National Engineers Week: Inspiring the next generation of engineers

 

February 24, 2026  

 

Students met with members of the Spectra Oslo team at Electronics & Technology Day at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Oslo, Norway.

From Norway to New Mexico, Spectra teams connected with the engineers who will shape the next decade of aerospace and defense.

Every February, National Engineers Week is a reminder of something Spectra Defense Technologies takes seriously year-round: the people who will build what comes next.

This year, two of our teams had the opportunity to connect with the next generation of engineers at university events — and the conversations that came out of those visits were exactly the kind that make this industry worth joining.

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces

Our Spectra Las Cruces team attended a recruiting event at New Mexico State University, introducing the Spectra brand to students and faculty who may have known us under our Calculex brand. The conversations ranged across electronics, mechanical and computer engineering, with students who are actively exploring aerospace and defense as a career path. We were specifically looking for electronics test technicians, but the dialogue went well beyond any single role — covering what we do, how we work and where the opportunities are across the full Spectra organization.

For students in Las Cruces, the proximity to our facility makes this a natural connection. But we also made clear that Spectra is bigger than one location. Students were encouraged to explore openings across all of our teams at spectradefense.com and on LinkedIn.

NTNU Electronics & Technology Day, Trondheim
The Spectra Oslo team recently took part in the Electronics & Technology Day at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) — one of the most respected engineering programs in Europe. The energy at the booth was real. Conversations covered everything from embedded computing architectures to real-world defense applications, and it was clear the student community in Trondheim brings both depth of curiosity and technical ambition.

The team also had the chance to continue the conversation with some of the students over dinner — a reminder that the best recruiting isn’t transactional. It’s a genuine exchange between people who care about the same problems.

Why it matters
The challenges our customers face don’t get simpler. The systems that support aerospace and defense missions demand engineers who can think rigorously and work across disciplines. Events like these aren’t just about filling open roles — they’re about building relationships with people who may spend the next decade solving problems we haven’t fully defined yet.

Across Spectra, our teams bring decades of experience in embedded computing and mission-critical systems. That knowledge base only grows stronger when we invest in the people coming up behind us.

If you’re an engineering student interested in aerospace and defense, we’d like to hear from you. Visit our careers page or follow us on LinkedIn to see where Spectra is hiring.