UCLA students gear up for “Engineers Got Talent” show
By Manjot Singh
April 9, 2012 12:03 a.m.
Smooth jazz, a five-person rock band and a Bollywood dance crew are just three of the wide array of acts being showcased tonight at Engineers Got Talent, a show aimed at exhibiting the talents of engineering students.
Engineering students of all disciplines will gather tonight at the Engineers Got Talent show as part of the 43rd Annual Engineers Week. Other events this week include a club showcase and barbecue on Tuesday in which more than 20 engineering clubs will participate.
As part of this event, engineering projects such as a concrete canoe and a mini baja built from scratch will be also showcased. Wednesday is Kids Day in Wilson Plaza, an event where roughly 15 clubs will create elementary school projects that range anywhere from constructing paper airplanes to making ice cream out of liquid nitrogen.
“We’re just trying to create a fun atmosphere to give a little break from school, yet still be with people you are surrounded by for a lot of the time,” said Brandy Jutovsky, a second-year computer science student and president of the Engineering Society of UCLA.
Engineers Got Talent will showcase about 20 performers who will be judged by Professor Carey Nachenberg and Dr. William Goodin, as well as alumni.
Selen Alper, a second-year electrical engineering student and publicity chair of the Engineering Society of UCLA, said that the event is still taking shape.
“We announced the event more than a month ago. People are still signing up. … Some people have been practicing for about a month,” Alper said.
Leo Szeto, a fifth-year electrical engineering student and participant, said that this talent show also showcases an aspect of South Campus that many North Campus students are not accustomed to seeing.
“Engineers are really just naturally curious people and a lot us have secondary talents besides the nerdy type of rigorous studying we do,” Szeto said.
Szeto’s own talent is drumming, which he started playing around two years ago.
“I was very much into playing the drums on Rockband, and when the opportunity came to buy a kit, I went for it,” Szeto said.
He is also the drummer of a rock band called Leo and the Diodes, which will play at the show. The band is a group of electrical engineers who jam both inside and outside of the classroom and is in its second year participating in the event. Szeto said that the band plans to play covers from Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys and The Raconteurs.
He also said that playing an instrument, in addition to the rigorous studying he does, allows him to focus on the present and alleviate the stresses of being a “Bruin engineer.”
“For me, it was never a choice between music and engineering. I simply chose to pursue both in different ways as they are both important aspects of my life,” Szeto said.
The first place prize is $300 in cash, the second place prize is a Sony Bloggie Touch Camera, and third place will win Sony PIIQ headphones, according to Alper.
Alper said that this talent show is a great place to glimpse the fun side of many of these engineering students.
“This event introduces the fact that engineers have more than just one skill, than just being able to learn. They can have fun, too,” Alper said.
