Technology and Expo Day at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will offer prospective students and their families a chance to learn about the school’s engineering program.
Technology and Expo Day will take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, March 20, at the UL Lafayette College of Engineering, which is sponsoring the event with the student chapter of the Louisiana Engineering Society.
“We want to showcase the engineering and technology professions and increase interest in and appreciation of the complex ways in which engineering and technology positively impact the world,” said Dr. Mark Zappi, dean of the College of Engineering. The expo day is the only event during the college’s yearly Engineering and Technology Week that will be open to the public.
During Engineering and Technology Week, which takes place every spring, UL Lafayette engineering students take part in a range of engineering-related activities that include competitions and interacting with industry representatives.
Technology and Expo Day affords high school students “a close-up look at what the fields of engineering and technology have to offer them in designing their future,” Zappi said.
The day is open to high school students and their families, teachers, engineering industry representatives and anyone else who might be interested. But it’s geared primarily toward high school juniors and seniors, “especially those interested in math and science,” Zappi said.
UL Lafayette representatives will be on hand to provide information and guidance about topics related to admissions, career seervices, enrollment and scholarships.
“We want to help students discover the importance of engineering and technology in today’s society and consider the many career possibilities available to them. This is incredibly important because of the shortage of graduates and the huge demand for engineers and industrial technologists,” Zappi said.
Expo Day activities and events include exhibits, tours and student competitions.
One competition will involve dropping an egg from a set height. The egg, nestled inside a container created by students before Expo Day, must remain whole.
Another competition will let students, who have already created workable chairs using cardboard and tape, see how their pieces stack up against the others.
For more information, visit engineering.louisiana.edu, send an email to EngineeringAndTechnologyDay@louisiana.edu or call (337) 482-6685.