Jan. 25 was Engineering & Computer Science (SECS) Day at Oakland University, welcoming 890 guests to explore the possibilities of science for future Grizzlies.
The two main floors of the Oakland Center adorned its hallways with infographics, boards and tablings sharing the research, majors and student organizations advancing engineering and technology fields.
“For every kind of major school we have at OU it’s important that they have their own event so they can celebrate their accomplishments, especially important for the SECS,” Jacob Chiappelli, Robotics Association president, said. “It’s really important for a lot of students, in maybe a field where there’s a conception that students tend to be a little bit more introverted, to understand there’s groups they can be with, to be social, but also to learn more about and feel their passions.”
Attendees were welcomed by the Dean of the SECS, Louay Chamra, to attend different presentations by the department chairs of Bioengineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Undergraduate Advising and others.
“We want to make them feel like engineering is a space for them, an option for them,” Ehlimana Campara, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) president, said. “As a kid, that was never an option that was brought up to me, and I want that to be shared with them.”
The families attending toured the Engineering Center facilities while student organizations set up their tables along the OC to talk with them after attendees enjoyed lunch with professors and alumni.
The banquet rooms hosted talks on artificial intelligence, computer science, cybersecurity and information technology. The ballrooms welcomed people interested in computer, electrical and chemical engineering. Industrial, mechanical and mechatronic engineering were not behind and they had academic and student organization demos.
“We’re trying to propose some projects to build, we’re building this quadcopter, and we’re also doing some competition in NASA where we’ll build a robot,” Tolu Awaye, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), president said. “It’s another way to showcase your learning, instead of just being in a classroom and taking tests. This is another way to visually and physically show how much you know about engineering, and it’s also a good way to pick up new skills.”
Like many other student organizations on campus, NSBE is a community of students with similar majors or interests that get together to foster spaces where scholarships, sponsorship and job opportunities are available for everyone.
“My advice would be to be consistent and not give up, because I want this to be an opportunity that anybody, regardless of the academic status can see as possible,” Awaye said, advising those who attended SECS Day. “It’s definitely possible for them to be great at whatever they put their mind into, just be consistent and optimistic.”
SWE also networked with attendees to motivate them to explore engineering and foster a community at OU.
“We have the social aspect where we can come in and we can kind of touch base with other women in your space, people you see in your classes but you don’t know their names,” Campara said. “We are also to do stuff with other organizations and other engineering organizations like SHPE, NSBE, biomedicine, etc.”
SWE organizes informal study spaces where students can communicate with each other, get together and study. With SECS Day being an important outreach opportunity, the student organizations also emphasized inspiring new generations.
“A big thing we’re trying to do this coming year is trying to get more into volunteering,” Campara said. “So right now, we’re in talks trying to do events in the Fall with the Girl Scouts, and we might make that a thing like to go along for years to come.”
The six-hour event concluded with Chamra’s closing remarks and high school students, prospective graduate students and other community members left with many SECS infographics and photos with the Grizz.
