2026 Herff Engineering Day Passport

Stop by the photo booth to capture a fun memory from Engineering Day! All photos will be uploaded to an online gallery, and a link will be emailed to attendees after the event.

Students will use CAD software to design a custom keychain and see their ideas brought to life through 3D printing. Once submitted, designs will be printed on-site, and students can return later to collect their finished piece. This hands-on activity highlights the connection between digital design and modern manufacturing.

Students will be introduced to basic programming concepts through a hands-on Bee-Bot activity. In this walk-up experience, participants will program small floor robots to follow a sequence of commands and navigate through a maze. This activity helps students explore computational thinking, problem-solving, sequencing, and debugging in an accessible and engaging way. Participants will see how simple instructions can guide robotic movement and will have the opportunity to test, revise, and improve their programs as they work through the maze challenge.

Students are invited to test their precision and problem-solving skills in the CNC Machining Maze Challenge. In this walk-up activity, participants will control a CNC machine as they guide it through a machining maze, learning how computer-controlled manufacturing equipment is used to create accurate and repeatable parts. This hands-on demonstration introduces students to machining, automation, and engineering design in an engaging competition format. Participants will work to complete the maze as quickly and accurately as possible, with the fastest time of the day earning the top spot.

Explore how the body stores and copies information by building K'NEX models of DNA replication and transcription. Participants will learn how engineers and scientists use biology, chemistry, and design thinking to better understand living systems and develop technologies that support human health.

Students will explore the science of static electricity by using statically charged rods to levitate lightweight materials. This hands-on activity demonstrates electrostatic charge, attraction, and repulsion in a fun and highly visual way while encouraging experimentation and observation.

Students will explore how plastic parts are made by using an injection molding machine to create a take-home souvenir. This walk-up activity introduces participants to a common manufacturing process used to produce many everyday products, from small components to consumer goods. Through this hands-on experience, students will learn how material, heat, pressure, and mold design work together to form a finished part. Each participant will leave with a souvenir they helped create while gaining a better understanding of manufacturing, materials, and engineering design.

Students will immerse themselves in cryptography in a quick exercise using their intuition, collaboration skills, and computational methods to decipher a short message.

Build a LEGO structure and test it on a shake table! Learn how height, shape, and support affect stability and see how long your structure can remain standing.

The Pedal Kart Drunk-Vision Challenge is a “learn with fun” activity that allows participants to experience, in a safe and controlled environment, how alcohol impairment can affect driving ability. A small driving course is created using traffic cones and barrels to simulate a roadway or obstacle path. Participants first drive the pedal kart through the course without wearing the goggles so they can understand the normal level of control, steering, judgment, and coordination required to complete the course safely. After completing the first round, participants repeat the same course while wearing drunk-vision goggles. These goggles simulate the visual distortion, delayed reaction, poor depth perception, and reduced coordination that can occur when a person is under the influence of alcohol. By comparing their performance with and without the goggles, participants can directly observe how impaired vision and slower judgment make even a simple driving task more difficult. This activity helps create awareness about the dangers of drunk driving in an engaging, memorable, and hands-on way.

Participants will explore how autonomous vehicles use robotic sensing to detect pedestrians and respond safely. Using Cubelets, students will learn the difference between sensing and acting as they build and test a small automated vehicle designed to identify a pedestrian and stop before contact. This hands-on activity introduces students to the engineering behind autonomous vehicle safety, including sensors, movement, design decisions, and problem-solving. Along the way, participants will test how different Cubelet components work together and consider how engineers improve vehicle designs to make interactions with pedestrians safer.

Participants will create a simple pinwheel using a square piece of construction paper, scissors, a pencil, and a pushpin or brad. The paper is cut diagonally toward the center from each corner, then the corners are folded inward and secured in the center. A pencil or craft stick can be attached as a handle, allowing the finished pinwheel to spin in the wind.

Discover how electricity moves through everyday devices. Using Snap Circuits, participants will build simple working circuits, test switches and lights, and learn how engineers troubleshoot systems when something does not work as expected. This activity introduces the basics of electrical pathways, power, and problem-solving in a hands-on way.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Explore levers, gears, wheels, axles, pulleys, and other simple machines through hands-on models. Participants will test how small design changes can make work easier and discover how simple machines are used in everything from bicycles and elevators to robots and construction equipment.

Students experiment with different Statapult inputs to determine how to accurately hit a target. Through testing and adjustment, they explore how changing variables affects the Statapult’s performance.

Test your transportation knowledge in this fast-paced, Jeopardy-style game! Participants can walk up at any time to answer fun and challenging questions about roads, traffic, safety, engineering, and how people and goods move. Play individually or in small groups, choose from different categories, and earn points as you go. This interactive activity offers a fun way to learn about transportation systems while competing for bragging rights (and small prizes!).

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

The Biomedical Sensors and Systems Lab develops engineering technologies designed to improve how health information is collected, analyzed, and used. Researchers in this lab work on intelligent bio-integrated systems, including advanced sensors, custom electronic circuits, and computational tools that help measure and interpret signals from the human body. During this tour, teachers and students will learn how engineering, biology, and artificial intelligence can work together to support more proactive and personalized healthcare. The lab’s research includes technologies that may help identify early signs of disease, model patient health, and guide future medical decision-making.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Experience real-time heat transfer with the Carlton Lab! Students will explore thermal imaging technology through three guided, interactive stations: 1. Thermal Mapping: Scanning the environment for hot and cold spots. 2. Friction and Heat: Measuring temperature changes from kinetic energy. 3. Insulation Station: Visualizing the protective effects of winter gear.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Presented by the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research, this demonstration will show how engineers and researchers study the movement of water through soil using runoff and infiltration models. Students will observe how soil moisture equipment is used to measure and understand how water is absorbed, stored, and moves across different surfaces. Participants will learn why soil moisture data is important for agriculture, environmental monitoring, stormwater management, and infrastructure planning. This activity highlights how earth science and engineering tools help researchers better understand natural systems and support decisions related to water, land, and the environment.

