March 3, 2011 - 4:17pm
Here he comes ... Mr. Engineer
BY ADAM RUBENFIRE
Though there was no swimsuit or evening gown contests, 11 courageous Engineering students took to the stage last night to compete in the annual Mr. Engineer contest.
Mr. Engineer is a male pageant presented by the Society of Women Engineers in which members from different engineering organizations compete to claim the title, which last year’s winner Sakib Elahi jokingly dubbed the “King of the Nerds.”
Competing organizations included Engineering fraternities Theta Tau, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Gamma Tau and Pi Tau Sigma, as well as the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AlChE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Epeians Engineering Leadership Honors Society, the Muslim Engineering Student Association (MESA), Engineering Global Leadership (EGL) and the Michigan Concrete Canoe Team.
Engineering junior Kevin Shallcross, the Mr. Engineering Global Leadership candidate, was crowned Mr. Engineer 2011 while University alum Harith Bashir, the Mr. MESA candidate, claimed first runner up and Engineering senior Dafeng Chen was the second runner up.
Contest judges included College of Engineering Dean David Munson, Michigan football player Mike Martin and Michigan Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong.
Proceeds from ticket sales from the event benefited the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program, an organization that works to encourage minority students to become interested in engineering at an early age.
Tickets could be bought in advance from any of the 11 contestants, who competed to sell the most tickets. Shallcross sold the most tickets – giving him an advantage in points early in the competition.
In last night’s talent round, acts included engineering-themed parodies of songs, salsa dancing and a lesson in karate from Chen, the Mr.AlChE candidate. Chen taught the audience how to perform the “karate art of KAR—Kick and Run.”
After a short intermission, six semifinalists were announced. The semifinalists proceeded to participate in the brainteaser round where contestants were each given a different riddle and had one and a half minutes to determine the correct answer. Four out of the six semifinalists answered their questions accurately.
After the brainteaser round, three finalists were announced: Chen, Shallcross, and Bashir.
The three finalists competed in a final round, in which the contestants were asked how they would respond to an unethical situation while working at an engineering firm.
Bashir objected to the question, saying he wouldn’t be working for an engineering firm — he’d be in charge of his own. However, he did answer the question.
Engineering junior Kamal Knight, the Mr. Theta Tau candidate, earned the title Mr. Congeniality — awarded for being the audience’s favorite contestant of the pageant, based on a poll taken of the audience of about 300 students, faculty and guests who attended the event in Stamps Auditorium on North Campus.
Shallcross expressed his gratitude for the title and the turnout at the event.
“I would like to thank you all so much for coming out,” Shallcross said.
At the event, Munson expressed how proud he was of students for being involved in campus organizations.
“I think our students learn a lot of leadership skills from the organizations they participate in,” Munson said. “That’s true both in engineering and outside of engineering. We’re proud that our students undertake activities like this, and we’re proud of all the service they give to the community.”
Engineering freshman Alexander Ng said he enjoyed the comedic performances presented by the contestants.
“Most of them didn’t have talent, but it’s still amusing to watch,” Ng said.
