South Dakota Mines Celebrates 46th Annual Engineers Week
RAPID CITY, SD (Feb. 17, 2023) — For 46 years, South Dakota Mines has invited middle school students to campus in February to learn about the fields of science and engineering. The 2023 Engineers Week will be held Feb. 21-25 with free events for the campus community, area students and the general public. See Engineers Week highlights in this video.
Engineers Week was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in 1951 and is celebrated the week of Presidents Day in honor of President George Washington, who is considered to be the nation's first engineer.
The week kicks off with the Mines Chemistry Magic Show on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. This free event is so popular that it has outgrown the Mines campus and moved to the Performing Arts Center of Rapid City at 601 Columbus Street. Mines students with the university chapter of the American Chemical Society will present science-based demonstrations. This event is free and open to the public.
Mines will also host nearly 500 middle and high school students for Engineering & Science Day on Thursday, Feb. 23. The day begins with demonstrations by academic departments held across campus and a Chemistry Magic Show from 9 a.m. to noon. Students can also enjoy a lunchtime concert in the Music Center and an afternoon talk on NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover by Deputy Director of SD Space Grant Consortium Tom Durkin. The NASA presentation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Surbeck Center Ballroom and is open to the public.
On Friday, Feb. 24, Engineers Week activities conclude with the annual Order of the Engineer induction ceremony. The Order fosters a spirit of responsibility and pride in the profession of engineering. This year's event will take place in the Surbeck Ballroom on the Mines campus starting at 4 p.m.
Finally, on Saturday, Feb. 25, Mines will play host to MathCounts. MathCounts is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students. The contest is for students in sixth through eighth grade from western South Dakota. MathCounts is sponsored by the South Dakota Engineering Society, Black Hills Chapter.
Highlights of E-Week are as follows:
Tuesday, February 21
Mines Chemistry Magic Show
6-7 p.m., Performing Arts Center of Rapid City - 601 Columbus Street
Join students from our chapter of the American Chemical Society for an explosive Chemistry Magic Show! This event is free and open to the public.
Thursday, February 23
Engineering & Science Day Campus Tours
9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Various academic departments and student organizations will host presentations around campus, including the chemistry magic show.
Lunchtime Music Concert
Noon-1 p.m., Mines Music Center
NASA Presentation
1-2 p.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom
Friday, February 24
Order of the Engineer Initiation
4 p.m., Surbeck Center Ballroom
Saturday, February 25
MathCounts
8 a.m.-4 p.m., Classroom Building