From an outsider's perspective, Engineering Week would seem to be more of a celebration of the culinary arts than anything else.
But the week-long series of events which began on Monday offered students much more than a mouthful.
"Its basic purpose is to give recognition to engineers," Engineering School spokeswoman Kendal Barbee said. "It promotes the socialization amongst students, staff and faculty within the school, beyond the classroom setting."
Engineering Week kicked off on Monday with the Majors Fair, sponsored by Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society. The event gave undergraduates a chance to gain insight into the wide variety of options provided by the Engineering School through speaking with faculty and upperclassmen from different departments.
On Tuesday night, around 45 students gathered in Heimeler Hall of the Towne Building to hear Matthew Grove, co-founder and president of software engineering firm Diginexus, speak about entrepreneurial possibilities within the field of engineering.
Grove addressed the process involved in starting out with a concept and building a company. He attributed 50 percent of his success to luck and the remaining to hard work.
"He was really frank about how being an entrepreneur isn't all glamour," Engineering junior David Zhang said. "If I want to start a business in the future, it requires a lot of hard work and an opportunistic attitude."
While the audience was small, the interest among the attendees was overwhelming. As a recent Penn graduate, Grove's words of wisdom carried an even stronger impact.
"Grove related well to the audience," Barbee said. "While many students talk idealistically about starting a company, he spoke about it realistically."
On Wednesday, crowds of students gathered in the first floor of the Towne Building to gorge on ice cream as they socialized with members of the Dean's Advisory Board.
"It's a lot of fun," Engineering junior Jeff Guyer said. "Every once in a while, you bump into things like this and say you're glad you're an engineer."
Guyer was not the only one who felt that way. A steady line formed in front of Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt, who scooped and served the ice cream himself.
"The Dean is a great guy, and he makes his jokes as he serves us ice cream," Engineering junior Dane Carswell said.
Some used the social as an opportunity to discuss the the more serious issues facing engineers.
"It gave us the opportunity to speak to the dean and associate dean about where the school is going and even pick his brain a little," Engineering senior Mikael Concepcion said.
Later on Wednesday, the Office of Academic Programs and Career Services sponsored an open forum as part of the Career Focus Series. An alumni panel of bioengineers informed students about applications of their engineering degrees to their present jobs with such companies as Johnson and Johnson and Rodel.
The day ended with pizza and wings in the Humphry lounge, a monthly event sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
"It gives engineers a chance to relax and talk about classes," said AIChE President Catherine Celler, an Engineering senior.
The week is scheduled to commence today with a pie throwing event, taking place in the Moore Lounge.
Last year, the event drew throngs of students. Professors sat behind a plastic sheet with a hole in it as students threw pies at them. The event raised money for charity and gave students the chance to get back at their professors.
"We really didn't have any expectations when we came up with the idea," Engineering senior Allison Schlaff said. "We were really surprised when [professors] said they'd do it, and it ended up being a lot of fun."
While Engineering Week provides a week of entertainment, food and relaxation, midterms often put a damper on all the excitement. The week coincides with tests and papers for many students, preventing their participation in major events.
"We don't pick when Engineering Week falls, and so we run into the problem of midterms a lot of the time," Barbee said. "It becomes hard for a lot of students to attend many of the events."
On the positive side, food is always a welcome commodity to starving students cramming for midterms. Even if only for a few minutes, the events serve as study breaks, fostering a sense of community among Engineering students.
"The week is an opportunity for students to interact with professors and fellow students outside of the lab and classroom setting," Schlaff said.
