In a unique opportunity created exclusively for Harvey Mudd College (HMC), students are set to practice the arts of conversation and networking with corporate representatives in an informal setting March 25.

Since 2006, HMC students have had the opportunity to meet and dine with senior executives, management personnel and scientists from a broad cross-section of corporations at HMC’s Leaders of the Future Dinner.

“This event provides an opportunity for students to network with corporate representatives that include many Clinic sponsors,” says Barry Olsan, director of the Office of Corporate Relations, which co-sponsors the annual event with HMC’s Office of Career Services. “This can give them a head start in their pursuit of internships and regular employment; they can get some excellent insights from these corporate partners as they meet and ask questions before, during and after dinner. Plus, learning how to network with professionals is a valuable skill that our students will use for many years after leaving HMC.”

“The event serves as an excellent way to exchange information for both parties,” adds Judy Fisher, director of the Office of Career Services. “The company representatives are able to tell a little about what the organization does and what they personally do within the organization, and the students are able to talk about the skills they are developing through the curriculum.”

This year’s event, taking place in HMC’s Platt Campus Center, includes keynote speaker Tom Romesser, vice president of Northrop Grumman Space Technology. A one-hour reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner.

Romesser, who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Caltech’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has significant accomplishments in both areas.

His technical leadership in isotope separation provided a key step in producing the palladium-103 isotope that has been used in the treatment of prostate cancers in more than 100,000 men, with a record 84 percent cancer-free success rate. His work has also been instrumental in the development of high-energy lasers for use in land, air and space defense systems.

Romesser, who has spent his career in the aerospace industry, was made a fellow of the Directed Energy Professional Society in 2002, in recognition of 25 years of significant contributions to the nation’s directed energy development program. The following year, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Northrop Grumman and its predecessor companies, including Aerojet Electrosystems, ESL, Inc., TRW Inc., TRW/Space and Tech Group, have sponsored more HMC Clinic projects than any other firm, with 78 projects, including the one sponsored this year. The firm also currently employs more than 80 HMC graduates. Last year, HMC President Maria Klawe made a visit to Northrop Grumman to discuss continued partnership between the firm and the college.

The following firms have been invited to the 2009 Leaders of the Future dinner:

Accenture; The Aerospace Corporation; Aerovironment; Applied Biosystems; The Biostar Group; The Boeing Company; Fair Isaac and Company, Inc.; Google, Inc.; Honeywell; Hughes Network Systems; Inquira, Inc.; Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Los Alamos National Laboratory; Medtronic, Inc.; Northrop Grumman Space Technology; Nuera Communications, Inc.; Optivus Technology, Inc.; Opto 22; Qualcomm; Rain Bird Corporation; Raytheon Company; Sandia National Laboratories; Southern California Edison; Space Systems/Loral; and UVP, Inc.