The School of Engineering and Applied Science will have to blow out lots of candles on its birthday cake this week, as the school celebrates "150 Years of Engineering at Penn."
"You are not 150 every day, not even every century!" Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt wrote in an e-mail statement.
Glandt also remarked that this anniversary comes at a particularly important point in the history of Penn Engineering.
"This anniversary finds our school at a turning point," Glandt wrote. "It is undergoing an aggressive expansion, adding two major buildings, many faculty members and hundreds of additional masters students and doctoral students. On some days we experience growth pains, but those are the pains you want to have."
Given the significance of the event, the Engineering School was not about to let the anniversary pass by without a celebration.
"The dean knew that he wanted to celebrate in a couple different ways," SEAS spokeswoman Sandra Rathman wrote in an e-mail statement. She explained that Glandt envisioned "a formal event representative of this significant milestone in Penn Engineering history, as well as a fun party to celebrate with the entire University community."
After the Engineering Dean's Advisory Committee polled students on how they thought the event should be commemorated, the school came up with a plan in keeping with Glandt's original ideas.
The series of events, coined "Tradition Meets Innovation," will kick off today, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium. After a convocation ceremony honoring the school, the ceremony will feature an address from William Wulf, a renowned computer scientist and president of the National Academy of Engineering.
SEAS officials said they are very excited to receive Wulf, whom Glandt described as a "compelling speaker."
"As president of the NAE, we could not ask for a better representative of engineering," Rathman wrote. "The NAE, whose mission is to promote the technological welfare of the nation, provides engineering leadership in service to the nation."
Wulf will also be the recipient of the University of Pennsylvania Medal for Distinguished Achievement.
"It is most fitting that the recipient of the medal will be" Wulf, Glandt wrote, noting that the NAE "is the most prestigious organization in our profession."
The celebration will start up again on Thursday as the Engineering School takes over Wynn Commons and shows Penn how to party -- engineer-style. At 4:30 p.m., combat robots will battle, laser lights will flash and music videos with a technological twist will be shown. The festivities will also include a video portrait of Penn Engineering and a performance by Mask & Wig.
Thursday's bash would not be complete without a 150-foot hoagie, Philadelphia soft pretzels and, of course, birthday cake.
"Thursday's party should be lavish," Glandt admitted. "Maybe we'll be overdoing it, but that's OK."
Both today's and tomorrow's events are open to the entire Penn community.
