By ANDRIANNA MARSTON

alm045@latech.edu

 

Gallons of sausage, white rice and chocolate-colored peppered soup filled huge boilers and had the taste buds of students and faculty jumping in the basement of Bogard Hall at the sixth annual Engineering and Science Gumbo Festival Sept. 21.

Christopher Beard, president of the Engineering and Science Association and a senior mechanical engineering major, said the event was a welcome to new engineering students as well as a welcome back for upperclassmen.

“The purpose of the event was to inform freshmen about the professional societies and help them get acquainted with other engineering and science students as well as professors,” Beard said.

ESA feels it is necessary to host this event because some freshmen have a hard time adjusting to the college life, Beard said.

“The gumbo festival is just an easy way for students and faculty to mingle together on a non-academic level,” Beard said.

Beard said he can remember his first gumbo festival.

“I had been working all week on homework assignments with some of my friends,” Beard said. “However, when I went to the gumbo festival it was just a time to hang out with my friends on a relaxed level.”

Beard said ESA decided to add a few new activities to the traditional event.

“Instead of just eating gumbo and checking out the student organization poster boards, we decided to add a pig kissing contest and an ice cream eating contest,” Beard said.

He said his favorite part of the entire event was watching faculty members kiss the pig.

Delvin Jackson, a freshman computer science major, said this was his first time attending the festival and he enjoyed the gumbo the most.

“I went to meet new people, but my [biggest] motivating factor was to get some gumbo,” Jackson said.

Jackson said he is excited about future engineering and science events.

“When I found out there would be an ice cream eating contest and a pig kissing contest at the gumbo festival, I was geared up to attend,” Jackson said. “So I’m interested in what kind of activities will be planned for the next engineering and science event.” 

Clinton Bass, a freshman mechanical engineering major, said the festival helped convince him to join an engineering organization.

“I had been thinking about joining the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,” Bass said. “But since I had a chance to hear about some of the activities and talk with some of the group members, I’ve decide to go ahead and turn in my application.”

Bass said the event helped him make a few new friends.

“I actually had a chance to talk with some students who I have class with,” Bass said. “Now I won’t have too much thinking to do when I have to pick a group for class projects.”