SVLS, DCC and GreenTalks: What's the Difference?

The College of Engineering hosts a variety of events for engineering students throughout the school year. We host movie nights, club fairs, hackathons, National Engineering Week (in February) and three different lecture series, where guest speakers from successful careers give inspiration and insight to our own future leaders. 

There may be some confusion surrounding our three lecture series. Luckily, we are here to clear that up. 

So what is the difference between DCC and SVLS? Let’s start off with DCC, which stands for Dean’s Career Conversations. During small roundtable conversations you will have a chance to hear real-world engineering stories, ask questions and gain industry insights from some of our most accomplished alumni and other professionals.  

This event is more intimate in size allowing only up to 20 students at each meeting. There are often snacks. You can sign up for all of them, but make sure to attend; people who don’t attend without an excuse will likely be dropped from future talks to make room for those on the waiting list.

As for SVLS, Silicon Valley Leaders Symposium, this event is open to a much larger audience - up to 300. Students can hear industry and technology leaders talk about business and technology trends, and broader societal and political issues that shape our life and society. The symposia takes place every Thursday from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm in the Engineering building auditorium, ENG 189. Bring your lunch.

Some professors offer extra credit for attending, and others do not. But dropping in and listening on your lunch hour can help you to understand Silicon Valley, and your opportunities for growth, more deeply. Does class prevent you from attending? You can find videos of the speakers at the SVLS web page, going all the way back to 2007!

Now let’s turn to GreenTalks. In these, practicing engineers, scientists, and technical experts deliver up-to-date briefings on how engineers deal with environmental issues. Because they are academic lectures (you must do homework to attend, and it’s for a class), they do not qualify for GO points, but they are still hot opportunities. Who can forget the time Professor Jacoby brought live falcons and other birds of prey to a GreenTalk?

If you are interested in engineering solutions for environmental issues, it's worthwhile to thumb through the web pages of earlier GreenTalk speakers from 2010 until now. For questions about GreenTalks, please contact Barbara Murphy-Wesley, the coordinator of the speaker series.

Now that you know, check the web sites for dates of speakers who interest you, and go listen to them.