UA Engineers Week, an annual event focusing on talent put on by the Engineering Student Council, concluded April 18.
The week serves as a seven-day competition and philanthropy with 25 different engineering clubs participating in competitions varying from a softball tournament and a drilling competition to water bottle rockets.
The goal of Engineers Week, also known as E-Week, is to not only promote engineering in a national spotlight, but most importantly, is “for students to have a great time, enjoy some healthy competition and activities, and allow students from across the college to get together and participate,” said Jeff Goldberg, dean of the College of Engineering.
“We have a very full week dedicated to on-campus activities that our students organize, run and participate in,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg added that “our student-centered approach sets us apart” from other Engineers Weeks across the country held at other universities.
One of Thursday’s competitions included Water Heating with Bottles in the Engineering building courtyard, in which students used provided materials to capture the sun’s heat and warm their water bottles. Quincy Levien and Dustin Huynh, both mechanical engineering juniors, worked together for their club, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, for the competition.
Levien described E-Week as “fun and chaotic with lots of events going on” and added that “it’s a great way to see all the clubs.”
Both Levien and Huynh agreed that the softball tournament on April 11 was their favorite event. ASME won second place at the Water Heating with Bottles event, heating a water bottle to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
All engineering clubs were welcome to participate in E-Week’s 19 competitions, allowing them to rack up points to win prizes at the closing ceremony, the Engineer’s Ball. With each event, clubs such as Tau Beta Pi, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the Biomedical Engineering Society were given points for participation and performance.
“The most important thing for E-Week is our philanthropy outreach,” said Ericka Tucker, Engineering Student Council president and 2015 E-Week Coordinator.
In years past, E-Week has donated to Tucson charities and shelters, but this year, it wanted its donations to impact the UA. This year, it will be donating its canned goods to the UA Campus Pantry, which Tucker said “benefits students, staff and faculty that are lower income.”
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