February 07, 2024
This spring, engineering students at Mizzou will follow the gold brick road to celebrate Engineers’ Week 2024: The Engineer of St. Patrick.
Engineers’ Week, or E-Week is one of the longest-standing traditions on campus, predating Mizzou’s first homecoming. The week commemorates March 17, 1903, when Mizzou Engineers first discovered that St. Patrick was an engineer, and today is a celebration of all-things engineering (click here to learn more about the history of E-Week).
E-Week is organized by St. Pat’s Board and Engineers’ Club, which are led this year by seniors Jimmy Keating and Madi Robinson.
We asked them to tell us a little about themselves, the tradition and what the College can expect for this year’s festivities.
Meet the Co-Chairs
Jimmy: Hi, I’m Jimmy Keating. I am one of the Co-Presidents of Engineers’ Club or St. Patrick’s Board. I’m from St. Louis, Missouri, studying information technology. And I’m a senior graduating this May.
Madi: I am Madi Robinson. I’m the other Co-President of Engineers’ Club. I’m studying chemical engineering. And I am from St. Louis, Missouri, also graduating this May.
How did you get involved in St. Pat’s Board and Engineers’ Club?
Jimmy: So, I started with St. Pat’s Board my freshman year during COVID, all of our meetings were online. It was an opportunity to meet more engineers and make a bunch of friends because I really didn’t know anybody as a freshman. And from there, I just loved the program. I loved the group. Sophomore and junior year were in person, it was just such a blast. And I just loved making so many lifelong friendships and learning so much about the University and about the College of Engineering.
Madi: I had a peer mentor my freshman year. Her name was Lauren Baratta, and she was one of the Co-Presidents of Engineers’ Club that year. She told me that she was involved with this club, that it’s very social, it’s a fun organization to be a part of. And that they organize a week-long event that celebrates being engineers. And ever since then, I’ve been involved.
What is your favorite Engineers’ Week memory?
Jimmy: Definitely Dome Lighting last year (2023). We had somebody donate Raising Canes, and that was a huge pull for a lot more people to show up. We had record numbers of attendees, and it was one of the most extravagant events I think I’ve ever seen at the College. It was awesome. I loved the energy. So many people showed up, including the press, we had drones flying around. It was such an amazing time. And everybody was so in the spirit of engineering and of E-Week, and I loved it.
Madi: My favorite E-Week memory is probably the 5k/10k last year. It was very cold, but we were all there to support our beneficiary, Habitat for Humanity. And I was able to invite out the Josh Seidel Memorial Foundation (JSMF) to come speak on behalf of Josh’s memory at the beginning of the race last year. So that’s probably one of my favorite memories so far.
How did the organization choose the theme for this year, “The Engineer of St. Patrick”?
Madi: In our initial meeting we tried to brainstorm as many themes as possible. Then we narrowed it down to our top three. We were thinking about doing Pat Wars, as a spin-off of off Star Wars, but The Engineer of St. Patrick came out on top. There’s a lot of good themes and sayings from that movie that are very recognizable, which was something we wanted to tie that into our theme as well. One of the things that I was looking for was something historic, something older instead of something new so that our alumni would really get involved.
What are you most excited for about Engineers’ Week this year?
Jimmy: I am so excited to see all of the committees put on their events that they’ve been working on since last semester. I mean, they have been working night and day, asking us questions, collaborating with our teams. And I can tell that the committee heads we’ve appointed, as well as the members of these committees, are eager. And they’re excited, and they want to make this a successful and extravagant E-Week.
I’m really excited to see this all come together and just have a blast. I think it’s going to be such an enjoyable and such a fun Engineers’ Week this year.
Madi: I’m excited for the two events that are new this year. One is an Industry Exposure Event that takes the place of Professor for a Day. We’re going to invite back alumni, representatives from companies and other professionals to share their experience in industry, and also to create mentorships or different relationships with students here, so there’s more of a connection between the Mizzou community and the students. I’m excited to see how that works and how many alumni are excited to come back and have one-on-one conversations with students.
The other event is a koozie design contest that we are partnering with the Josh Seidel Memorial Foundation to do. Students can showcase their creativity and passion for engineering by creating a design that will be printed on koozies, thanks to the JSMF. And the winner of the koozie design contest will get a $1,000 scholarship. It’s a great way for E-Week and the JSMF to give back to students.
Why should students attend Engineers’ Week events this year?
Madi: One really big thing about E-Week is that it’s solely celebrating engineers. If underclassmen get involved sooner, they’re more likely to stay within the College of Engineering. And I think that’s why students should get involved, ultimately, to meet people who are like-minded and have similar passions and goals as them, so then they’re more likely to feel supported within the College of Engineering.
This year we have a record number of members in our organization, including a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and we really want to make sure that we let them and other students know what Engineers’ Club is all about. Students can join if they want to, get involved with leadership opportunities and be a part of an organization outside of their classes.
Jimmy: Definitely, E-Week is just such an exciting time, and I think Engineers’ Club is a great support system.
Madi: It really just builds your love and passion for engineering. It did for me.
Jimmy: Definitely. Yes. Me too.
Madi: And our Knighting Ceremony is a part of that community too, where seniors are dubbed a Knight of St. Patrick. There are quite a few famous people who have been knighted.
Jimmy: I would also love for more seniors to get involved with the Knighting Ceremony because I had some senior engineering friends who didn’t know about it last year.
The Knighting Ceremony is our oldest tradition. In addition to engineering students, notable figures have also been invited to become honorary Knights of St. Patrick. Two of the notable figures who have been dubbed Knights of St. Patrick’s here at Mizzou are Buzz Aldrin, the astronaut, and Harry Truman before he was president. So, it’s a very prestigious award and a very prestigious title. It’s just such a cool experience and event.
Do you have any last messages for students?
Jimmy: Make sure to follow us on all of our social media accounts—Instagram, X now, as well as our LinkedIn for updates.
Madi: If somebody is wanting to get more involved within the College of Engineering, definitely reach out to Engineers’ Club or somebody they know within it to get involved with the organization. And make sure to come to E-Week events. You don’t need to be a member to attend, everyone is encouraged to join the festivities.
We’re trying to make events more age inclusive, so students shouldn’t be worried about not fitting in or not being included. Because if you’re an engineer, you’re more than welcome to come. Even other students—if you have friends who are in other schools, just bring them all with you. We want everyone to be included.
Erin go Bragh!
Jimmy: Erin go Bragh!
Don’t miss E-Week 2024! See the schedule of events here.