Fermi to host STEM Career Expo Wednesday

What does a scientist actually do all day? How difficult is it to be a mechanical engineer? What jobs could you get if you major in mathematics? What is the daily life of a computer technician really like?

From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will offer high school students a valuable opportunity to ask those questions in person. The annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Career Expo, held in the atrium of Wilson Hall, will put those students face to face with people actually doing the jobs they will be applying for in the coming years.

In addition to Fermilab scientists and engineers, the STEM Career Expo will feature professionals from numerous local companies and research organizations who will be on hand to explain what they do. But this is not a college or job fair, and it is not about recruiting, according to organizer Susan Dahl of the Fermilab Office of Education and Public Outreach.

Rather, she said, this is a chance for students to talk one-on-one with professionals working in their fields of interest. The expo will also include five panel discussions on STEM-related topics, with an opportunity for students to ask questions.

"We hope students come away with a new view of the possibilities of finding careers in these fascinating fields and a more realistic idea of the individuals working in these very relevant and important jobs," Dahl said.

The STEM Career Expo is free and open to all high school students. The event is a collaborative event organized by the Fermilab Office of Education and Public Outreach and educators and career specialists from DuPage, Kane and Kendall county schools. Sponsors include Fermilab Friends for Science Education, Batavia High School, Geneva Community High School, Yorkville High School and Valley Education for Employment System.

For more information, visit ed.fnal.gov/programs/careerfair.