IEEE Connects! was a formal dinner event that aimed to bridge the gap between students and industry. Students and employers had the opportunity to network with each other in a friendly environment along with professionals and academics representing the field of Engineering.

The theme for the night was "From Backpack to Briefcase". There were 3 speakers at this event, followed by an hour of networking opportunities for the sponsors and students. The 1st speaker is a recent graduate who described the transition process from an academic to a career oriented lifestyle. The 2nd speaker was an industry professional who educated the attendees about the importance of networking and how to network in different event settings. The 3rd and final speaker for the night was a successful and experienced individual from the high-tech industry who talked about personal experiences of working their way up the corporate ladder. The industry representatives got an opportunity to showcase their companies leading products and technologies to students and researchers. IEEE Connects! was a prime opportunity to network with the best and the brightest Carleton engineering students for a possible co-op work term, internship, research partnership, volunteer, or future career.

40+ company representatives, ranging from human resources to technical personnel, and 150+ local engineering/computer science undergraduate and graduate students attended this event - held at the National Arts Center in Ottawa on January 28, 2006, starting at 5:30 p.m. - organized and hosted by the IEEE Carleton Student Branch, and funded in-part by a special grant from the IEEE Canadian Foundation. For more information contact the Carleton University Student Branch Counselor, Calvin .