Engineering open house today

Submitted by Ben Niedbalski
Phone: (907) 474-6959
02/23/05

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. 26 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.

There will be games and friendly competitions, displays, demonstrations and academic presentations. Visitors can assemble gumdrop structures, try floating marbles, eat electric hot dogs, or safely witness a rock crusher in action. There will be over 30 booths hosted by various engineering societies and local engineers.

The UAF steel bridge team will be present with the 2004 steel bridge, and engineering students from the campus engineering societies Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon will facilitate self-guided tours of the Duckering building and machine shop where the bridge was constructed. Younger participants may even choose to design their own bridge that is eligible for the national West Point Bridge Design Competition for middle and high school students.

A team from civil engineering have designed and are constructing this years ice arch for the public to enjoy. The 17 foot tall and 20 foot wide ice arch continues over 50 years of tradition and is on a truly ambitious scale.

According to UAF professor and civil engineering department chair Bob Carlson, "Opportunities for engineering employment in Alaska are as good as they have been in my 39 years at the university. 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 sponsored locally by the Fairbanks chapter of the Alaska Society of Professional Engineers. All ages are welcome to the E-Week Open House, and parking is free.

CONTACT: Pauline Fusco, fspef@uaf.edu, at (907) 474-2615, or visit the National Engineers Week website at www.eweek.org