Engineering Week is the annual celebration of the study of engineering held at the UA. Games, competitions and charity events all combine to showcase the diversity and community found within the College of Engineering and its student body.
“It’s a week about celebrating engineering,” said Genevieve Messina, the Engineering Student Council executive vice president. “As engineers, we study so hard. [E-Week] is something that’s fun and can get people communicating with different majors and bring everyone together.”
Collaboration and communication are invaluable skills that engineers must possess, and E-Week provides participants with the opportunity to practice them.
“E-Week gives students a break from classes and gives them the chance to bond with their own club and with others,” said Alisha Bandekar, vice chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
The week is often the highlight of the year for engineering clubs, as it provides unique opportunities for connecting with other club members.
“I have always noticed that some of the strongest bonds have been made during E-Week,” said Gabriel Mercado, president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. SHPE won the E-Week competition last year and is always among the top-place finishers.
“Passion for SHPE and everything that we do is what drives our competitiveness,” Mercado said regarding the club’s success. “We also know how to have fun, which makes E-Week something to look forward to each year.”
The week kicks off with a softball game hosted by ESC, and continues with events hosted by many of the clubs and professional societies within the college. Perennial favorites include a competitive game of “Operation,” hosted by the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Biomedical Undergraduate Mentoring Program and bottle rocket building, courtesy of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
“Most clubs use their event to showcase their club or major,” IEEE president Cinthya Tang said.
Other competitions include Engineer a Masterpiece, hosted by Theta Tau, where students recreate classical works of art using nuts, bolts and other engineering materials and an egg drop presented by the Material Advantage club.
Each event allocates points to the first, second and third place winners, with a smaller number of points given for participation, Tang explained.
Clubs also earn points by hosting their own events and raising money for their respective charities of choice through Penny Wars, where the number of pennies collected translates to additional points for the club, and the number of other coins translates to points subtracted from the club.
“This year, we have 24 clubs participating. So it’s anyone’s game,” Messina said.
However, this week isn’t just about showing up your friends with your kickball and Jenga skills.
One of the best E-Week traditions is the food drive, which is collecting for the Casa Maria soup kitchen this year. While the club with the most food donations gets 100 points toward its total, the food drive is an event in which everyone can participate, even students outside the UA College of Engineering.
ESC will be collecting donations of canned food on the UA Mall all day on Friday, Feb. 26, so students in humanities and social sciences can also show their philanthropic side.
Check out the full list of E-Week events at www.escuofa.com. E-Week runs Feb. 19 through Feb. 27.
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