Jessica Burger
jburger@mustangdaily.net
National Engineers Week (eWeek) began on Tuesday with a week-long series of events made up of tech talks, games, raffle prizes and free food. This year’s theme, Innovate your Dreams, will focus on showcasing Cal Poly’s “Learn By Doing” philosophy, and how it applies to engineering.
A committee within the Engineering Student Council organizes the event every year to create a series of events that bring in corporate sponsors and engineering students across many diverse fields.
Graduate student and eWeek Director Sean Youra said the committee wanted to host events that would bring in non-engineering students as well.
“It’s a great way for all engineering and non-engineering students to network with the corporate sponsors,” Youra said.
The week began with a club showcase — a new event this year which brought out different clubs across the 11 diverse engineering fields and was sponsored by Apple — according to aerospace engineering senior and Cal Poly Engineering Student Council President Michael Waddington.
“It’s our best opportunity to showcase what engineering is really about,” he said.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Robby Potter agreed with Waddington on the benefits of the showcase.
“It’s the first time you get to see the actual projects your peers are working on,” Potter said.
Today’s events include an obstacle course-like scavenger hunt, called The Workday Amazing Race, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., followed by Woodstock’s Pizza trivia at 3 p.m. and a series of five-minute talks presented by the Ignite Club in the Bonderson Project Center.
Friday’s events will include a build-a-boat challenge at the Poly Canyon Village pool at noon, followed by the Future Fuels Expo at 2 p.m. in the engineering courtyard. The expo is another new event and is the first alternatively fueled car expo to be featured at Cal Poly.
Waddington said the build-a-boat challenge has always been a fun event in the past.
“It’s the hands-on activity that engineers love,” he said.
Casino night in the Advanced Technologies Lab will end the week with poker and prizes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m, and also has plenty of student participation.
“I’m gonna wear my suit and deal cards,” mechanical engineering sophomore Cameron Naugle said.
You don’t have to compete to win prizes though — eWeek attendees are entered in a chance to win a 32-inch high-definition TV, GoPro, iPad Mini or $50 dollar Amazon gift card through a digital passport system which tracks the number of events attended.
A full list of the events for Cal Poly’s campus, times and locations can be found online.