Even with all the planning that went into Engineers Week, there was still so much that went unexpectedly. I ended up emceeing Date an Engineer, the MechEs tragically lost the points competition (it might only be tragic to me… we lost by a couple thousand points), I got a free meal almost every single day, and I learned just how many Comp Sci majors we have at Tufts!
One of my favorite moments of the week happened at EWeek kickoff – Kickoff wasn’t quite as crowded as I expected it to be, but that gave me a chance to relax and talk to the new Dean of the Engineering School, Dean Qu, for almost 15 minutes. We hit every conversation topic – new engineering buildings, what it’s like to be an engineer, studying abroad, all the events going on during the week, and especially how these events were going to be really great for freshmen – this was really important to him. He found the community aspect critical in helping the freshmen engineers, who were just beginning to commit to a department. I absolutely second his sentiments especially because the community needs to be continually engaged and brought together in order to stay strong. In my experience, Tufts has a fast paced environment, with most of its students constantly striving for balance between academics, social lives, and extra-curriculars. However, I frequently find these qualities are not mutually exclusive. The engineering curriculum is quite challenging, but I find it much more manageable when I have friends and professors that are driven, inclusive and incredibly caring.
One aspect that helped was the photo challenge – by taking pictures with the EWeek hand sign and with other professors, it fostered a friendly competition between the majors. I got a picture with Dean Qu, most of the MechEs, and our SWE chapter! Overall, it was a great week but now I need a break from thinking about engineering 24/7!
The incoming and outgoing executive board of Tufts Society of Women Engineers!
My roommate Erica, a liberal arts Comp Sci major, gets food at the student/faculty mixer. The food was from Oasis which is a fantastic Brazilian steakhouse in Medford.
My System Dynamics and Controls class - probably my favorite class this semester. We are all MechEs!
The points are normalized based on the size of the department. Because Comp Sci is now the most popular major at Tufts, they didn't do so great.