Fun at the First-Year Engineering Orientation
On September 5th, the new first-year engineering students gathered in Ondaatje Hall on Studley campus for orientation. They listened to a speech from the Acting Dean, Yi Liu, and got to meet some of the faculty, the President of DUES, and the President of DES (yours truly), then they headed out to Wickwire field. At Wickwire, they were greeted by volunteers handing out Dal Eng t-shirts and patches. They were divided into groups based on their blocks so they could meet the people that they would share labs and tutorials with. Before leaving Wickwire, they spent some time getting to know each other and learning engineering chants from the Head Gearhead, Moragh Shaw.
Next, the groups rotated through various sessions. In the Dunn building, they learned about the co-op program, saw a physics lab demonstration from Dr. DeVet, and were shown how to use Brightspace. On the Quad, they were given time to check out tables that were set up for various DSU and Dalhousie services that are available to students, while collecting lots of swag. Two DES members, the VP External, Alison Brennan, and the VP Finance, Paige Chahley, were giving out candy and doing engineering trivia. In the Student Union Building, the first-years met up with Moragh Shaw once again for a talk on how to get involved in engineering extracurriculars. The final session was a tour of Studley campus guided by their group leaders.
After a lunch on the Sexton field, the new students headed to the Irving Oil Auditorium for a talk from Jason Lecoure, then got back into their groups for various sessions on Sexton campus. The first session was a design competition hosted by the Sextant and Engiqueers. The challenge was to build the tallest tower that could support a washer using only 6 pieces of paper and 30cm of tape. Students competed in groups of 4, and winners received certificates and vouchers for free coffee. Though the competition was quick, the tension was palpable in the air as groups tried their best to win. The overall winner reached an astounding 115cm high, winning t-shirts and bookstore gift cards.
The other sessions were much calmer, but just as fun! At the safety relay, the first-years learned safety tips and practiced using some safety equipment, including a fire extinguisher. They learned about the Dal MacEng Bridging program, which holds advice and question sessions meant to close the gap between high school and university. In the makerspace session, students had the chance to explore the makerspace and see all the equipment they could use to turn their dream projects into reality. On the tour of Sexton campus, the first-years were shown where their design labs would take place. They also walked through some of the buildings to familiarize themselves with the very confusing layout of the campus. In the tie dye/games session, the first-years could choose to tie-dye the t-shirts they received earlier and/or play various games that were out on the field, like spikeball.
It was a long day, but it seemed like everyone had fun and made some new friends. Orientation would not have been possible without all the wonderful volunteers who came out to lead the groups of first-years and run the sessions, so they deserve a huge shout out. This year’s orientation was a great success, and I’m looking forward to more fun events run by DES and DUES in the future!