Companies now seek physicists with breadth, flexibility, and leadership potential in addition to excellent scientific skills. The Department believes that industrial or National Laboratory "externships" are an ideal way to teach students the importance of these cultural talents. It now encourages them for both graduates and undergraduate students. The Forum's role is to locate potential externships, advertise them to students, assist industrial scientists in interviewing them, and arrange meetings with faculty supervisors.

Networking done to locate externships provides a wealth of information, seldom contained in company brochures, concerning corporate projects, goals, and attitudes. This information is shared with students, usually in hour-long meetings, that also provide time to critique resumes, suggest career options, and provide contacts to key industrial scientists. Students interested in arranging such meetings are encouraged to contact Professor Peter A. Wolff. The Forum also facilitates recruiting by arranging faculty/industry lunches, industrial seminars, and round tables with students.