As the director of Engineering Week for the University of Colorado Engineering Council, I have the privilege of planning and organizing Engineering Week 2018 on Feb. 19–23.
The theme for this year’s Engineering Week is “Inspiring Wonder.” To me, this theme truly expresses what E Week is all about – celebrating the incredible achievements of engineers both at the University of Colorado and worldwide. It is our goal as a council to recognize the ways in which students and student organizations at this university have contributed to the culture of teamwork and community in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Engineering Week offers a chance for student organizations to hold events that give the student body the opportunity to be introduced to fun and creative aspects of science and engineering. It also provides an atmosphere of collaboration in which students can enjoy a variety of incredibly interactive activities. This week allows students to come together and share the ways in which science and engineering inspires them.
This is my second year planning this event for the council, and I am amazed by the increase in participation from student groups over the past four years I have spent as a member of UCEC, the elected student government for engineering. It is a tremendous priority for us to get as many students involved in E Week as possible, so we have been focusing a large portion of our efforts on getting our name out there as advocates for the student body. We have also created a variety of promotional posters and schedules to distribute to the student body, so everyone is aware of all the amazing events occurring during E Week this year. There are 23 student organizations hosting events for E Week 2018 and these events consist of workshops, competitions and tabling events, allowing everyone to learn and participate with each other.
As a council, we plan to host a Guacamole Cook-Off, a Pancake Breakfast, an Art Installation that incorporates the theme “Inspiring Wonder” and an “Out of this World Cupcakes” handout in the Engineering Center Lobby, as well as a mocktails chemistry event in the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building. View the full schedule online or download the event flyer.
We are fortunate to have the support of our incredible sponsors Lockheed Martin Space, Phillips 66 and Chevron that help us to realize our goals for Engineering Week each year. I am very excited to see all our team’s hard work come together and to be able to give back to the engineering student body. It is the dedication and commitment of engineering student organizations and the student body that help to make Engineering Week unbelievable each year.
Ashley Nelson is a senior in chemical and biological engineering.