2/23/2010
Dominoes setting off mouse traps, Robot Tic-Tac-Toe, green technologies, and explosive demos are just some of the attractions you will find at the 90th annual Engineering Open House (EOH).
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Dominoes setting off mouse traps, Robot Tic-Tac-Toe, green technologies, and explosive demos are just some of the attractions you will find at the 90th annual Engineering Open House (EOH).
The annual showcase of student projects and engineering marvels runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 12, and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, on the engineering campus. The two-day event, which attracts approximately 20,000 visitors each year, is organized and run by a committee of students from Engineering Council.
“Integrating Knowledge, Deriving Genius,” is the EOH theme for this 90th edition. All events and exhibits are free and open to the public. Guide books with a campus map, plus descriptions and locations of the 200-plus exhibits are available at the EOH Welcome Center located next to Grainger Engineering Library (1402 W. Springfield Ave, Urbana).
EOH Mobile! is a new additon to the EOH this year: Bring your iPhone, Palm Pre, Android, or Smart Phone and use this free application to guide through campus. The application contains exhibit descriptions along with maps and directions to get you where you want to go.
As always, a major attraction at EOH is the 23rd Annual Jerry Sanders Creative Design Competition. College student teams compete against each other in a giant game of Robot Tic-Tac-Toe where remotely guided robots must avoid their competitors while navigating on a bridge eight set up feet above the ground. This event runs all day Friday and Saturday. It is followed late Saturday with demolition rounds were the robots "fight to the death!"
On Friday, be sure to check to the high school design contest. Thirty high school teams will compete to see who can dispense hand sanitizer in the most complicated way possible. Student teams from across the state build Rube Goldberg machines which use a variety of common household items to make this simple task as complexed as possible. This year the event will take place at the Campus Recreation Center-East (CRCE; 1102 W. Gregory Dr., at Dorner, Urbana), which is served by the MTD shuttle on campus.
Vistors can take a break, enjoy live music, and enjoy some pizza at the Oasis Food Tent located on the Bardeen Quad (between Everitt Laboratory and Engineering Hall). Prospective students are encouraged to attend a Dean’s Session ask questions about the College of Engineering. All Dean Sessions are held in 151 Everitt Lab on Friday at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., and Saturday for 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Campus tours will leave from the Visitor’s Booth at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. on Friday, and Saturday at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.
Directions to free parking can be found on the EOH website. From the parking area, visitors can board the shuttle to the EOH Welcome Center, the High School Design Contest, along with stops at the ExplorACES, and the Naturally Illinois Expo.
Can’t make it EOH this year? Check out EOH Live! EOH activities, including the Jerry Sanders competition will also be available online at EOH Live! along with exhibitors' and demos of their exhibits.
For more information on 90th annual Engineering Open House, visit https://eohillinois.org/.
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Contact: James Kryger, director of external marketing, Engineering Open House, 224/567-0866.
If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, editor.