Over 40 high school juniors and seniors from around the state had the opportunity to meet world-class faculty and discover the advantages of earning an engineering degree from the University of Houston at the Cullen College of Engineering's Honor E Day Oct. 30.
Students participated in three lab demonstrations, campus tours and discussions with faculty. The day was concluded with tailgating activities with the Engineering Alumni Association and watching UH beat Tulane.
"In the past, our college has hosted a large-scale Open House event that was successful in attendance but was not focused on the top students that we were really wanting to have a major impact on the quality of our student body," said Frank "Fritz" Claydon, associate dean for undergraduate programs and computer facilities in the Cullen College of Engineering.
One of the goals of the program was to present benefits of not only the Cullen College of Engineering, but also the Honors College.
"We are pleased that so many outstanding high school students participated in Honor E Day and had the opportunity to learn more about the mutual benefits of the Honors College and the Cullen College of Engineering," said Julie Trenor, engineering's director of undergraduate recruitment and adjunct assistant professor.
While a few Honor E Day participants had already applied for admission to UH, exit surveys indicated that the majority of the prospective students were much more likely to apply to the Cullen College of Engineering after attending Honor E Day. According to Trenor, several students who had already applied said that Honor E Day reinforced their decision to consider UH.
Planning is already underway to host several more recruiting events this spring to attract more top students into the program.