Bingo, brain games, and colorful creations at CSE Carnival

CSE marked the beginning of the semester with a student carnival featuring bingo, snacks, a tie-dye station, and a brain-racking escape room. Around 150 students enrolled in EECS 183, 203, 280, and other courses participated, congregating in and around Tishman Hall for a bright, sunny afternoon of festivities on September 5.

Upon signing in, students were welcomed with yummy snacks and sandwiches. They also enjoyed a round of CSE-themed bingo, where they could win prizes for finding other students who checked off boxes such as “Is from Michigan,” “Joined a computing-related student org,” or “Lives in a North Campus dorm.”

A popular activity was the outdoor tie-dye station, where students showed off their creativity by soaking rubber-banded t-shirts in a variety of colored dyes. Spoiler alert: the yellow and blue dyes were crowd favorites.

Another main attraction was a spooky escape room organized by Dr. James Juett, held inside a dimly lit conference room with candles dangling from the ceiling. Students were tasked with solving a variety of mathematical puzzles, featuring a series of locked chests, a chess board, and a Victorian clock,  to “escape” the challenge.

Held annually, the CSE Carnival is meant to welcome and foster community among students who are in the early stages of their computer science journeys at the University of Michigan. A collaboration between CSE and the U-M Foundational Course Initiative, the event was organized by Sarah Snay (CSE Outreach and DEI Coordinator), Rachel Germaine (Renew CS), Elizabeth Levesque (FCI), and Muneer Khalid (FCI).