UCI Engineering students take over E-Week!
The 30th annual Engineering Week, better known as E-Week, kicked off
to an upbeat start on February 18th. The opening ceremony included guest
speakers Dean Alexopoulos, Zerlene Zapata, and Dr. Henry Samueli himself.
After the ceremony, the Engineering Student Council (ESC), which organizes
E-Week, hosted the traditional E- Week breakfast, where students enjoyed
pancakes cooked by the Dean, professors and other faculty members.
The Technical Engineering Career Fair, held on February 19th, proved
to be a huge success. With thirty companies participating, students and
alumni were given the opportunity to speak with recruiters about their
career aspirations. Students were provided with an online process to look
up companies recruiting for specific majors to better prepare them for
the career fair. Corporate Affairs Chair Alicia Yang, 3rd year junior,
said companies enjoy coming to UC Irvine because of the scenic campus
environment and well-organized career fair. Alumnae from UCI returned
to the career fair as both recruiters for companies and as candidates
for new jobs or a career change. The Career Center, along with ESC, also
hosted workshops to better prepare students for this event.
Students anticipate the arrival of E-Week all year long, mostly because
of the cool design competitions hosted during the week. These competitions
challenge student ingenuity, creativity and engineering spirit. The Rube
Goldberg competition, the Nerd Contest, the Mousetrap Dragster, the Egg
Drop Contest and many more, were open to individuals of all ages, majors
and departments.
The excitement generated by E-Week spread throughout The Henry Samueli
School of Engineering, the UCI campus and even to the community. Evan
Ehrenberg, a nine-year-old boy from Corona Del Mar Elementary School,
enthusiastically participated in several competitions. Students on their
way to class also stopped to check out the crowds surrounding the fun-filled
activities. Various engineering organizations hosted the events, and winners
collected either cash prizes or engineering supplies.
Students had the opportunity to interact with faculty outside of the
classroom, and to meet UC Irvine alumni at Pub Nite. This casual setting
allowed students to approach professors with discussions other than homework.
Alumni shared their personal college experiences with students, and offered
words of wisdom about the "real world."
The Awards Banquet, marking the 30th anniversary of E-Week celebrations
at UCI, had an outstanding turnout. Students met alumni and mingled with
faculty while enjoying hors d'oeuvres served at the University Club. Dean
Alexopoulos spoke about the rare gift that enables engineers to see the
invisible, and achieve the impossible. The keynote speaker was Wesley
Motooka, VP of Tactical Systems and Navigation at Raytheon, who graduated
in 1997 with a degree in electrical engineering. His presentation centered
on what it takes to be truly successful in the engineering profession.
Many dedicated alumnae attended the banquet and were recognized for their
support of the school. After dinner, ESC presented a slideshow to show
the spirit and strength of this annual tradition. Pictures from past E-Week
events displayed on the screen gave a new sense of honor to the 30th anniversary
celebration. Following the presentation, exceptional faculty and students
were awarded for their contributions and efforts. Awards that were given
out included Faculty of the Year and Engineering Student of the Year for
ChEMS, EECS, CEE, and MAE.
To wrap up the exciting week, ESC invited faculty, students, alumnae,
family, and friends to enjoy a relaxing day of softball and barbecue at
Gabrielino Field. Overall, the week was a huge success, thanks to the
efforts of all 63 members of ESC, pulling together to promote interactions
among UCI alumnae, faculty and students. At the beginning of the new ESC
executive cabinet's term, the group will begin planning for next year's
event.
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