Engineering Open House for the Community

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The Riccio College of Engineering is excited to host our first All Engineering Open House for the Community during Engineers Week. All are welcome, including members of the public, UMass, and College of Engineering. Families are particularly encouraged to join us for some fun activities and mini "lightning" talks. The list of activities and talks will be updated as more details become available. An RSVP is appreciated but not required. Light refreshments will be available.

Map & directions to UMass Amherst: http://www.umass.edu/umhome/visit_campus.html

Parking in the surface lots after 5 pm is free unless they are posted as restricted 24/7. The UMass Parking Garage is the closest parking and charges $1.85/hour. Entry directly into the campus center is from Level II of the parking garage (go down upon entering).

Lightning Talks:

• "Manufacturing - From Bricks and Brawn to Bits and Bytes." - Professor Jim Lagrant, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering. Manufacturing is still about transforming materials into more valuable products, but the way we do it is changing faster than ever. In the 21st century, manufacturing must be agile, highly customizable, and capable of producing higher‑quality parts at unprecedented speed. Join Professor of Practice Jim Lagrant for a look at the technologies driving this digital transformation, and learn how today’s manufacturing engineers are using automation, connectivity, and data to keep manufacturers competitive in regional and global markets. ~30 minutes.
• International Rocket Engineering Competition - UMass Rocket Team. Hear about how a team of undergraduate students are designing, building, and launching high-powered rockets. ~15 minutes.
• More lightning talks coming!

Hands-On Activities:

• ChemE + SlimE: Join the Goo Crew! - Professor Dandan Xu, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. This hands‑on slime‑making station is designed especially for elementary school students to explore science through play. Come have fun with our Chemical Engineering team as we mix, stretch, and engineer goo together!
• Bottle Rockets! - UMass Rocket Team. Design and test your very own bottle rocket with our UMass Rocket Team. Bring an empty 2L soda bottle if you can.
• Introduction to microcontrollers, microprogrammers, and sensors. Mortaza Hassani, Electrical & Computer Engineering graduate student. Introduction to microcontrollers, microprogrammers, and sensors. Learn how one can interface these things easily to each other and invent new tools and/or solve small to complicated problems. This will help participants understand the scope of Internet of Things(IoT) and the associated cyber security of these devices.
• Fun with Arduinos. Yeji Han, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering graduate student. Brief introduction of coding and algorithm followed by participants working on their own Arduino program using basic parts like LEDs, buttons, and DC motors.
• Fun with Chemical Engineering - Julie Le, undergraduate Chemical Engineering Student. Further details forthcoming.
• Build & Test a Water Filter - Raphael Nnachi, Environmental & Water Resources Engineering graduate student. Participants will learn how environmental engineers help provide safe drinking water by designing and testing a simple water filtration system. Working in small groups, students will build their own filters using common materials such as gravel, sand, cotton, and activated carbon. They will then test their designs by filtering “dirty” water and comparing water clarity before and after filtration. The activity introduces basic concepts of water treatment, engineering design, and problem-solving through hands-on experimentation.
• More activities coming!

Map & directions to UMass Amherst: http://www.umass.edu/umhome/visit_campus.html

Parking in the surface lots after 5 pm is free unless they are posted as restricted 24/7. The UMass Parking Garage is the closest parking and charges $1.85/hour. Entry directly into the campus center is from Level II of the parking garage (go down upon entering).