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The Faculty of Engineering’s development team and experiential and professional education team hosted the Empowering Innovators Student Project Showcase and Community Celebration event on March 13. The format included a short formal program and allocated time for students and donors to interact and build connections. A number of student project teams hosted booths with representatives who detailed their activities and highlighted the pivotal role of donor support in their accomplishments.

It was both a celebration and a testament to the faculty’s commitment to providing exceptional experiential learning programs for students — and the unwavering community support that makes these opportunities possible.

“Experiential learning is at the heart of our faculty’s mission to deliver exceptional engineering education,” says , dean of the Faculty of Engineering. “Our student project teams play a pivotal role, providing the opportunities to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in research-driven projects.”

The lineup of speakers included , associate dean of experiential and professional education, and Nikhil Velagapudi — a final-year chemical engineering student.

Multiple engineering student groups and teams were represented, including , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . The Elko Engineering Garage was also in attendance.

As Ulrich notes, the teams are entirely student-led, adding that the variety of obstacles each team and individual must overcome to achieve success is where the most important learning happens.

“That experience is invaluable,” she says. “It helps students cultivate emotional intelligence, leadership and teamwork — core skills that we believe are essential for successful engineering careers.”

Donor support is the backbone of many of the experiential learning opportunities in the faculty, enabling these initiatives to thrive and contributing to their long-term viability.   

“We are incredibly grateful to our donors for their support — whether through team sponsorships, the Engineering the Next Generation Fund or the Spirit of George Ford Fund, their contributions bolster our faculty’s commitment to experiential learning, equipping our students with the skills and confidence to build successful careers,” says AbouRizk.

“The investments from our sponsors, coupled with support from the university and the experiential learning team, allows us to follow our dreams and do all the cool things we all imagine engineers do,” says Nikhil, one of the speakers at the event, who also serves as the program manager for the student project team and as a director of project group services with the .

“In the process, we become critical thinkers, learn valuable industry skills, win many awards, form lifetime relationships and return the dividends of your investments into industry and society as well-rounded engineers. From all the students here at the event, and the many others who couldn’t join us but have been just as impacted, thank you for everything.”