Engineering students at Vanderbilt University will showcase their ingenuity through a series of challenging – but fun – competitions and events celebrating the 60th anniversary of National Engineers Week Feb. 21-25.
Two guest speakers are part of the week’s special events. Their presentations will be streamed live at http://news.vanderbilt.edu/ .
Edwin McAlister, director of Air and Missile Defense Programs for Northrop Grumman, will speak on “Engineering as a Profession – A Career Perspective,” 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium. There will be a reception at 5:30 and a free buffet at 7 p.m. McAlister’s visit is sponsored by E-Council, ASME and SAE, SAME and the Vanderbilt Aerospace Club.
Vanderbilt engineering alumnus Chikai Ohazama, Google Inc. product manager and co-founder of Google Earth, will speak on “A Brief History of Google Earth: A Personal and Professional Journey,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, in Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium. There will be a reception at 5:30 and a free buffet at 7 p.m. Ohazama’s visit is sponsored by E-Council, IEEE, BMES and V-Squared.
In addition to spotlighting the engineering profession, competitions and activities during E-Week are designed to reach out to current and future generations of engineering talent.
On Monday, Feb. 21, high school Explorer Scouts will tour the School of Engineering. Faculty speakers are Joel Barnett, mechanical engineering; and Kane Jennings, chemical and molecular engineering. The tour is sponsored by the Alternative Energy Club.
Competitions this year include tower building from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Feb. 22, in Adams Atrium. The tallest paper tower to hold a soda can for 10 seconds wins. Prizes will be awarded and the competition is sponsored by ASME.
A zome stick building competition is set for noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Engineering & Science Library, which is sponsoring the event. Cash prizes will be awarded. Trivia Night begins at 6 p.m. in Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium. Prizes will be awarded. This event is sponsored by Tau Beta Pi and Theta Tau.
A water filtration competition will take place Feb. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Adams Atrium. Prizes will be awarded. This event is sponsored by EWB, ASCE and EWH. From 5-6 p.m. the engineering community is invited to an ice cream social, sponsored by AIChE, in Adams Atrium.
The weeklong celebration ends Friday, Feb. 25, with a faculty appreciation luncheon at 11:30 in Adams Atrium; an Order of the Engineer ceremony, coordinated by Engineering Student Services, at 5 p.m. and LAN Party 7, sponsored by the Vanderbilt Computer Society, at 7 p.m., both in Jacobs Believed in Me Auditorium.
National Engineers Week was established in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. It is traditionally held the week of Presidents Day because George Washington was a military engineer and a land surveyor.