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Watson College to celebrate Engineers Week with virtual events

Activities planned for Feb. 21-27 include networking event, Community Day

Even though Engineers Week's Community Day will be virtual this year, there are still many activities planned for children, teens and their families. Even though Engineers Week's Community Day will be virtual this year, there are still many activities planned for children, teens and their families.
Even though Engineers Week's Community Day will be virtual this year, there are still many activities planned for children, teens and their families. Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.
By Chris Kocher
February 09, 2021

National Engineers Week will be held from Feb. 21-27, and Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science has a series of virtual events planned to mark the annual celebrations. This year’s theme is “Imagining Tomorrow.”

One tradition is Community Day, when children, teens and their families take part in activities run by Watson College student organizations that encourage curiosity about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

Because Community Day can’t be in person this year due to COVID-19, dozens of fun demonstrations and hands-on activities will be offered online via Zoom from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. Watch Watson’s Mars Rover team, build a catapult from popsicle sticks, learn about blood, participate in a scavenger hunt, make your own ice cream and more.

From 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, a Virtual Alumni and Friends Networking Night will feature a keynote speech by alumnus Robert Kump ‘83, deputy CEO and president of AVANGRID Inc.

Kump was appointed to the position of deputy chief executive officer and president of AVANGRID in June 2019. In this role, he leads the company’s accelerated growth strategy, ensuring the successful execution of the company’s strategic plan. Previously, Kump served as president and chief executive officer of AVANGRID Networks Inc., where he oversaw AVANGRID’s eight electric and gas utilities serving approximately 3.2 million customers across New York and New England. With more than 30 years of experience in the utility industry, Kump has held a number of executive positions in finance, treasury and investor relations with the company.

The virtual event will provide opportunities to hear about recent developments at Watson College from Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari and to connect with Watson faculty, staff, students, friends and alumni.

Other virtual events are planned for Engineers Week.

  • 8-9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers hosts a STEM Virtual Trivia Night for current students, with prizes awarded to top contestants.
  • 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23: Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity presents an alumni panel with recent Binghamton grads sharing their experiences in industry and providing advice.
  • 4 -5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24: Watson Career and Alumni Connections hosts alumna Pooja Sanjiv Chitwadgi, MS ’19, an operations analyst at Freshly, for an overview of the company, her professional journey and insights about student success.
  • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24: The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers presents “How to Perfect Your Presentation in Less than 60 Minutes,” with an overview of different presentation styles, best practices, tools to assist in Microsoft and PowerPoint, tips for presenting and advice for group projects over Zoom.
  • 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25: Watson Career and Alumni Connections hosts alumnus Benny Novoa ‘19, a process engineer at Globalfoundries, for a discussion about careers in semiconductor manufacturing.

For more information and to register for events, go online to www.binghamton.edu/watson/eweek/index.html.

Sponsoring this year’s Engineers Week are IBM Corp., Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Raymond Corp., Collins Aerospace, Shoemaker Consulting Engineering, Mirabito Energy, and Roberson Museum and Science Center.