This post was written by Hatchet reporter Enni Aigbomian.

Decked out in suspenders and pocket protectors, science enthusiasts and average students alike gathered in Funger Hall for the second annual Are You Smarter Than An Engineer? competition Wednesday night.

The event was sponsored by the National Society of Black Engineers, one of the largest student-run organizations in the country, as part of their Geek Free Week.

“During this week of Geek Free Week, we try to get away from the academics for a week to concentrate on having fun,” said Marian Ackun-Farmmer, president of the GW chapter of NSBE.

Geek Free Week kicked off Monday with a panel discussion on how race is viewed in countries around the world. NSBE Night Live, a night of skit performances, was held Tuesday.

“We try our best during Geek Free Week to keep from confining to just engineers. We are trying to attract every other major,” Ackun-Farmmer said, a senior studying engineering.

Are You Smarter Than An Engineer? – modeled after the popular TV show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader,” – was filled with trivia questions on subjects including history, math, science and English. Non-engineering majors answered the questions with the aid of a three-person panel of engineering majors as resources.

Upon answering a question incorrectly, participants were forced to admit that they were indeed not smarter than an engineer.

But that is not to say the engineering majors knew all the answers, Farmmer said.

“We want to show that engineers are people and that we are not perfect at everything,” she said.

Of the many students who participated, junior Khanita Suvarnasuddhi came close to proving she is smarter than an engineer.

A first-time contestant, Suvarnasuddhi swept through level four only to hit a dead end at the “ultimate question,” which asked what year the Power Drencher was invented.

“1982,” the biology major answered incorrectly.

Geek Free Week activities continue this week with a game of capture the flag Thursday and a tour of the CIA headquarters on Friday. The week of events ends Sunday with a Thanksgiving dinner co-sponsored by the African Students Association.