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Engineering in spotlight at Night of the Open Door

Night of the Open Door is a family-friendly event where ASU throws open its doors to the public to explore and experience the creative energy that powers a world-class university. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter / ASU

ASU throws open its doors for the public to explore and experience the creative energy that powers a world-class university at the family-friendly Night of the Open Door. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter / ASU

 

How can you see heat? How can you get a balloon to rise 100,000 feet? How can you detect the germs that are all around you?

Want the answers to those questions and many others like them?

You can get them from about 200 students, faculty and staff members of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Night of the Open Door. The fun-filled, family-oriented event takes place from 4 to 9 p.m. Feb. 28 at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus.

University researchers and members of student organizations will conduct hands-on activities and demonstrations showing how engineering impacts our everyday lives.

You’ll see how solar cells can generate power to charge your cell phone – and how to build and race a small solar car made with LEGO building blocks.

Members of Daedalus Astronautics will open up their workshop to exhibit endeavors in rocketry. The student-directed research group ASCEND will showcase its efforts in designing and building high-altitude helium balloons.

Explore what amazing things are being made possible by 3-D printing technology, and the advances in medical technology such as biosensors and other devices that promise to improve health care.

Learn from members of the Sun Devil Robotics club what new in robotics technologies are in development.

See how ASU engineering students are learning to make bridges and similar structures that are stronger and can last longer.

Design, build and race small “roller-coaster cars” made from common household materials.

nod_web_square_badge200pxYoungsters who attended an ASU engineering summer camp will display projects showing what they learned about the urban heat island effect and what can be done to deal with it.

“This is all about fun and interactive ways for children and their parents to learn together, to see all the things that engineering brings into our world,” said Jennifer Velez, a senior education outreach coordinator for the Fulton Schools of Engineering. “It’s a great way to light that spark of curiosity in kids about things they could do in their future careers.”

The engineering exhibits are just one part of a wider array of attractions on campus that also showcase what’s happening at ASU in the sciences, arts and humanities. Dance, music, theater and poetry performances will be part of the festivities.

Now in its fourth year, Night of the Open Door – one of the signature events of Arizona SciTech Festival 2015 – has become the university’s largest open house gathering, drawing thousands of visitors.

In addition to activities provided by the Fulton Schools of Engineering, the Tempe campus event offers attractions presented by ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Biodesign Institute, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the W. P. Carey School of Business and other ASU colleges, schools and programs.

Sponsors for this year’s event include Honeywell and ASU Summer Programs.

Read more about Tempe’s Night of the Open Door and other ASU Open Door events, and register to attend the Tempe event.

You can also follow on twitter https://twitter.com/ASUopendoor #ASUopendoor

Media Contact
Joe Kullman, [email protected]
480-965-8122
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

About The Author

Joe Kullman

Joe Kullman is a science writer for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Before joining Arizona State University in 2006, Joe worked as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers and magazines dating back to the dawn of the age of the personal computer. He began his career while earning degrees in journalism and philosophy from Kent State University in Ohio. Media Contact: [email protected] | 480-965-8122 | Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Communications

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