Engineering week has undergone changes that have moved its focus from strictly academics to providing entertainment for the students involved.
Trey Warren, junior in construction engineering and management, and a member of the e-week committee, said adjustments were made to benefit students of the college.
“We have made e-week this year geared towards the students and student organizations,” Warren said. “It is competitively themed so we want to see who makes up the strongest set of engineers.”
The main difference, he said, is the focus on student participation.
“There are a lot less lectures and workshops and a lot more fun events like rockband and a scavenger hunt,” Warren said. “We will be giving out prizes at each event and a grand prize at the conclusion of the week.”
Warren said the administration was hesitant to allow changes.
“We have had a lot of opposition from administration about shying away from an academic based e-week,” Warren said. “We hope that after they see the success of the new structure of e-week, we hope to have their full support.”
The low turn out at last year’s event became reason for change, Warren said.
“The e-week committee has been working with sponsors to coordinate and plan these events,” Warren said. “We wanted to increase students participation and satisfaction with e-week. Last year it was a lot of professional development workshops and now we have activities that a more diverse population of the student body will be able to enjoy.”
Kyle Cutler, sophomore in biomedical engineering, said last year was the first time he participated.
“I went to one or two of the night lectures but it didn’t seem like the same kind of excitement that I thought events like that should have,” Cutler said. “I think that the competition theme should really bring people out and help have a different attitude this year.”
Competition is what e-week is about, Cutler said.
“We want to build excitement and inform people about new developments and research that is occurring at N.C. State through our speaker series,” Cutler said.
The committee tried to incorporate something for students with a wide range of qualities and interests, Warren said. There will be speakers from major hiring companies such as Progress Energy, Fluor, Norfolk Southern and the Shaw group in attendance, which he said would be an excellent opportunity for networking.
“E-week delves into many different qualities that engineers have so the week is a good time to showcase our many interests,” Warren said. “I am most excited about getting to meet the distinguished alumni and faculty that will be in attendance at the kickoff event.”
Kelly Mulholland, senior in textile engineering, said she hopes the week will disprove the stereotypes many have about engineering students.
“I am excited for other people on campus to learn about what engineering is and for engineers to have fun for a week,” Mulholland said. “I think other people think we do math problems all day. I don’t think they understand what engineers do all these math problems for. They don’t understand that we’re designers.”
Warren said he agreed that e-week could be an excellent opportunity to dissolve stereotypes.
“Engineers kind of have a bad stereotype of being anti-social and overly studious, but we are more than just that,” Warren said. “We are not just mathematicians and scientists. We are athletes and Greeks, actors and senators.”
Attendance is expected to be significantly higher this year, Warren said.
“We are expecting great things for e-week so we want everybody to register as soon as they can,” Warren said. “Basically what we want students to know about e-week is throw away your preconceived notions of what it is because we have revamped it beyond recognition.”