

“It gave students a chance to see what it might actually look like to work in these environments,” Kohman says. “Places like Clayco and Boeing have incredible facilities, and students could experience the scale and culture of those workplaces.”

Other visits have taken fellows to Garmin, Terracon and Black & Veatch in Kansas City, as well as companies closer to campus in Rolla. During a visit to Terracon, students toured the research labs. Their curiosity actually extended the visit that was meant to be 90 minutes.

“The fellows were so excited they ended up spending more than three hours there learning about the research and technology,” Kohman says.

The trips also give students a chance to connect their academic work with industry. During a visit to Garmin, the company hosted an alumni employee panel where fellows discussed research related to wearable technology and GPS systems. 

“It was really helpful for them to see that their work doesn’t just have to live in a lab,” Kohman says. “They could see how ideas and research actually turn into real products.”

Effat Eskandari, an I&E Fellow studying geological engineering, said through this initiative, she’s been able to visit Terracon, Black & Veatch, Garmin, the Geospatial Innovation Center, the GEOINT Hub in St. Louis and Bayer Crop Science in Chesterfield, Missouri.

She said during those visits, she how these organizations operate including their project workflows, multidisciplinary teams and how they approach complex real-world challenges. 

“It was particularly valuable to see how technical expertise in areas such as geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting and geospatial technologies is applied in practice,” Eskandari says. 

Seeing the workplace environment directly was another important aspect for Eskandari.

“This helped me better understand what working in these organizations might look like day-to-day,” she says. “Many of the visits also included panel discussions where we could ask questions and learn more about industry expectations and career paths.”

Eskandari says these visits were a great way to network with engineers, scientists and project managers.

“In some ways, these experiences felt even more valuable than traditional career fairs, because we could engage with professionals in their actual work environment,” she says. “We could ask questions about their career paths, daily responsibilities and the skills and qualities companies look for when hiring.”

Eskandari says the visits give the Fellows a better perspective on how the research skills they develop at S&T translate into real industry challenges.

“As someone working on geophysical sensing and remote sensing technologies for agricultural and environmental applications, it was particularly valuable to see how engineering firms integrate new technologies into practical solutions,” Eskandari says. “Experiences like these help me better understand potential career pathways and how my skills can contribute to solving real-world problems after my graduation.”

Just this month, the Fellows visited two companies in Springfield, Missouri: Central States Industries and ESC Engineering Consulting.

“Exposure is always helpful,” Kohman says. “It helps companies see the kinds of students we’re working with and the innovative work happening at S&T.”