Additions to this week’s to-do list: build a boat, compete in a pageant and avoid zombie attacks.
Those activities are a part of Engineering Week, or E-Week, an annual celebration hosted by the Associated Engineering Student Body that began Monday. E-Week is part of National Engineers Week started in 1951 to raise awareness of engineering’s contributions to society.
Raina Aydelott, president of the AESB, said E-Week celebrates engineering by bringing lightheartedness to the field. Mini games are held throughout the week with varying degrees of science mixed into the rules.
“[E-Week] has kind of a playful, fun spirit and that’s why we have the competitions,” Aydelott said. “We have competitions that are engineering in name only, then there are other ones that involve an actual degree of engineering in it like the cardboard boat race.”
James Kim, a freshman computer science major, tries to throw mint candy Mentos into cups of soda as a part of Engineering Week’s “soda challenge.” The challenge is one out of 14 events happening this week.
Although the events are open to all students, organizations from the College of Engineering, like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Women Engineers and honor society Tau Beta Pi, earn points from each game.
The most points at the end of the week will get them the “Golden Wrench.”
Monday’s event pitted two organizations against each other, SHPE and the Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, to make the most functional mini golf course using only recyclables.
Jorge Ortez, treasurer of MAES, said his organization got recyclables from their outreach program that teaches science experiments to local middle schools and high schools. Their most valuable material is a rope woven out of rubber bands.
“It helps navigate the ball straight to the hole,” Ortez said. “So, as long as we have a platform to make it look nice and we have [the rope] to navigate the ball, it kind of makes it easy.”
The Mr. and Ms. Engineering 2016 pageant, hosted by the Society of Women Engineers, was Tuesday night in the ballroom of the University Student Union. It was a talent competition where a representative from each organization showcased their other skills besides working through equations.
“[Teams pick] someone who can sing, dance, perform and [they] compete against all the other orgs here,” Luis Estrada, co-president of the SHPE, said. “Last year, our member played the piano, sang and we won.”
AESB E-Life Director, Oscar Beltran said he looks forward to Thursday’s cardboard boat race that he competed in for SHPE in 2013 when he was their treasurer.
Each team gets two things to build their vessel: cardboard and duct tape. They have three tries to sail their boat across the pool at the Student Recreational and Wellness Center without sinking. Points are awarded for fastest time and least amount of duct tape used. Creativity is encouraged, but no rafts are allowed.
“[I’m going] to see the different designs that the different organizations did and to see who goes into the water first,” Beltran said.
Beltran, also a mechanical engineering senior, said duct tape is a useful material as it fortifies cardboard from getting soggy, but teams should focus on common ship designs for success.
“Honestly, the best design you could possible have is something that’s aerodynamic,” Beltran said. “If you have a rudder and the bottom of your boat that’s your best weapon: it keeps you going straight.”
E-Week’s only weeklong event, Humans vs. Zombies hosted by Pi Tau Sigma, might go unnoticed by students despite it being campus-wide. Players start as either a human, signified by a wearing green band, or a zombie with a red band.
CSULB may transform into a low-key horror film with humans trying to avoid the zombies and zombies trying to convert humans. Except humans immobilize zombies by hitting them with a sock.
Estrada, also a mechanical engineering senior, said people usually take the game seriously.
“In classrooms, you’re not allowed to [play] so you’ll see your friends in class with the green band and you’ll see one guy with the red band,” Estrada said. “As soon as class ends, you’ll just see running.”
There is an air of competitiveness, Beltran said, but it’s more playful than serious.
“It’s a week in which all the engineers can act like little kids,” Beltran said. “Competing and that feeling of winning: it feels like you’re back in high school trying to get that first place medal.”
The cardboard boat race, hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers, takes place Thursday at the Student Recreational and Wellness Center from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Today, E-Week will have five games around campus including a car race at 11:00 a.m. in Engineering Technologies Room 15, a water balloon toss at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Outpost Grill and a game of “Quidditch” at 5:00 p.m. also in front of the Outpost.
Students can find more information and a full event schedule by visiting the AESB event page.
AESB will award the winning organization their “Golden Wrench” during the closing ceremony Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Engineering and Computer Sciences Room 312.
Senior electrical and biomedical engineering major Krystalyn Rey Hipolito (left) and aerospace engineering freshmen Everardo Acevedo continue tunnel construction for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineer’s mini golf course during Engineering Week Monday.