News Release

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January 5, 2006

Hands-on Activities Planned for Family Engineering Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Boise State University

 

Top: A member of the Society of Mechanical Engineers at Boise State demonstrates a Mini-Baja vehicle at last year�s Family Engineering Day. The vehicle was designed and built by students to compete in a regional competition. Middle: Liquid nitrogen is used to help make ice cream during a hands-on demonstration at the 2005 Family Engineering Day. Bottom: A young participant stands in front of Boise State�s wind tunnel, a popular annual feature at Family Engineering Day. (Click to enlarge)

Treasure Valley families will have the opportunity to use liquid nitrogen to make ice cream, try on cleanroom suits, construct an �edible aquifer� out of layers of sweets, ride a Segway and participate in a variety of other hands-on engineering and science activities at Family Engineering Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Boise State University.

The free event, presented by the College of Engineering with the support of 14 business and government sponsors, runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Engineering and Technology Building, located on the corner of Manitou and University, and in nearby engineering buildings. Activities begin on the half-hour on a rotating basis, and families should plan to arrive in time to visit as many presentations as they wish.

Door prizes provided by local sponsors, including Jump Drives, T-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and other items, will be drawn every hour.

�We hope kids of all ages will join us for this fun-filled day, which also highlights the exciting and rewarding work that engineers perform,� said Cheryl Schrader, dean of the College of Engineering. �With the demand for engineers expected to exceed the supply in the years ahead, this event is also an opportunity for young people, as well as their families, to learn more about a profession that they might someday want to pursue.�

Boise State engineering faculty and students, along with volunteers from government agencies, public schools and local corporations, will run the activities. Here is a sampling of some of what�s being offered:

� Join an expedition to Mars with the Jason Project Live Broadcast, which features a NASA- supported exploration of the Red Planet utilizing robotic rovers
� Develop a computer language using jelly beans
� Explore the Star Lab, a portable planetarium
� View the College of Engineering�s wind tunnel
� Build a rocket racer of out of Styrofoam and then race against others
� Learn about hydro, wind, solar and other alternative energy sources
� Join in science activities geared for preschoolers
� Use computer simulations to design a bridge
� Discover how an asteroid lander and rover simulator works
� Participate in a number of other fun-filled activities

Printed programs listing the time and locations for the day�s activities will be available in the lobby of the Engineering and Technology building. Free parking for the event is available in the Student Union visitor parking lot. For more information, call 426-4432.

Sponsors for Family Engineering Day include: Boise Independent School District, Discovery Center of Idaho, Idaho Division of Environmental Quality, Idaho National Laboratory/Battelle Energy Alliance, Idaho Office of Science & Technology, Idaho Power, Micron Technology, MPC Computers, NASA, Sea of Learning Preschool, Society of Women Engineers, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy and Washington Group International.

Family Engineering Day at Boise State is being presented as part of National Engineering Month, a program that promotes engineering as a profession and celebrates the creative contributions engineers make to improve the quality of life worldwide.

The day is also the culminating event of the Jason Project Live Broadcast, which will bring approximately 1,200 Treasure Valley schoolchildren to campus during the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3 to view a NASA-supported exploration of Mars using robotic rovers. The College of Engineering will host a number of other events as part of Engineering Week. Information on those events is at http://coen.boisestate.edu.

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Contact: Leandra Aburusa-Lete, College of Engineering, (208) 426-4432
laburusa@boisestate.edu
Media contact: Janelle Brown, University Communications, (208) 426-1790, jbrown2@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is the largest institution of higher education in Idaho with about 18,600 students and 2,200 faculty and staff. More than 190 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and technical degrees are offered within eight colleges. A metropolitan university located in the capital city, Boise State is committed to life-enhancing research, teaching excellence and public service.
 

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007