E-Week Winter Games a Showcase for Student Involvement

E-Week (Engineers Week) has been a fun tradition for more than a century at the College of Engineering. Beginning in 1913, in conjunction with National Engineers Week, students at the College of Engineering have celebrated E-Week through various events and competitions.

This year, E-Week was recognized nationally and at UNL from Feb. 18-23 and featured a “winter games” theme to coordinate with the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. These “winter competitions” included everything from a 5K run and walk to a duct-tape design contest.

In addition to having an opportunity to take a break from classes and the hectic life of college, a benefit of E-Week for students is being able to network with members of local industry who participate in the week’s schedule of events in support of engineering.

“It’s a great way for us to show our passion and support of the College of Engineering,” stated Peggy Merkel with The Clark Enersen Partners of Lincoln. “It’s important for students to get involved in activities like E-Week and to promote it on their resumes or portfolios. All of those activities show employers that they are committed, accountable and passionate for their field of study. It also confirms the ability to collaborate with others, which is part of what we do every day.”

E-Week’s 2018 Winter Games began on Sunday, Feb. 18 with a 5K Run and Walk on East Campus. Additional E-Week activities included Escape Rooms; Battlebots; Faculty Pancake Flip; Donuts with the Dean(s); an Engineer’s Night Out at Dudley’s in Aksarben Village; Industry Networking Mixer; and an Engineering Carnival.

“A large percentage of our engineering staff are graduates of UNL,” Merkel said. “They love E-Week because it’s an opportunity for them to see former professors, classmates and connect with current students. It’s also a great way to stay up to date with the program and meet with future engineers.”

The spotlight event was a presentation by Nina Tandon, CEO and co-founder of EpiBone, the world’s first company for growing living human bones for skeletal reconstruction. Tandon spoke to guests at the Willa Cather Dining Center in Lincoln.

“We look for candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to their academic achievement, who are involved in campus programs, activities and community involvement,” noted Merkel, who talked about the importance of participating in E-Week events as an Engineering student. “For us, it helps demonstrate leadership characteristics, teamwork qualities, time management capabilities and the desire to make a difference in the community.”

Diamond Sponsors of E-Week 2018 were The Clark Enersen Partners, Union Pacific and US Army Corps of Engineers. Gold Sponsors included Baldwin Filters, Olsson Associates, Pfizer, Sandhills Publishing and Streck. Silver Sponsors were AGI, Alvine Engineering, Garmin, GBA, Hausmann Construction, JEO Consulting Group, Koch Industries, LI-COR, Lincoln Industries, MCL Construction, Tenaska, Vishay and Western Specialty Contractors. Bronze Sponsors for E-Week included AE Design, Bosch, Conductix Wampfler, Kirkham Michael, LES, Lozier, Specialized Engineering Solutions and Valmont.