From an elaborate scavenger hunt to fashion shows showcasing clothes made of recyclables, the Cockrell School of Engineering’s annual Engineers Week is a 10-day-long competition among all of its student organizations. 

Hosted by the Student Engineering Council, E-Week kicked off last Friday. The goal for each organization is to gain the most points by hosting and attending events, with the winning team earning year-long bragging rights and an inscription on the E-Week trophy.

Chemical engineering sophomore Andres Sanchez-Paiva said winning E-Week is a great honor for any organization.

“Everyone knows about E-Week in Cockrell, so just being able to say that your org won E-Week means so much because of the time commitment it takes,” Sanchez-Paiva said. “It means you attended events, probably did really well in those events, did a lot of the scavenger hunt and hosted events, too. It’s sort of like winning the Oscars for that year.”

E-Week is UT’s interpretation of the nationwide Engineers Week, and the competition involves months of planning, with 36 events packed into just 10 days. Some of the events include a “So You Think Engineers Can Dance” competition and dramatic textbook readings.

Civil engineering senior Amanda Muehr, one of the directors for SEC’s Engineering Activities committee, said E-Week is a time for engineering students to try something new.

“For us, it’s an opportunity to get organizations and engineering students in general outside of their comfort zone of us always having to study or to do something serious,” Muehr said. “It’s just something fun to do that also builds up the engineering community spirit to represent the whole Cockrell School of Engineering.”

With 20 teams competing as either a large or small organization, E-Week gives students a chance to bond in unique situations such as the 121-item scavenger hunt, Muehr said.

For mechanical engineering senior Joanna Boy, E-Week meant a road trip to College Station to cross some unusual requests off the scavenger hunt.

“We sang Texas Fight in front of Kyle Field while wearing burnt orange,” Boy said. “We got some weird looks, but it was totally worth it. Then we had to get one of their corps officers to say, ‘Hook em.’”

This year was also the inaugural Cockrell Day of Service, one of the events hosted by SEC for E-Week, which ends its festivities Feb. 26.