Five UI Engineering alumni who work for IDx, an Iowa City AI medical technology company, will return to the College of Engineering from 12:00 Noon-1:00 p.m. September 26 in 3124 Seamans Center for an alumni lunch and learn panel to teach current Engineering students about the wide variety of career paths they can pursue in Iowa.

The panel, "How Iowa Engineering alums launched their careers at an Iowa AI company on the verge of transforming healthcare," will feature Gary Seamans, a member of the college's Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy, CEO of IDx, and the namesake of the college's building--the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences.

A recent report shows Iowa may be losing a significant number of highly skilled and educated workers due to a shortage of high skilled jobs within the state.  However, there are smaller Iowa tech companies like IDx that are successfully combating the issue by recruiting heavily from state universities.

"Engineering graduates don't need to leave Iowa to find their dream job," Seamans said. "IDx and other area companies need the talent to produce cutting edge, industry challenging technology."

J. D. McCullough, an Iowa City native, graduate of the College of Engineering, and new member of the college's Young Alumni Advisory Board, is one of the IDx staff members participating in the alumni lunch and learn panel and hopes to encourage students to be encouraged by the stories shared by panel members.

"We want them to realize the giant companies they see all the time at career fairs aren't the only options they have," McCullough said. "There are smaller companies in Iowa that provide unique opportunities for engineering degrees. They don't need to necessarily follow the narrow, well-defined path."

McCullough is one of IDx's many success stories.  He started as a development intern and held several positions before taking on his current role as vice president of OCT solutions at IDx.  "I was like many students who view Iowa as a transitionary place and plan to leave once they graduate. I was fortunate I found the opportunity at IDx. Otherwise, I probably would have left the state."

IDx has 20 employees who obtained a total of 25 degrees from Iowa's higher education institutions: 12 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, and three doctorate degrees.