Virtual student industry networking event connects trainees with Arizona industry bioscience leaders for thirteenth year

two hands shaking
The annual Student Industry Networking Event is co-hosted by the BIO5 Institute and the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA).
Brittany Uhlorn, BIO5 Institute

On February 16, UArizona students virtually connected with representatives from the Arizona bioscience, biomedical and biotechnology industries at the Student Industry Networking Event (SINE). 

Now in its thirteenth year, the annual event attracts undergraduate and graduate students in the life sciences, medicine, chemistry, engineering, computer and information sciences and connects them with numerous bioscience organizations across Arizona. Sponsored by the BIO5 Institute and the Bioindustry Organization of Southern Arizona (BIOSA), SINE provides a learning opportunity to prepare trainees for future jobs in industry, business, service organizations, and administration. 

This year’s SINE facilitated 134 unique connections between students and 26 companies. Students were able to meet with potential mentors and secure summer internships, and as in previous years, many attendees will be able to secure permanent employment after graduation because of the relationships fostered at the event. 

Due to the virtual nature of the 2021 event, SINE 2021 was hosted on the Handshake platform and split into three hour-long sessions featuring different organizations and employers. During each session, representatives gave small presentations on their companies and hosted one-on-one meetings with students to provide a more personalized experience. 

Students also consulted with the industry leaders about employment strategies and gained professional tips to ease the transition from college to the workforce.


About the University of Arizona BIO5 Institute
The BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona connects and mobilizes top researchers in agriculture, engineering, biomedicine, pharmacy, basic science, and computational science to find creative solutions to humanity’s most pressing health and environmental challenges. Since 2001, this interdisciplinary approach has been an international model of how to conduct collaborative research, and has resulted in disease prevention strategies, promising new therapies, innovative diagnostics and devices, and improved food crops. 

About the Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF)
The Technology and Research Initiative Fund (TRIF) that helped launch BIO5 in 2001 continues to be a catalyst in enabling effective, cross-disciplinary bioscience research and innovation at the University of Arizona, where initiatives and projects are carefully chosen to align with areas of state and national need. Over the past 20 years of TRIF, over $50M has been invested in building critical facilities and research services, as well as support events and programs like SINE.