WVU Career Fair Helps Weadon Land Dream Job

West Virginia University alumnus Tim Weadon is making waves at TE Connectivity with the knowledge he gained through his three degrees earned at the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Weadon, a Green Bank native, received his bachelors, master's and doctorate in mechanical engineering over the course of a decade at WVU. He was also the recipient of the West Virginia Promise Scholarship, a merit-based financial aid program for Mountain State residents.

During his time at WVU, Weadon was heavily involved in the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering, serving as president for four years and receiving the society's National Leadership Award in 2012. He was also the leader of the 2008-2009 SAE Mini Baja Team and stayed active in WVU's Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.

After graduating with his doctorate in 2014, Weadon accepted a position with TE Connectivity in Silicon Valley, California, a connection he made through the Statler College Career Fairs.

"I applied to hundreds of jobs online before graduation," said Weadon. "In the end, an info session with TE Connectivity during the career fair is what led me to learn about the company and follow up with them."

The company designs and manufactures electronic connectors, components and systems inside emerging products in a variety of industries. They employee more than 100,000 people in 100 countries.

Weadon is a scientist in the Aerospace, Defense and Marine Division and works in the advanced development group on the nano-composites team. He is responsible for the creation of new intellectual property and developing products that keep TE Connectivity on the forefront of emerging technology.

"I spend a mix of time in the lab, reading articles and patents, overseeing group projects, talking to other scientists, building prototypes of new gadgets and trying to really push the boundaries on a regular basis," said Weadon. "To do this, we make sure to employ unreasonable amounts of espresso and music."

Every year, TE Connectivity hosts TEchCon, an innovation and engineering event that brings together the company's most brilliant minds. To be invited as a scientist, Weadon had to be chosen as one of the company's top 200 technical speakers. After submitting his paper and only two months on the job, Weadon was selected.

"Attending TEchCon 2014 was an honor," said Weadon. "My goal was to show off the technology I was developing while making sure attendees remembered my group's work."

Knowing he would be one of the youngest employees attending the conference, Weadon decided to use pop culture to his advantage. For his demonstration, Weadon created the Selfie Station. He fabricated a large carbon nano-tube cable with hollow 3D-printed connectors on both ends that contained wireless triggers. When the connectors were placed near each other, large magnets would pull them together, setting off a sequence of bright lights, loud music and a camera. The camera was attached to a Raspberry Pi, a credit card-sized computer that collected the image from the camera, and then overlaid text and logos. Finally, the photo was sent to a printer.

"I edited a popular song to say 'I totally want to meet Rob Shaddock, but first, let me take a selfie'," said Weadon. Shaddock is the chief technology officer at TE Connectivity.

The Selfie Station was a hit. Weadon, dressed in a sweater with a microprocessor and accelerometer, was interconnected with the carbon nano-tube fibers, which allowed his sweater to change colors with the fibers. He attracted the attention of many company executives at the conference, including Tom Lynch, chief executive officer, and Shaddock. Weadon made sure to snap selfies with all of them.

"As a first-year employee, the Selfie Station helped me become recognized throughout the company," said Weadon. "It was a great way to network with people from across the company and around the world.

"WVU helped build the confidence and charisma that has brought me to where I am today. The opportunities provided at WVU have allowed me to enter the workforce feeling not only prepared to accomplish my job, but equipped to make an impression on those around me."

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