From Student to Industry Expert, ECExpo Offers Meaningful Learning Moments

On April 3, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Davis, hosted its annual ECExpo. 

The event bridges the gap between academia and industry, welcoming students, alumni and industry professionals to mingle and share insights across a day’s worth of programming.  

Highlights from this year’s event include the opening of the André Knoesen ECE Teaching Lab, a new space equipping students with the tools that define modern engineering practice, as well as the career-spanning keynote presentation by Jin Bains ’94 and an animated Q&A discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence on education and the workforce. 

ECExpo is a formative learning experience for students to learn from academic leaders and successful executives, but it also provides a valuable opportunity for industry professionals to learn about emerging technologies and learn from other leaders in the field. 

“Events like this one are so important,” said Chancellor Gary S. May, who holds a professorship in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We advance scientific study when we collaborate on solutions to the challenges we collectively face. Networking with industry leaders, learning from fellow students and being open to exploration drives discovery forward.”   

Here are four takeaways students, alumni and industry leaders gained from ECExpo 2026. 

More than a Career Fair 

“ECExpo gives students the opportunity to showcase what they've done to industry in an environment that's focused on knowledge sharing,” said Bree McAnally, a UC Davis electrical engineering alum and director of non-manufacturing operations at Texas Instruments. 

She discussed how this is different from a career fair, which prioritizes resumes over conversations and knowledge sharing. 

“I think from that perspective, there's a lot of value, and then even for the industry members to see and ask, ‘Hey, what are students talking about now? What are the different things that are important to them?’” 

Electrical engineering major Kaleb Krafka agrees, saying he gained far more from ECExpo than from the career fairs he had attended. 

“It's been really nice to just kind of connect and talk to a couple of industry people,” he said. “I feel like at career fairs and stuff, there's much more of a stiff environment. It feels more authentic [here]. The connection that you're making with companies feels more real.” 

Exploring Theory and Practice 

“Most of the college experience is about classes, and ECExpo is really nice because it's a group of very passionate people showing off their projects,” said Megha Mishra, an electrical engineering major. 

 “I've been able to learn a lot, not just by asking about conceptual questions that I learned in class, but also about the design process and what informs people's decisions. The poster session is very useful because it shows the variety of ways that students like me have been able to apply what we've learned in class and make things that are going to be the next things leading our engineering industry.”  

Bringing the Future into Focus 

“As a master’s student, [ECExpo] tells me what is going on in the industry. I can look into the areas that will be useful in the future to work in and to contribute to,” said Madhu Bala Challa, a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering working on quantum systems.  

She pointed to the Q&A session as the best opportunity to get a handle on the future of engineering and her career. 

“The Q&A was about how you need to look at industry; this is academics, that is industry, and you need to relate them both. So that [realization] helped me reduce the gap on how to relate my project to industry, and how to make a product that's actually usable.” 

Jin Bains ’94, one of the panel members during the Q&A, shared a similar sentiment about the discussion.  

“We just had a really fun panel where we talked about some of the things that are most relevant to the students and the industry right now. Everybody gets to share their perspective on this, we get to engage and everybody benefits from [the discussion],” he said. 

Learning Opportunity for Everyone 

Suresh Ojha, a technical program manager at Anritsu and a double UC Davis electrical and computer engineering alum, believes unique learning experiences are available to all ECExpo attendees.

When asked to summarize the event in one word, Ojha said, “Consequential. And I would say that because, whether you're a student, you're a faculty member, you're an alumnus, or you're an industry representative, there's something everyone can take away from the event that is meaningful for that particular point in time of their own career arc.” 

Ojha continued, turning his attention to undergraduates.  

“For a younger engineer, I think the opportunity to have frank, tough, heartfelt conversations with true leaders of the industry who've done so many things already, to be in the same room and be able to address each other, more or less as compatriots, rather than teacher and a student, both trying to understand and appreciate what it takes to be a better engineer, is invaluable.” 

ECExpo 2026 was sponsored by Anolog Devices, Anritsu, Elve, Keysight Technologies, Silvaco and Texas Instruments.