UAH Marks Engineers Week With Second Annual Engineering Showcase

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, held its second annual Engineering Showcase as part of Engineers Week 2023, which ran Feb. 19 through Feb. 25.

Engineers Week, also known as EWeek, was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951. The observance aims to build a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by raising understanding of, and interest in, engineering and technology careers.

At the showcase, students from Senior Design, Student Organizations and Competition Teams, and Undergraduate Research presented the status and results of their work to corporate partners and guests through a series of projects and competitions. All eight undergraduate engineering programs at UAH were represented.

Approximately 230 undergraduate engineering students presented 45 projects. About 150 community partners, representing 50 companies and governmental agencies, attended.

Dr. Shankar Mahalingam, dean of the College of Engineering, said the participation of more than 200 students made the event "extraordinarily successful." He said the students presented their projects enthusiastically while showing their technical understanding to visitors. He added that he was "incredibly impressed" by the freshmen who took part, noting what they had accomplished in just a month beyond their first semester at UAH. He credited the event's success to strong community support for the university.

Mahalingam also said he was "extremely proud" of students, faculty and staff for their accomplishments over the past year, which he said have had a significant impact on Alabama, the nation and the world.

Other activities during the week included an Engineering Advising Open House, Take a Professor to Lunch, and Afternoon Art at Engineering on the Greenway. A LEGO Building contest also challenged students to construct a LEGO bridge, with the winner being the bridge that could withstand the highest static load.

The College of Engineering presented awards at the 2023 Engineers Week Banquet at the Jackson Center in Huntsville. The event was organized by the Greater Huntsville Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Honorees included outstanding undergraduate students by program, outstanding graduate students by department, two outstanding junior faculty members and one outstanding senior faculty member.

To close out the week's celebrations, UAH offered a set of engineering highlights from the past year, illustrating ways the university, the College of Engineering and its research centers are contributing to the Huntsville community, Alabama and beyond. A full list of awards, accolades, student project descriptions and Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame inductees is available on the UAH website.