College's 2023 Engineers Week celebration honored as nation's best

The National Association of Engineering Student Councils (NAESC) has awarded the 2023 Best Engineers Week celebration to the two University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering student councils.

The award was presented at the NAESC Engineering Leadership Summit held March 24-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to representatives of the Engineering Student Advisory Board (eSAB) on City Campus in Lincoln and Nebraska Engineering Student Council at Omaha (NESCO) on Scott Campus, which coordinate the annual events.

With a theme of "Blast Off," this year's E-Week highlights included an Engineering Semi-Formal Dance featuring a catered dinner, music and dancing, a caricature artist for students, and superlative awards – such as Best Engineering Major and Best Engineering Professor – that students voted on beforehand.

The councils also host several events sponsored by industry partners, which also provide generous financial support. These events aim to engage and support all Nebraska Engineering students.

The week also included a bouquet-making service event that taught students how to make floral arrangements, some of which were then presented to faculty and staff.

The Omaha events included a cultural gaming night to promote diversity within the College of Engineering and the Industry Networking Mixer and Engineers Night Out, a pair of events that helped connect students with industry professionals, faculty and fellow students in a less-formal-but-professional setting.

The recognition from NAESC shows that E-Week does benefit Nebraska Engineering students, said Gracie Kerr, eSAB E-Week co-chair.

"Our student councils have invested a lot of hard work (into E-Week) because how it impacts students is real," Kerr said. "The way we reach out to students and connect them with industry employers can be a foundation for the future. We are incredibly grateful for the involvement opportunities our sponsors have made possible."

The National Society of Professional Engineers coordinates the annual Engineers Week (E-Week), which was held Feb. 19-25 this year. The NSPE website describes E-Week as being "dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers ... (and) to raising public awareness of engineers' positive contributions to quality of life."