A Plexiglas box stands on a platform, separating two teams from total annihilation. Hordes of students crowd onto bleachers or stand, peering over one another to try and get a glimpse of the fight. Shouts from the crowd echo through the Student Union as machines collide.
One student from each team holds a remote control, moving a small robot around the box in attempt to destroy the opposing team's machine in a battle for glory, while off to the side, the teams work tirelessly to fix the glitches of their robots.
This is Botwars.
The Botwars competition capped off a week of events for UB's Engineering Week. The various events highlight the different aspects of engineering, and each event is open for students to join, earning points for their various clubs and organizations.
The events ran all week, each day for approximately two hours.
Dan Pastuf, the SA's Engineering Council Coordinator, thinks that the week is a good way to utilize some of the skills of an engineer, while doing so in a fun and exciting way.
"Engineer Week is a national celebration of how engineering contributes to society, and how engineering improves the lives of those around us, and it's celebrated in a variety of ways here at UB," Pastuf said.
The Society of Automotive Engineers took home this year's top prize in the Botwars competition.
Another of the week's events was the Paper Airplane Competition, in which students attempting to fly various models of paper airplanes through a cardboard cutout with holes of different sizes and heights. People from all majors and groups were encouraged to join in on the festivities.
Andrew Koonce, a senior mechanical engineering major, thought that the paper airplane activity would be a good way to relax and enjoy Engineering Week.
"You have to calculate the center of gravity of the plane, so there is a bit of engineering involved in making the airplanes," Koonce said. "I don't think it's as involved as some of the other events during E-week, but it's a fun way to relax and take a break from tests."
Throughout the week, other events were held around campus, like the Mr. and Ms. Engineer, the Barbie bungee jump competition, and the egg-drop event.
The Engineering Ball, sponsored by the SA's academic council, ends Engineering Week. The winners of the events are announced at the event. UB has held the ball since the 1950s.
Pastuf noted that this year's ball was the most successful they've seen – the event received a huge turnout and was close to selling out.
"The engineering ball is the capstone event [of Engineering week]," Pastuf said. "It's a fun, safe event for everyone."
Pastuf also believes that this year's Engineering Week was the most successful to date; this year's events boasted the most club and student participation and also the highest scores at the end of the week.
"I love engineering week," said Tom Heyden, a senior mechanical engineering major who competed in the Botwars competition. "The events that we get to compete in are a lot of fun, and it's fun when we get to compete against each other, I really enjoy it."
Additional reporting by News Editor Rebecca Bratek
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
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