Engineers Week ends with its Battle of the Brains competition. @MANHATTANEDU / INSTAGRAM
Emmanouel Sofillas, Asst. Sports Editor
Manhattan University’s (MU) Engineers Week concluded on Friday, March 6 with one of its most anticipated events, “Battle of the Brains.” The event challenged students in a live engineering competition where students designed and built a mystery device in real time in front of an audience.
Held in Kelly Commons, the event brought together student teams from across all engineering departments to test their creativity, teamwork and technical skills under a tight deadline. By the end of the competition, the Mechanical Engineering Department claimed the Brother Leo Cup.
The event served as the culmination of a week filled with friendly competition across the school of engineering. Throughout the week, departments faced off in a variety of challenges and activities, including themed competitions such as “Engineering Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune,” building excitement and school spirit leading up to the final event.
Organizers say the competition reflects the broader purpose of National Engineers Week by highlighting collaboration, innovation and the spirit of the MU engineering community. Ashley Zegler, president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers spoke with The Quadrangle about the nature of this event.
“The ‘Battle of the Brains’ event is a reflection of the passion for engineering and the MU community,” Zegler said. “It was great seeing each department come together to compete for the final build and meeting some alumni who attended as spectators. ‘Battle of the Brains’ was a true accumulation of the ingenuity, collaboration and competitive spirit featured throughout the week.”
Unlike many technical competitions that happen within individual departments, ‘Battle of the Brains’ emphasizes collaboration across the entire School of Engineering.
“‘Battle of the Brains’ is different from other engineering competitions because of the collaboration between all departments and the School of Engineering,” Zegler said. “The enthusiasm from the club boards and administration alone is apparent in many creative and fun events that were planned throughout the week.”
The event also serves as a practical learning experience. Students must rapidly develop solutions, test ideas and adapt to unexpected challenges while working together as a team.
Towfiq Mahid, a junior mechanical engineering major and vice president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, went further in depth on how hands-on competitions allow students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios.
“Hands-on competitions allow students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life challenges,” Mahid said. “They encourage creativity, teamwork and problem-solving in ways that traditional coursework sometimes can’t. It’s a wonderful way for students to test ideas and learn by doing.”
Mahid continued to explain that the competition also helps unite the engineering community by bringing together students from different disciplines and organizations.
“‘Battle of the Brains’ brings together students from different engineering disciplines and clubs,” Mahid said. “It creates a fun, collaborative environment where students can connect, support their departments, challenge each other and celebrate engineering together.”
While being interviewed, Zegler told The Quadrangle about how ‘Battle of the Brains’ impact on students goes beyond technical ability, participants develop essential professional skills, including communication and teamwork – traits that engineers rely on in the workplace.
“Aside from the quick problem-solving skills gained from facing a challenge within a time constraint, arguably the most important skill gained from this experience is teamwork,” Zegler said. “With a time crunch, it’s important to weigh different solution approaches and collaborate to identify the best possible game plan.”
Engineering leaders say the event also helps challenge common stereotypes about the field.
“I hope people see that engineering is creative and collaborative,” Mahid said. “Events like this show that engineering is about building, experimenting and working together to solve problems.”
During their interviews faculty and student leaders alike who participated in organizing the competition recalled how coordinating a live engineering challenge presented its own set of difficulties.
“Coordination and ensuring participant safety,”Adriana Lufrano, president of Eta Kappa Nu, said when discussing how the competition also reinforces a core idea about engineering education: the fact that learning extends beyond the classroom.
“Engineering is something you do, not just something you learn,” Lufrano said. “Competitions like this put you in a room where theory has to become action.”
Lufrano made a statement on the event, and how it allows students at different stages of their education to contribute their unique perspectives.
“A freshman who just came out of calculus might be the one who saves the team on a foundational problem that older students haven’t touched in years,” Lufrano said. “Everyone brings something, and this week makes that visible.”
Organizers hope the competition will continue to grow in the coming years as Engineers Week evolves and participation increases.
“I think it will continue to grow with more participation and bigger challenges,” Mahid said. “It has the potential to become an even bigger highlight of Engineers Week.”
For now, the competition stands as a fitting finale to the week, celebrating the creativity and collaboration that define MU’s engineering community.