This Week: Celebrate Engineering, Help Break a World Record
Launch bottle rockets, play giant Jenga, see Rube Goldberg multi-step machines that erase whiteboards, scarf down free pancakes, and help break the world record for high-fives on the UCF main campus this week.
The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) invites everyone to celebrate Engineers Week, Feb. 23-28, featuring a variety of entertaining, visual events planned by CECS student groups to showcase the fact that just about every modern convenience is possible because of engineers.
The technology company Microsoft also will be on campus hosting events that promote their national campaign, The Collective Project, featuring a group of UCF engineering students who designed and created a 3D printed bionic arm for a boy who was born missing an arm.
The UCF community this week can help the group, now called Limbitless Solutions, by assembling and designing 3D printed limbs (details below).
Wednesday will feature the CECS Engineers’ Fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Harris Engineering Center. Visitors can enjoy interactive games, activities and displays, including bottle rocket launches. Refreshments and giveaways will be available at no cost.
Don’t know what a bottle rocket is? This Orlando Business Journal video, “They Blinded Me With Science,” will show you step-by-step how the mini rockets are launched at UCF.
The week will culminate Friday with a Microsoft-sponsored event on Memory Mall from noon to 1 p.m. aimed at breaking the world record for high-fives as a way to draw attention to the efforts of Limbitless Solutions.
Also on Friday, a Rube Goldberg competition is expected to entertain with specially-engineered machines that must perform 20-steps to erase a whiteboard.
Engineers Week (#EngineersWeek) is recognized nationally by the National Engineers Week Foundation to celebrate the positive contributions engineers make to society. It is celebrated on every U.S. engineering college campus and in industry. You don’t have to be an engineer to enjoy the fun. All public events will be held on UCF’s main campus with free admission. See the full schedule below:
Daily, Feb. 23-27
Breakfast by the Bridge, 8-11 a.m., Engineering II Atrium. Free pancakes. American Society of Civil Engineers
Monday, Feb. 23
CECS Club Showcase, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Engineering II Atrium. Showcase of College of Engineering and Computer Science student clubs with info and giveaways. American Society for Engineering Education
Launch Water Bottle Rockets, 1-3 p.m., Engineering II Atrium. Build and launch a bottle rocket. It should take just a couple of minutes to complete your bottle blasting fun. Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Build the Tallest Balloon Tower Challenge, 1:30-3 p.m., Harris Engineering Center lawn.
Build a freestanding balloon tower to challenge the group, the mind and the cohesiveness of individual group members. UCF Engineering Leadership & Innovation Institute
Simple Machine Relay Race, 3-5 p.m., Harris Engineering Center lawn. Come see two teams compete in a relay race centered around five simple machines that must complete four challenges. American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Wednesday, Feb. 25
CECS Engineers’ Fair – FEATURED EVENT, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Harris Engineering Center lawn. Launch bottle rockets, play giant Jenga, see a steel bridge, drive a human-powered vehicle, and so much more. Snacks, sodas, giveaways provided. American Society for Engineering Education
Multicultural Night, 6-9 p.m., Engineering II Atrium. Enjoy free food and learn about the different ethnicities among engineering students at UCF. Society of Women Engineers and National Society of Black Engineers
Thursday, Feb. 26
Ethics in Engineering, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Engineering II lawn, Student Union side. Engineers are held to ethics and standards as spelled out by the Order of the Engineer. Come by to see stories of failed engineering due to unethical behavior. Learn methods to prevent these disasters. UCF Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute
Microsoft Build-A-Thon, 9 a.m. – noon and 1-4 p.m., UCF Maker Space Labs, Engineering II Atrium. Help Limbitless Solutions assemble 3D printed hands.
Friday, Feb. 27
Microsoft Design-A-Thon, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Engineering II. Share your ideas for Limbitless Solutions’ hands and arms. Artists, engineers and 3D print designers welcome.
World-Record High-Five Chain, noon-2 p.m., Memory Mall. UCF will attempt to set a high-five chain world record of 1,700. UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science and Microsoft
Delivering World-Changing Solutions: “Wall of Business Cards,” 1-4 p.m., Engineering II lawn. A wall of contact information to bring people, ideas and current and future projects together to deliver big solutions. UCF Engineering Leadership and Innovation Institute
Rube Goldberg Competition, 6-8 p.m., Harris Engineering Center, Room 101 and Atrium. Super fun and visual! All teams are required to build a 20-step machine that will erase a whiteboard. Theta Tau
Saturday, Feb. 28
E-Cup, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., Lake Claire, Econ Pavilion. Join the UCF engineering clubs for friendly competition in kayaking and canoe races, volleyball and soccer. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers