Tech athletes aren’t the only students getting ready for a major competition.
Engineers Week starts Monday, Feb. 20 and engineers across campus are preparing for the annual events. Students from every engineering department compete against each other.
“It’s a fun competition between all the different majors,” Robert Griffin, Engineering Joint Council representative, said. “Engineering students do a lot of work, and it’s a way to vent and compete and show pride in your major.”
The weeklong competition puts engineering students head-to-head in various contests.
“Each event has different point values,” Griffin said. “Whenever a major wins or places, points go toward them to win the Best Darn Major award at the end of the week.”
The first event is the egg launch, where each team makes its own catapult to launch the eggs. The teams choose to launch for either distance or accuracy.
“You’ll launch your egg once, and that’ll be the mark you’re going for,” Shabir Bhegani, Engineering Joint Council president, said. “And with the next two, you’ll see what gets closest to your original egg.”
Accuracy is based on how closely together the two eggs land, with teams getting three eggs apiece.
One of Tuesday’s events is the cardboard canoe, where teams are given industrial-sized cardboard boxes, box cutters and duct tape.
“They just have those three items,” Bhegani said. “They’re allowed to make whatever, but they have to be able to canoe across the pool.”
An Engineering Bowl takes place Wednesday, featuring many Tech-related questions.
Griffin, a mechanical engineering major, said, “We stand a good chance of winning because myself and another competitor are both tour guides.”
The Best Darn Major award is given out Thursday night at the annual Engineering Banquet.
The mechanical engineering department won the 2011 competition.
The competition is open to engineers only, but anyone can attend.
