U of I Engineering Open House

Olivia Lee, Staff Writer

Engineering Open House

Each year the University of Illinois hosts an Engineering Open House.  This is a student-led event open to the public at no cost.  Families, students, and community members of all ages are invited to attend.  This year’s open house was held on March 11-12 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.  Jacksonville High School students enrolled in Honors/AP chemistry classes were encouraged to attend, as well as physics students.  This was an all-day field trip for these students who were able to explore the different exhibits and innovations put on by the U of I engineering students.  These exhibits varied widely from exploring the elements of 3D printing to discovering how to make homemade chapstick.  Since this event is open to all ages, some of the exhibits were age specific to fit the interest of younger children whereas others were more directed to older high school students.  Some exhibits that held interest of all ages included a fire experiment and a rocket launch.  These were both held on the quad for everyone to experience.  The fire experiment consisted of two different display rooms which were both set on fire.  One held a fire sprinkler while the other did not.  This experiment showed the results of fire safety and the consequences faced without fire safety.  The rocket launch consisted of three rockets, all of which were launched across the engineering quad, capturing the attention of everyone walking around.

These are just a few examples of some of the fun exhibits held at the annual U of I Engineering Open house.  The science students of JHS were able to explore the many other exhibits put on by U of I.  They were also able to experience a worthwhile day of learning and excitement.