Engineering Open House kicked off inspiring future engineers
On the Bardeen Quad, several tents are showcase various projects of Engineering Students on Friday. The Engineering Open House kicked off on Friday however events were moved inside or rescheduled due to the weather.
March 31, 2023
Engineering Open House opened its doors today on the Bardeen Quad for everyone interested in STEM.
Dozens of booths across the engineering quad and inside its buildings presented exhibits of UI STEM major students, including Material Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering and more.
Participants tried to present science in an entertaining and accessible way for the general public. Fun attractions included bath bombs and volcanic eruptions in an attempt to draw more visitors.
“Our booth is called ‘Capturing color’ where we demonstrate the process of copolymerization,” Isha Bordawekar, freshman in Grainger, said. “I like to see people being engaged in what we do here, even if it’s just a small taste of it, and hopefully (we will) attract new students as well.”
Among the audience were hundreds of school-age children inspired by EOH to pursue STEM majors in the future.
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“I really like robotics, I think it all looks really, really cool,” Dante Garcia, a visitor and participant of RoboBrawl, said. “(EOH) kind of inspires me to do some of this (STEM) in the future.”
Even participants in a pitch competition for startup companies emphasized the importance of interaction with younger audiences during EOH.
“Our goal today was really to raise awareness about the Top Tier Lessons within the community,” Cara Bognar, Top Tier Lessons startup creator and junior in Grainger, said. “It was amazing to be able to interact one-on-one with kids in the area, truly see them interact with our athletes as well and have fun doing something active.”
The event gathered thousands of people in the morning, according to Heidi Bjerke, senior coordinator of Illinois Space Grant.
“I think it’s going great, we had a ton of visitors!” Bjerke said. “We had over 1500 shirts and they’re all gone.”
However, at around 3 p.m., part of the event was moved inside and some participants left due to the weather conditions, including rain and thunderstorms.
There was also an announcement that the annual Tesla Coil Concert was also moved to Saturday at 8 p.m. due to the weather conditions.
Stay tuned for more updates from EOH.
