Engineering Now .: Volume 4 - Edition 3 .: November 2007

Surge in registrants for 2007 Fall Preview Day a good sign for Western

University President Paul Davenport appreciates the opportunity to explain to incoming students and their parents why he feels that Western has ranked number one in the Globe and Mail student survey for six years in a row.  On Saturday, November 17, he addressed a record crowd of prospective engineering students in Spencer Engineering Building during Fall Preview Day.

“There are a lot of university presidents who run for cover and don’t answer the phone,” he quipped, in reference to the specific morning each year when the survey comes out. “I’ll tell you, I’m available all day!”

The loud laughter from the audience suggested that they appreciated the President’s candor.

Spencer Engineering Building in the Faculty of Engineering was bustling, with nearly 600 people onsite to check out what Western Engineering has to offer. That's about a 150% increase over last year's attendance.

The crush of people meant that seats were at a premium in the auditorium for the morning presentation given by President Paul Davenport, Engineering Dean Franco Berruti, and fourth-year electrical engineering student Andrew Searle. Visitors were eager to hear the presenters speak, and so improvised by staking out spots along the back and side walls of the room.

Dean Berruti thanked people for their patience, before adding that the rising numbers of attendees to Fall Preview Day is a sign that word of the high quality of education offered by Western Engineering is continuing to spread among prospective students. He added that the engineering field itself continues to prosper.

Andrew Searle echoed that sentiment in his own thoughts about what the Faculty has to offer students.

“Western Engineering is here to help you succeed,” he said. “You can see the kind of creative thinking, the kind of new ideas that our students and faculty bring.”

Many of those students, faculty and their ideas were on display throughout the day for prospective students and their parents to see. Numerous student groups had booths set up, including the Formula SAE Racing team, Sunstang, WEBots, Women in Engineering, Engineers Without Borders, the Mini Baja Team, the Western Aero Design team and more.

Visitors were also invited to participate in tours being given of several engineering program areas and labs. In some areas, demonstrations were being given by current students, who demonstrated some of the principles they have been learning in class.

There were many student, staff and faculty volunteers on-hand, who were kept busy throughout the day answering questions and chatting with the guests.

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Contact

.: Becky Blue
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
Telephone: (519) 850-2917 Fax: (519) 661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca