Engineering open house

Submitted by Horacio Toniolo
Phone: (907) 474-7797
02/23/04

University of Alaska Fairbanks engineering students and professors will celebrate the engineering profession with an open house in the Duckering Building from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 on the Fairbanks campus. The open house will include demonstrations of the latest engineering technology as well as interactive activities for people of all ages.

The civil engineering honors society, Chi Epsilon, will host several competitions for middle and high school students who can try their hand at floating marbles, designing paper airplanes and building trusses and bridges. There will be displays from the civil, environmental, electrical, mechanical, petroleum and mining engineering programs.

Senior Joshua Hunter led a team to construct this year’s ice arch, a UAF tradition dating back more than 50 years. The team designed a slender, five-foot wide and 15-foot tall arch, which was built up by spraying water on a form.

In addition, the 2004 steel bridge team will have last year’s bridge, which placed 6th in the national competition, on display and the team will be available to discuss this year’s bridge design. Visitors will have the opportunity to see competition trophies and tour the machine shop where the bridge is built.

UAF’s engineering programs have been educating engineers since the university opened as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines in 1922 and have been accredited by a national engineering accrediting agency since 1940. There are six undergraduate programs offered at the campus including electrical, mechanical, civil, mining, geological and petroleum. UAF also offers graduate degrees in engineering at the master’s and Ph.D. level.

"Opportunities for engineering employment in Alaska are as good as they have been in my 39 years at the university," said UAF Professor and Civil Engineering Department Chair Bob Carlson. "UAF is educating the bulk of engineers who are earning their degrees in the state."

The open house takes place in conjunction with National Engineers Week, an annual event to increase public awareness and appreciation of engineers and their work and is promoted locally by the Fairbanks chapter of the Alaska Society of Professional Engineers.

CONTACT: Horacio Toniolo, assistant professor of civil engineering (907) 474-7977 or Josh Craft at (907) 388-2615.