UST Engineering Week 2005

Last tuesday, we started our Engineering Week 2005 celebration. Before we embarked on a joyous and colorful motorcade at the Campus, our first activity was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the UST Sports Complex. I was very happy to see a lot of faculty members and students attending the Mass; moreover, we almost ran out of consecrated hosts during the Holy Communion. Dean Marilyn Mabini was also very happy since the Mass was well attended though a few faculty members did not quite make it because of the morning traffic. Before the final blessing, I as the Regent of the Faculty and Mass celebrant blessed the new image of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Patron of the Faculty. Unfortunately after the Mass, we were not able to announce the accompaniment of the image to the Engineering lobby since the sound system was accidentally cut when someone, without anyone realizing it, stepped on the cable connections perhaps during the communion. But there were still a number of faculty members and students who accompanied the transfer of the image.

When everyone arrived after the motorcade, each department showed their cheering prowess since according to the organizers, there was a price to be given for the best cheering crowd. The cheering was really fun and colorful with all participants in their respective costumes - strutting and shouting about. After sometime the faculty officials together with the honored guest who gave the keynote speech at the Engineering Conference Hall, Dr. Norberto Viera, the first filipino president and managing director of Texas Instruments, Phils., Inc., cut the ribbon which formally opened the activities with much applause.

After the keynote speech, Dr. Viera and the officials of the Faculty proceeded to take a sumptuous lunch at the adjoining room. The faculty members and non-academic personnel took their lunch at the Physics lab while the students had their lunchbreak supposedly at the ground floor lobby.

The department exhibits which filled the ground and second floors of the building were opened during the whole afternoon, and everyone was busy hopping from one exhibit to another.

The other activities scheduled throughout the whole week up to saturday among which were as follows - treasure hunting, games (both indoor and outdoor), quiz show, a beauty pageant, alternative classes like personality development, MS Excel Programming, martial arts - seminars and conferences, job fairs, musicial presentations like a band concert/contest and the much awaited faculty variety show, engineering party, recognition day for faculty personnel and students, and of course the annual Engineering Alumni Association Homecoming as the culminating event with a Mass on Saturday.

The whole week promises to be a very hectic one with a variety of activities; it is my hope that everyone will enjoy and gain so much from our celebration.

To the UST Faculty of Engineering, congratulations and good luck!
To all engineering alumni homecoming participants, welcome home!