Let’s be honest for a minute. There is a reason we are named the Iowa State University of Science and Technology. We are masters of our domain when it comes to science and engineering – and specifically engineering.

In honor of Engineers’ Week, I feel it is necessary to give credit where credit is due. While I may abominate all of the other various colleges and nonengineering majors Iowa State has to offer, please realize my arrogance only springs from the fact that we may be a bunch of nerds, but we are pure genius. Let us have our 15 minutes.

So this is why the College of Engineering blows all other colleges out of the water. First of all, it is the only college whose name is in Veishea that actually matters – OK, maybe Agriculture, too, if you really want to know the thousands of different species of seeds for corn – yawn. And I guess Vet Med is cool if you support ecoterrorist organizations like PETA. I always thought animals were for eating. I guess I was wrong.

And our college has stood the test of time, all while other colleges have morphed to meet politically correct standards (Home Economics to College of Human Sciences), or have mysteriously appeared to offer majors that just don’t make a lot of sense to me – such as most of the College of Design (if you want to spend thousands of dollars a year just to draw pictures, be my guest).

And then there is the College of Business, which has a number of nicknames over on the west side, most of them alluding to the notion that it is full of COE dropouts. But that’s OK – math, science and logical thinking aren’t for everybody. Hey, it’s not your fault – we’re probably just jealous that we actually have to study to get decent grades. You guys do have a splendid cafe, though.

Now as an English minor, I’ll have to give the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences a break. Besides, physics and chemistry were some of the hardest classes I ever took. However, I know a number of my classmates who would like to personally thank the rest of LAS for keeping their GPA afloat.

But all joking aside, you really have to give our field some credit. Engineers are like the Oompa Loompas who work diligently in the background of the chocolate factory of life, while others take credit for their accomplishments. Corporate executives, politicians, activists, you name it. They may provide the funding, but nearly all of them take the work of an engineer for granted.

But usually engineers won’t whine or cry about it, or let their neglected status as pretty much the most vital role in society get to them (I said usually). Most likely because they are stuck in a lab somewhere, testing new products that will someday revolutionize the world 10 times over.

Come on, cars that run on vegetable oil? A music player that holds thousands of songs but fits in the palm of your hand? Or how about the computer that you will rush to after class when you want to leave me some nasty feedback on the Daily’s tremendous Web site? All of those are the product of ingenuity straight out of the mind of an engineer.

So in honor of E-Week, all I ask is that you remember who is responsible for consistently making your lives easier. Take a moment out of your day and think about what an engineer has done for you. Remember that this is the Iowa State University of Science and Technology, which means that we pretty much own this campus. But don’t worry, we won’t rub it in.

– Andrew Gionnette is a senior in mechanical engineering from

Chanhassen, Minn.