24th Annual Engineering Design Expo: What kind of future will you engineer?

MOSCOW, Idaho – April 24, 2017 – The University of Idaho College of Engineering will host its 24th Annual Engineering Design EXPO from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, throughout the Bruce M. Pitman Center. The theme of this year’s event builds on the college’s Grand Challenges program, designed to prepare students to solve the 14 grand challenges of engineering in the 21st century.

Engineering Design EXPO is the Northwest’s longest-running interdisciplinary engineering initiative featuring student innovations. EXPO showcases UI engineering senior capstone projects, many of which are sponsored by industry and academic partners. This year’s EXPO will feature over 60 team projects inside EXPO Hall — located in the Pitman Center’s International Ballroom. Select teams will also give 10-15 minute technical presentations from 9 a.m. to noon.

Over 60 academic and industry judges will circulate through EXPO Hall evaluating team projects and tabulating scores based on how teams communicate their engineering problems and solutions. Excellence awards will be presented to teams in a ceremony at the conclusion of the event. All EXPO visitors will also be able to vote for the People’s Choice award project.

A keynote address will be given by honorary Chair Brent J. Stacey, strategic advisor for national and homeland security at Idaho National Laboratory. Stacey will speak on the topic of transforming the nation’s approach to the protection of critical infrastructure at 2:30 p.m. in the Vandal Ballroom.

In addition, the College of Engineering will host over 500 middle and high school students from across Idaho as part of the Extended Experience EXPO program. Students will have the opportunity to explore EXPO Hall, engage with engineering students and their projects, as well as tour the UI campus, take part in hands-on activities arranged by other UI colleges and departments, and experience college life with lunch at Bob’s Place dining hall. EXPO organizers have also manufactured an engineering “finger spinner” to give to all visiting students in the Extended Experience program as a way of demonstrating the processes involved in laser cutting, 3-D printing and unique principles of rotational inertia.

This year’s Engineering Design EXPO is presented by the Micron Foundation and Engineering Outreach at the University of Idaho. EXPO is also made possible with the generous support of the following 2017 event sponsors: Boeing, BP, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, HP Inc., Idaho National Laboratory, Itron, J-U-B Engineers, Lochsa Engineering, NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium, Power Engineers, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and Wagstaff Inc.

For additional event information visit www.uidaho.edu/expo