Many high schoolers with a proclivity for math and science are drawn to an education in engineering. But how do they know which specialty to pursue? And most importantly, where? For almost 100 years, E-Day has provided a one-stop shop for inquiring minds to see all that the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering has to offer.
Centered around the national “Engineering Week” in late February, E-Day traditionally takes place on the last Friday of the month. Organized with school groups and individuals in mind, the one-day event provides tours, hands-on experiences, Q&As, tabling and much more to 7th graders through seniors nationwide.
Early origins
E-Day is believed to be the largest and oldest recruiting event on Auburn’s campus. While it was created for current students to ‘get together and celebrate the profession as a whole,’ according to an article in The Plainsman from 1930, it would eventually develop into a recruiting event.
“A day of fun and entertainment is the result of getting the men together, and social relationships among the students is materially strengthened… It is a means of bringing the engineers of the institution into better harmony and cooperation with each other,” said The Plainsman wrote.
A 1941 edition of the paper includes the program for the “1941 Engineers’ Show,” which included “Crowning of Engineers’ Queen,” an engineer’s ball and a demonstration of a voice-controlled electric train.
“Great job,” said one 2025 attendee via a post-event survey. “I attended E-Day in 1992, and it continues to be a great recruitment tool. Both of my kids left stating that they had to attend Auburn now.”
Creating a personalized experience
Before Jessica Taylor, director of Engineering Recruiting and Scholarships, joined the Office of Recruitment, Outreach and Scholarships (ROS) in 2012, there was no pre-registration, and the check-in process was entirely on paper. Eventually, the process was moved online, and check-in was streamlined. And, in 2023, it had an even more advanced look.
Garon Griffiths, research engineer and manager of the Design and Innovation Center, and makerspace assistant Matthew Clegg teamed up with the ROS office to create their own software, which allowed attendees to create an individualized E-Day schedule based on departments of interest at registration prior to the event. School groups can create unique schedules for each teacher or chaperone.
“This event is so unique. Through hands-on displays, lab tours, campus partner tabling and more, students get to experience all Auburn Engineering has to offer in one day,” Taylor said. “We put a lot of thought into creating a great experience for each student. Over the last couple of years, we have really transformed the experience that students are going to have when they get here.”
When bringing more than 3,000 individuals to campus — many for the first time — there are a few logistical details to work out. Taylor and her team are committed to providing a smooth, stress-free experience, allowing students, parents and teachers to experience the Auburn Family.
Taylor said she works with the best team, including Clayton Ann Short, manager of Engineering K-12 Outreach, who makes sure every detail is perfectly executed.
“There is so much thought that goes into every detail,” Taylor said. “Clayton Ann makes sure students experience everything special about our engineering programs.”
Since the event welcomes students from middle school through high school, more effort has been put into creating grade-level-specific programming and having special events for admitted students. Many students attend multiple years in a row, so the team is focused on providing something new each year.
“This was the first year we heavily focused on providing a more tailored experience for admitted students,” said Andrew McGill, manager of engineering recruitment. “We added the Admitted Tiger Lounge, which seemed to be a big hit. Admitted seniors and their families can socialize with ambassadors, get snacks and Toomer’s lemonade and take photos with a special backdrop. There’s 3,000 people attending E-Day, but when they go into that room, there’s three or four families at a time. We’re always thinking of ways to provide a personalized touch in their day.”
A campus-wide effort
The ROS team partners with a coordinator in each of engineering’s 10 departments who handles department tours and hands-on experiences for attendees.
Elizabeth Gowan is the student services coordinator and serves as the E-Day coordinator for electrical and computer engineering. She helps coordinate volunteers and works with faculty members to decide which displays and labs to show prospective students.
“We know our efforts to recruit are very important right now because of the demand for our graduates,” she said.
Not only can students get an up-close look at each department, but they can also visit offices from across campus, including housing and dining.
“It’s great to see everybody from the university come together on that one day,” Taylor said. “No matter what department you’re in, everybody contributes to E-Day.
“Executing E-Day is a lot of hard work, but it’s so rewarding. It’s neat to see it all pay off that one day,” she added.
Short said one area of feedback has been providing more insight into life after graduation for an Auburn engineer.
“When students come to campus, I want them to have the chance to meet with a current student, faculty, staff and an advisor,” Short said. “I want to continue to work with our engineering team and alumni to ensure students can see what happens after graduation and what types of opportunities there are for them.”
E-Day in the recruitment life cycle
Emily Moshell, a senior in chemical engineering with a minor in nuclear power generation systems, attended E-Day for the first time as a junior in high school. A third-generation Auburn student, she experienced Auburn for herself for the first time that day.
“Both of my parents being mechanical engineers, I didn’t know anything outside of that realm,” said Moshell of Eufaula. “All I knew was paper mills. At E-Day, I got to learn more about other areas of engineering. I picked chemical in the end, but E-Day really opened my eyes to what my other options were.”
After volunteering to help with E-Day during her sophomore year at Auburn, Moshell started working in the ROS office, where she got an even closer look at the event and the recruiting strategy in the office.
“I didn’t realize how much recruiting and interaction happens with individual families,” Moshell said. “A lot goes into recruiting, and I love how personable we are. It takes a lot of effort.”
“I had such a wonderful time and had a chance to learn many new things. I have been looking at Auburn as a possible college to attend, and E-Day has given me another great reason as to why I should,” said another attendee.
In 2025, more than 3,000 students attended E-Day, representing California, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia, to name a few states. The growing demand for an Auburn Engineering education presents new challenges.
“Our biggest challenge in the recruitment office is how we can personalize the recruitment experience when recruiting for one of the largest colleges at Auburn,” McGill said.
One aspect of that personalized touch involves building relationships with students over months and years — beginning long before they fill out their applications during senior year.
“This was the first year I saw students coming to E-Day whose first entry into our database was as a member of the Future Engineers Club,” McGill said. “That was such a cool full-circle moment. We want to continue to provide opportunities to expose students to Auburn Engineering.”
Of the admitted seniors and transfer students who attended E-Day in 2025, approximately 76% have committed to Auburn.
So, what’s next? The ROS team has no shortage of ideas to continue improving on E-Day and is always open to feedback from attendees and E-Day coordinators.
“Jessica and her team are so good about receiving feedback,” Gowan said. “We can all sit down, debrief and discuss what worked and what didn’t. That’s what makes this event so successful.”
