The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering held their annual Engineers Week celebration last week on City Campus, with the theme ‘Light the Way.’
This event, hosted by the local Engineering Student Advisory Board, has been a University of Nebraska tradition since 1913, in conjunction with National Engineers Week, according to an article by Phil Carter, writing for the College of Engineering. According to the UNL E-Week website, the purpose of this week is to celebrate their accomplishments as they work towards graduation and prepare for their future career. The event organizers plan a variety of events designed to bring the collegiate engineering community together; this year included game night, industry mixers, bingo, trivia contests, a carnival and more.
Faith Peterson, a freshman mechanical engineering student and eSAB member, said her love of engineering came from talking to professionals in the industry during her high school career.
“For me being in engineering at UNL means opportunity. Being a part of the college has given me so many opportunities to meet and connect with people through organizations and events. I have met one of my best friends through engineering,” she said.
Throughout E-Week, she participated in bagels and coffee, the carnival and bouquet assembling.
“I found it very relaxing and calming after a long day of classes and a way to connect and meet new people,” she said.
Being a fairly new member of eSAB, Peterson said this week was a great introduction to the organization to see the impacts they have around campus.
In order for large events like E-Week to take place, local sponsors dedicate time, money and resources to ensure a smooth celebration, with the Society of American Military Engineers being one of the largest ones.
Bobbi Jo Lang, the director of relations for the SAME Omaha Post, shared her involvement during the week. Her involvement with E-Week started when SAME became a sponsor three years ago.
Within that role, she said she works on membership recruitment, student outreach, assisting with communications, assisting veteran outreach programs and developing relationships with government partners such as the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Air Force and more.
“For E-Week I participate in as many events as I can, and I encourage our members to participate as well,” Lang said.
Lang said SAME typically plans for E-Week in November the year prior, ensuring the sponsorship is provided in SAME’s annual budget and point of contacts are able to coordinate the events with members.
She said that out of the whole celebration, her favorite part is interacting with the students and sharing how participating in professional organizations can positively impact their future careers.