Road to the Real World

Students at Mississippi State can check out an engineering career while still in college. BY LYNNE SHALLCROSS

WHAT IS A CO-OP ANYWAY? Many students might not know, especially engineering students who hardly get to see the outside of a classroom or library.

Mike Mathews has spent the past 30 years trying to change that. And it's been quite the year for Mathews and the Cooperative Education Program at Mississippi State University. The program not only celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, but it also welcomes its 10,000th student. And that's not all. Mathews, assistant professor of engineering and associate director of the co-op program, was also honored with the 2005 …