UA Engineering Hosts Annual E-Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama College of Engineering will host E-Day, an open house for prospective students that explores the many opportunities the College has to offer.

E-Day 2019 will be Thursday, Oct. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will provide information on admissions, student organizations and the seven academic departments in the College of Engineering.

“E-Day is a great opportunity for prospective students to see what engineering at The University of Alabama is all about,” said UA student Albert Gabberty, a College of Engineering ambassador who helped plan the event.

E-Day is open to any middle school, high school, junior college or community college student or group. Registration at eng.ua.edu/admissions/e-day/ is open until Sept. 26.

Gabberty, an electrical engineering junior from Long Island, New York, said E-Day turns the College of Engineering inside out for attendees to explore. From tours of faculty labs to student organizations lining the Shelby Quad, E-Day introduces students to what is possible as a UA engineering student.

“E-Day is a great way to show off our College to a large group of people at one time and celebrate what we offer to students here,” said Samantha Proctor, coordinator of engineering student recruitment. “Engineering at UA can be really fun. I want to show students that there are so many other things than just academics when it comes to engineering.”

About 1,000 students, educators and families are expected to attend the annual event. Attendees will talk to engineering student organizations that interest them, attend tours led by Ambassadors of the College of Engineering, also known as ACEs, and speak with UA representatives.

“It’s a little bit different from your typical tour because it is such a large event, and we get so many labs involved,” said Jane Gillette, a senior aerospace engineering student from Clayton, Missouri. “There are a lot of different places you wouldn’t get to see on a normal tour that are open.”

Gabberty and Gillette are the vice presidents of events for the ACEs and are tasked with planning E-Day each fall.

“I hope students walk away from E-Day with a more in-depth look at engineering as a whole and how they can get involved and use their interests, minds, talents and passions for all the cool things we do around here,” Gabberty said. “I hope they come away inspired to want to do good things here.”