UD students celebrate National Engineers Week Feb. 16-22

8:59 a.m., Feb. 12, 2014--University of Delaware engineering students will teach and mentor young girls as part of festivities surrounding National Engineers Week (E-week), Feb. 16-22.

E-week is an annual celebration of how engineers make a difference in the community and aims to increase public awareness about the need for engineers by engaging kids, educators and parents. DuPont and IEEE-USA will serve as the 2014 co-chairs for the event. 

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As it neared time for the processional to open the University of Delaware Commencement ceremonies, graduating students and faculty members shared their feelings about what the event means to them.

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It was a day of triumph, cheers and collective relief as more than 160 students from 21 nations participated in the University of Delaware's Doctoral Hooding Convocation held Friday morning on The Green.

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This year’s theme, “Let’s Make a Difference,” encourages engineers, engineering students, technicians and others in the field to share their knowledge, experiences and enthusiasm by volunteering in classrooms, recognizing the work of a colleague or hosting a public event.

In honor of that mission, members of UD’s Alpha Omega Epsilon engineering sorority and the UD student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) will mentor young girls with a budding interest in math and science during an Engineering Mini College for Girls later this month.

The students, from local elementary schools, will learn about polymers, experiment with computer programming and conduct controlled experiments, among other activities.

The president of the SWE UD chapter, Casey Siwinski, said volunteering in the mini college is a chance for her to give back to the community by inspiring the next generation of women engineers.

“Engineers have the desire to do right by society and as students we may not initially think of outreach as an option,” said Siwinski. “This gives us an opportunity to see the benefits of outreach early and encourages us to continue volunteering as we move into professional careers.”

Understanding the importance of outreach and awareness is a critical component of preparing engineering students for the profession, according to Melissa Jurist, UD K-12 engineering program coordinator.

“The field needs more mentors,” said Jurist. “Getting that experience now will make them good citizen engineers in the future.”

The College of Engineering will kick-off E-week with a reception and carnival on Monday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m. in the DuPont Hall front lobby. 

Throughout the week UD engineering students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including a Speed Mentoring networking event, which connects current female students with women professional engineers, a Meet the Engineering Greeks open house, dodge ball tournament, broomball and more.

For a full list of E-week events on campus, visit the website.

Article by Collette L. O’Neal