Networking trip to Cleveland connects ITS students, alumni, employers
Below: ITS students, alumni, faculty and telecommunication professionals pose for a group photo during the field trip to Cleveland fall quarter.
Story by Colleen Veeley - photo by Phil Campbell
Information and Telecommunication Systems (ITS) majors in the McClure School traveled to FBI Headquarters, Time Warner Cable, Sprint/Nextel Switching Center, and WEWS TV-5 news in Cleveland this past Friday, September 16, for their quarterly networking trip. The school's student group, Telecommunication Systems Management Association (TSMA), plans these trips to give current majors the opportunity to connect with ITS professionals. The trips also establish connections with ITS professionals, which can be used when applying for internships or full-time employment in the field of telecommunication systems.
"The McClure School offers endless opportunities to network and advance your career. The field trips that we plan present an excellent opportunity to create and maintain contacts within our industry," TSMA president Jason Karikas said. "We get to experience first hand what it is that can be done with our major in the real world."
Students first toured the Sprint/Nextel Switching Center's server facility and had the opportunity to see the technology that routes all of the traffic for Sprint customers in the region. Also, students learned how the business is implementing new technology to more efficiently manage their network.
At the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, students were exposed to the FBI's role in managing Cyber Security and were able to see the tools and resources used both in the office and the field. TSMA students learned that FBI employees and agents play multiple roles, solving cases while conducting day-to-day operations.
TSMA networking students' final stop was WEWS TV-5, where they learned from McClure School alumni Mike Waterhouse BSC '01 about how telecommunication plays an intrinsic role at a news station. He explained to students how the station is able to expand their coverage to a larger market through the use of Twitter, Facebook, and various other social networking tools. Waterhouse explained how WEWS stays highly competitive with other news stations by using smart phones and other mobile devices in the field to stream live videos and deliver the news to their viewers faster than the competition.
TSMA meets on Tuesdays at 6:15 in RTV 027. Students interested in attending next quarter's networking trip should attend.