How do engineers measure things that are too small for a normal microscope to see? Join the Ocularscience Lab this Fall for a hands-on adventure into the world of light! In this interactive demonstration, students will explore Interferometry—a clever technique where we split a single beam of light to create the ultimate high-tech ruler. From playing with lasers to using advanced medical scanners, students will discover how engineers manipulate light to look inside the human body and help doctors save people's sight.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Explore the Autonomous & Complex Systems Laboratory, where researchers design, analyze, and control the next generation of intelligent systems. This lab focuses on autonomous ground and aerial vehicles, multi-agent systems, cyber-physical networks, and robots that safely interact with people. During the tour, visitors will learn how tools from control theory, optimization, graph theory, and machine learning are used to make complex systems more reliable, adaptive, and safe. The demonstration will feature a robotic arm performing autonomous tasks using artificial intelligence and advanced control systems, offering a hands-on look at how engineering research is shaping the future of robotics and autonomy.

Join us for an interactive tour of our Biomaterials Lab, where biology meets engineering to solve some of medicine’s biggest challenges and heal the human body from the inside out. You will discover the fascinating world of biocompatibility and see firsthand how we engineer metals, polymers, and ceramics to coexist seamlessly with living tissue. Get a close-up look at how next-generation orthopedic, cardiovascular, and dental implants are designed and fabricated to transform patient lives.

Join us for an interactive tour of Dr. Bowlin’s Biomaterial and Regenerative Tissue Engineering Lab, where students will be introduced to how artificial blood vessels are created and why this work is important. During the tour, students will learn how we test the strength of these templates while designing them to be biodegradable and to avoid being attacked by the immune system. Students will also have the opportunity to see demonstrations of how the templates are made, view microscope images, and explore colorful imaging of living cells.

Tour the Electric Power and Energy Systems (EPES) Research Laboratory to explore innovative work in smart grids, microgrids, renewable energy, electric vehicle charging, cybersecurity, energy storage, and 5G-enabled power systems. Visitors will see how faculty and students use advanced modeling, simulation, and laboratory technologies to address real-world energy challenges. The tour will also highlight current research in solar and wind power integration, smart building energy management, power quality, and grid resilience.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Additional details have not yet been posted on the eDay activities page.

Explore the Smart Sensors & Decentralized Water Systems Lab and discover how engineers use smart sensors to understand and protect our water. During the tour, students will learn how sensors can quickly measure important water-quality conditions and provide real-time information about what is happening in water. Students will see hands-on demonstrations of different water-quality sensors and observe how sensor readings change when water conditions change. We will also show how these sensors can connect to wireless and smart monitoring systems to collect and track water-quality data. The activity will provide an interactive introduction to how environmental engineering, sensors, and technology work together to help keep our water clean and safe.

The Scratch Interactive Coding Competition is a fast-paced Scratch coding competition where students have just 20 minutes to create an interactive animation, dance party, or visual experience using a provided template. The competition is divided into two divisions: Elementary School (Grades 3-5) and Middle School (Grades 6-8), with challenges tailored to each level. Participants must think quickly, code efficiently, and showcase their creativity under time constraints. The challenge emphasizes rapid problem-solving, interactivity, and artistic expression.

Students in grades 3-8 will design and build an Egg Transport Vehicle to safely carry an uncooked egg from a first-floor drop to the ground. Designs must meet size and material guidelines while demonstrating creativity and effective protection strategies. Entries are judged based on whether the egg survives the drop and a scoring system that considers the vehicle’s mass and materials used.

Students will design and construct a structure using index cards and limited tape to support a tower of textbooks. Teams must build a strong and efficient foundation that can hold increasing weight for a set period of time. Designs are evaluated based on strength, height, and material efficiency. This challenge emphasizes structural design, resource management, and creative problem-solving under constraints.

Students will design and assemble a K’NEX-powered vehicle to deliver “packages” to different locations within a timed course. Teams are scored based on delivery efficiency, strategy, and overall performance during the mission. This competition emphasizes planning, mechanical design, and strategic decision-making.

Students will design and build a small boat using a single sheet of aluminum foil to hold as many pennies as possible without sinking. Boats are tested in water as pennies are added one at a time, and the design that holds the most weight wins. The challenge explores buoyancy, weight distribution, and creative design approaches.

Students will use spaghetti and marshmallows to build a structure capable of supporting weighted objects. Designs are evaluated based on how much weight they can hold and how long they remain standing. The challenge highlights teamwork, stability, and innovative use of simple materials.

Students will design and build a mechanical hand capable of picking up and transporting objects of different shapes and sizes. Teams compete to move items across a set distance using only their device, earning points based on speed and difficulty of objects handled. This competition encourages understanding of biomechanics, precision, and functional design.

Hosted by MLGW. Get ready to race! The MLGW A-Blazing Race challenges students in grades 6-12 to design, build, and race their own solar-powered cars using a kit provided by MLGW. Teams of 4-8 students compete on a 20-meter track at Engineering Day 2026.