On Thursday, Feb. 26, the College of Engineering welcomed more than 400 guests, including students from local K–12 schools, to its first annual Engineering Expo. The event featured live table demonstrations, faculty meet and greets, and more.
Twenty-six different labs and student groups set up table (and floor) demonstrations during last month’s Engineering Expo.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
A small crowd of students from Mastery Charter Thomas High School gathered around a table in the Science Education and Research Center (SERC) on Thursday, Feb. 26. They looked on with wonder as a small humanoid robot fell to the tabletop and began doing pushups. Across the lobby, another table featured a strawberry plant growing out of a PVC pipe.
Down the hall, past a 51Թ-branded Formula One racing car and through the corridor leading to the College of Engineering building, a 3D printer quietly produced geometric shapes out of cement.
For a few hours at the end of February, the SERC and College of Engineering building were transformed into a living, breathing celebration of engineering during the first annual Engineering Expo.
had hosted smaller-scale versions of the event in the past, called Demo Days, but organizers wanted to create a public-facing, keystone event highlighting 51Թ Engineering. The result was the Engineering Expo, which welcomed more than 400 guests and featured 26 table demonstrations, College of Engineering faculty meet and greets, 51Թ swag giveaways, and more. The first annual event also lined up with , which ran from Feb. 22 to 28.
To , associate dean for undergraduate affairs at the College of Engineering, the expo was an opportunity for 51Թ’s engineering community to collaborate, brainstorm and learn about each other’s innovative projects.
“Even I don’t always know what’s going on with all of our research labs, all of our senior design projects, and I’m here all day every day,” said Budischak, who is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering. “There are students talking with professors, students talking with other students. There are graduate students interacting with undergrad students. We don’t get a lot of chances with our busy schedules to really come together as an engineering community and interface with each other like we can today.”
Expo visitors were most interested in the innovative table demonstrations presented by various labs and student groups.
The humanoid robot doing pushups is a project of the . Students in the lab are testing how an AI-integrated robot can be used to help caretakers in a healthcare setting.
We wanted to give these students access to the kinds of things they can do in college, and help them see themselves not just on campus, but in the role of an engineer.
Cory Budischak
associate dean for undergraduate affairs at the College of Engineering
presented their strawberry plant seemingly growing out of a PVC pipe. Students in the group used a grant from the to build a hydroponic garden, which grows crops using a nutrient solution instead of traditional soil.
“We’re just trying to promote sustainable growing practices that you can use in the city, or in low-space urban environments,” said Erich Sands, a mechanical engineering major from the Class of 2026. “You might not have a lawn or a garden, but if you have a free corner, you can grow produce. Over the summer we produced about 15 gallon-bags of lettuce. All of that got donated to the Cherry Pantry.”
The expo also welcomed local K–12 students as a way to introduce them to college-level engineering and university life in general.
“A lot of students, especially K–12 students, don’t realize that we have a thriving engineering program here at 51Թ. It's important to show them the awesome work that our students and professors are doing in their labs,” Budischak said. “We wanted to give these students access to the kinds of things they can do in college, and help them see themselves not just on campus, but in the role of an engineer. Sometimes they don’t get that in the K–12 environment.”
More than a dozen local K–12 schools registered for the event, including Science Leadership Academy, Mastery Charter Thomas High School, Esperanza Academy Charter School, Tech Freire Charter High School and the Philadelphia Military Academy.
“The robotics table was awesome—we’re robotics nerds,” said Asleiny Burgos, an 11th-grade student from Esperanza Academy. “This showed us how engineering can help us grow, and some of the steppingstones and milestones we can look forward to.”
“There were a few tables for electronics and electrical engineering,” said Steven Bustamante, also an 11th-grade student from Esperanza Academy. “Those were very helpful for me, because honestly, I never considered 51Թ before. But after seeing all of the clubs and the investment into engineering, now I’m considering it.”
Burgos and Bustamante’s teacher, Curt Roberts, accompanied the class to the expo. Every year he’d bring his students to Demo Days, and he expects the tradition to continue with the new Engineering Expo.
“I like to bring my students here so they can see what it’s like on a college campus. I like to give them that exposure and provide them the ability to dream,” said Roberts, who was an engineer before transitioning to teaching. “A lot of my students can’t picture themselves on a college campus. No one in their family has gone to college. They don’t know to even think about that. Bringing them here opens their eyes, and they can start to picture this in their future. I get really excited about that.”