The Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. open house showcases the university’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering through tours, activities and competitions for visitors. Speed Student Council sponsors the annual event celebrating the profession’s many facets; this year’s theme is “Building a Foundation for Tomorrow.”
Keynote speaker Stephan Turnipseed, president of LEGO Education-North America for 13 years, will talk at 1 p.m. in Room 103, Ernst Hall. The proponent of hands-on learning also is vice chair of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a nationwide advocacy group for student readiness, and a board member for F1 in Schools, a nonprofit that uses Formula 1 racing as a way to interest students through automotive design. The U.S. Air Force veteran is an Auburn University electrical engineering graduate who has written two books and has two patents for robotic system design.
Engineering Expo visitors also can:
- watch students (elementary, middle and high school) compete in the afternoon by testing pre-built balsa-wood bridges and doing simple tasks with elaborate Rube Goldberg-type contraptions made of 75 percent recycled materials; middle school students also will vie in a water rocket contest
- do hands-on activities that show engineering, science and math concepts
- tour research and teaching laboratories in Speed School buildings along Eastern Parkway near Third Street, as well as the Shumaker Research Building and Lutz Hall
- discuss and examine UofL student research projects
- watch demonstrations, including Speed student-built racing vehicles.
Parking will be available behind J.B. Speed Building off Eastern Parkway near Third Street.