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LAWRENCE -- Engineering Expo, an annual event at the University of Kansas School of Engineering, is set for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21.
During Expo, KU engineering students demonstrate the excitement to be found in engineering and showcase some of their innovative research and design projects. Hundreds of visitors -- including grade school, junior high and high school students from throughout the region -- are expected at this free event. There will be dozens of hands-on and interactive displays for Expo visitors to enjoy.
This year's theme is "Evolution of the Engineer." Engineering Student Council and other engineering student groups at KU have begun planning the annual transformation process of Learned Hall, where most of the Expo activities take place.
The Expo keynote address by Don Faught, a 1973 KU mechanical engineering graduate, will be at 9:30 a.m. at the Lied Center. Faught is president of Europe and Asia Pacific regions for DuPont Dow Elastomers. After graduating from KU, Faught was hired as a project design engineer with DuPont in Wilmington, Del., and subsequently held a variety of domestic and international management positions in business, marketing, manufacturing and technology in several strategic business units serving the elastomers, plastics, chemicals and fibers industries. He joined DuPont Dow at its formation in 1996 as global vice president (commercial). In 1999, he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he also assumed the role of president of Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Faught is a valued member of the KU School of Engineering Advisory Board and the KU International Programs Advisory Board.
At 10:30 a.m. Expo's focus moves to Learned Hall, where there will be lots of scientific diversions and amusement. Among the dozens of activities and displays that have been at recent Expos are:
• kinematic suit to track the motion of the human body
• make your own concrete
• wind tunnel demonstrations
• rocket design
• concrete canoe
• flight simulator
• race car simulator
• formula competition race car
• acoustics and lighting displays, including voice and sound modulation
• chemistry show
• heat transfer pancake feed
• TV and radio communications displays
• networked computer gaming
• robotics
The design contest competition, another Expo mainstay, begins at 11 a.m. This year's contests are:
• Pasta Bridge Design Contest (built only with various types of dry pasta and white glue)
• Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (this year's task is to fill a 20-ounce polystyrene cup with water)
• Computer Programming Challenge
• ChemE Car
• Sticks & Stones: A Creation of Space
• History of Engineering Museum Design
• Balsa Wood Egg Drop
Many of the contests require advance planning and registration. However, everyone is welcome to watch the creative and amazing efforts of the competitors. In addition, several impromptu competitions will take place at locations throughout Learned Hall.
Rules of the design contests, as well as detailed information about Engineering Expo 2003, are at expo.engr.ku.edu/, or by contacting Ian Bradt at (785) 864-5641 or bradt@ku.edu. Teachers planning field trips also can use the Expo site to register for parking passes and download maps of KU.
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