Engineering Open House (EOH) is an over-100-year-old tradition at The Grainger College of Engineering for our engineers to share the groundbreaking research and innovation they're doing on campus with the public. It's also the world’s largest student-run STEM fair, with booths from registered student organizations (RSOs), faculty labs and even research institutes!

Scroll through our recap of past EOH experiences and get pumped up for EOH 2025, which is happening on April 4th and 5th!  

1. Tesla Coil Concert

Terry Blake presented his Tesla Coil Concert event on the Bardeen Engineering Quad in front of thousands during EOH last year. This annual show features two giant Tesla coils, which generate bolts of electricity while simultaneously creating musical pitches. The coils are a heavily modified version of the device Nikola Tesla invented to wirelessly transport electricity. 

2. Rocket Launch

Members of the Illinois Space Society (ISS) have also hosted a rocket launch on the South Quad in years past. The ISS builds and designs high-powered rockets and lunar landers throughout the school year, connecting students interested in aerospace engineering. Be on the lookout for this year's rocket launch! 

3. Tele-Robotic Intelligent Nursing Assistant (TRINA) 

TRINA was presented by the Intelligent Motion Laboratory in the Everitt Lab. TRINA is a project aimed at reducing healthcare worker’s exposure to contagions and biohazards. TRINA has a human operator console and a mobile manipulator robot, where the robot mirrors the movements of a nurse overseeing a patient’s care.

4. Flex-TRIS

The Electromyography Tetris game Flex-TRIS was made by Illinois Grainger Engineering students and used measured hand movements as a game controller for participants to play TETRIS with. Patches were applied to player's arms and hands to track their physical movements, which were coded to move the blocks — just like a keyboard or other game system. 

5. Superconducting Maglev

Illinois Grainger engineers associated with the Central Japan Railway Company presented a model of the Superconducting Maglev, which uses an electrodynamic suspension system with superconducting magnets on the train's wheels to induce a current into the metal coils on the guideways. As the train gains speed, it will be lifted off the guideways, allowing it to move even faster. The project is expected to open in 2034.

Don't forget to check out the 2025 Engineering Open House on April 4th and 5th to see for yourself the innovative work done by Illinois Grainger Engineering students and faculty!