By: Dan Dankert
February included one of the coolest things to happen on the WIU-QC campus thus far this school year. Academic Club of Engineering (ACE) had their first ever Engineering Week on campus. This included a wealth of activities that took place on and off campus. It also included events of all kinds, there were competitions, movie screenings, educational panels, and even an open house. The goal of the week was to provide a fun, and educational experience to engineering students, prospective engineering students and to all WIU-QC students.
One of the coolest events that took place over the course of the week was the closing event, which was sumo-bot wrestling. I personally attended the event and counted roughly 40 people who were also there. The event took place in the skywalk that connects the Quad Cities Complex to the library. It was really cool seeing the robots that students had created to square off in this competition. Everyone who came got into each match. It was a blast to watch and I can only image how great of an experience it was for those that took part in the actual competition.
Another huge highlight of the week was the premiere of the movie Dream Big that took place at the Putman Museum and IMAX Theater. Attendance for the event blew out any other event as it reached into the hundreds of attendees that took part.
After the week was over I caught up with David Bracke, who is a senior here at WIU-QC and a member of ACE, to talk to him a little about the success of the week. Anyone who took part knew it was a great time, and it was clearly very well attended, so I wanted to know a little more about the educational impact that this week had on students since I was only able to make it to a couple of the fun focused activities instead of the education focused activities.
When asked about the educational experience Engineering Week provided David responded “There were many opportunities to introduce students to prospective employers, which is perhaps the most educational experience one can get before leaving school and entering the work force.”
In a job market that is becoming more and more competitive providing this to students is pivotal as they transition from an academic life to a professional life. It was so great to see ACE put on a week that not only offered some incredibly fun events like the sumobots competition but also incredibly educational opportunities that will most definitely have a positive impact on engineering students. When I asked David about any prospective plans for next year’s Engineering Week David said there will likely be more sumo-bots, bridge building competitions and even more chances for students to connect with potential employers. I can tell you this, if its anything like this year’s Engineering Week be ready for a week filled with fun, friends, and learning.
If you are interested in Engineering Club you can check out ACE of WIU-QC on Facebook or email me at dm-dankert@wiu.edu and I can get you in contact with officers of the club. If you have any events on campus you would like written about feel free to email me.