Celebrating the kick off of the 2009-2010 academic school year, the College of Engineering community gathered on Sept. 4 for the College’s second annual block party. Hundreds of students, alumni, faculty, staff, family and friends filled Cummington St. for an afternoon of food, music, activities and games  – one of which was a student favorite that saw some ENG faculty all wet.

Throughout the afternoon, the ENG community enjoyed a live DJ; feasted on a barbecue, popcorn and ice cream; got temporary tattoos; played “Pin the Tail on the Synapse” for the chance for Starbucks gift cards; witnessed a water-repellent sand demonstration; walked across a non-Newtonian fluid pool; and tested their throwing accuracy by attempting to drop ENG undergraduates and faculty into a dunk tank.

“It’s a great start to the beginning of the school year,” said senior Tracey Lantz (ME), who was unceremoniously dunked by Professor Ted de Winter. “The barbecue’s not here just for us to meet other people – it’s for us to get to know each other better, too. It makes the school a lot smaller than it really is.”

The unquestioned highlight of the afternoon was the dunk tank, where students and faculty alike waited in a steady line for the chance to dunk their professors and peers. The dunk tank, which raised money for the Boston University chapter of Engineers Without Borders, featured a voluntary collection of undergraduates and faculty that included Professor Solomon Eisenberg (BME), associate dean of undergraduate programs; Professor Selim Ünlü (ECE), associate dean of graduate programs; Associate Professor Josh Semeter (ECE); Associate Professor Robin Cleveland (ME); and Assistant Professor Michael Smith (BME).

“It’s great because you can really see your professors in a different light,” said Joe Pirrello (BME), a sophomore who dunked Eisenberg on his first attempt. “Especially for freshmen, it’s easy to be intimidated. But when everyone’s together, it really shows that ENG is smaller college within a larger university.”

After a long week of moving in, getting settled and attending the first week of class, most students agreed that the block party was a relaxing end to what can sometimes be a stressful week.

“It’s important to show that while the class work can be tough, engineering can be fun, too,” said Pirrello. “Oh, and there’s free food. College students will go anywhere for free food.”