Jonsson School Students Build Community at National Engineers Week

Each year in February, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) celebrates Engineers Week. This year, students at the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science celebrated a week of events and games, with a focus on sustainable technology to accompany the national theme of Welcome to the Future. The national event recognizes engineers for their critical role in devising solutions ranging from energy to information systems that affect society at large.

More than 470 students enjoyed hot chocolate and large-scale chess at the event’s Carnival Kickoff. In the evenings, several student organizations provided demonstrations from Comet Robotics to Comet Wind, as well as a demo of green 3D printing technology at the UTDesign® Makerspace. Early risers met Dean Stephanie G. Adams for coffee and donuts in the Engineering and Computer Science West (ECSW) Bird’s Nest space, and at the UTDesign EPICS Jeopardy tournament, students enjoyed a potato bar lunch as they challenged each other to correctly answer questions about nonprofit organizations, philanthropy and human-centered design.

Finally, at the end of the week, nearly 1,000 students participated in a two-day career fair hosted by Jonsson School Career Services. Xavier Jones, associate director of employer relations, invited more than 50 employers to the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center with expanded hours due to the event’s previous popularity. Lacey Henderson, director of Jonsson School Career Services, reports that student participation increased by 300 and employer participation doubled relative to the previous year’s event.