New Mexico State University’s College of Arts & Science’s hosted its annual Big Bang Bash fundraiser on April 3. At the event, guests were encouraged to visit every department’s activity booth with the incentive of a scavenger hunt.
All the money raised went to funding the Discover Scholars program, which aims to pair students with an expert in their field to gain one-on-one experience. The dean of the College of Arts & Sciences explained the goal of the program is to prepare students for the working world and build their credentials.
“The idea is to develop problem solving skills and have an experience that they can put on their resume, which is going to help them find jobs as well,” Dean Enrico Pontelli said. “It’s a fantastic program, I love it. This fundraising helps making the program a reality.”
Each department held a unique booth, which showcased what they had to offer, with some providing interactive experiences for event-goers. Highlights included the Department of Astronomy’s inflatable planetarium. After squeezing into the gateway, guests could watch an educational video about space. At the music department’s booth, its drum circle allowed even the musically challenged to experience playing in a group.
“Music is a universal thing, so everyone enjoys music [of] different kinds. We thought it would be perfect for this event, and it’s just great for the whole community to experience,” said Fred Bugbee, the head of the Department of Music. “Arts & Sciences is such a huge college, we have so many diverse things going on, so it’s great for us all to kind of show what we have.”
Various clubs and student works were also given the chance to allow their work to shine. Near NMSU’s art museum, a few tables dedicated to NMSU’s artists could be seen. One was the Clay Club, that took the event as an opportunity to allow students to sell their work and advertise their art shows.
“We want[ed] to showcase what the students are making. Also, it’s a good point of entrance for the art department,” said Jennell Juarez, the president of Clay Club. “There’s a lot of cool work in there from the museum, the artists that are showing [their work in the museum], as well as one of our art club members, Olivia, [who] curated the new Retablo [Collection], which is amazing. It’s just representation of the arts that’s amazing.”
People were encouraged to visit all the departments and participate in what they had to offer. As they entered the fundraiser, they were given a scavenger hunt and instructed to collect stamps from every booth to win a t-shirt prize. Big Bang Bash visitor, Lanore Holder, discussed her experience and why she came to the event.
“I was like, huh, that’ll be interesting,” Holder said. “Who doesn’t love getting some free stuff and learning more about the different departments in the arts and sciences area of NMSU.”
Every year, the College of Arts & Sciences has tried to build on the event from the year prior, hoping to get more people excited about it. The dean expressed his pride in the Big Bang Bash and in the people who worked on it.
“The College of Arts & Sciences is the best college in the university, plain and simple. I’m not biased,” Pontelli joked. “We have a great team that puts together this event. It’s a lot of work to organize, so I’m actually very glad [for] my team, it looks amazing.”
The Independent Student Voice of NMSU Since 1907
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
