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By Adam Aleweidat
March 11, 2012

This past weekend, March 9-10, was Engineering Open House on the UIUC campus. The student-run event features demonstrations and competitions all across the College of Engineering. Lots of middle and high school students from across the region come to visit. The Physics Department plays a big role in the event every year, and this year was no different. Adam writes about this year's event. Pictures below.

Do you hear something ringing? Is that a giant bubble? Did that guy just turn a lamp on with his mind? How in the world did they suspend a soccer ball in midair with a leaf blower?

These are just a few of the questions asked by curious and awestruck attendees of this year’s fun-filled weekend of Engineering Open House (EOH). For two days, Loomis Lab was a hub for innovative science projects and timeless physics demonstrations.

The Physics Van, a student organization dedicated to performing physics demos for audiences of all types, put on several outstanding shows and excited the crowd with fire, smoke, electricity, a hovercraft, lots of liquid nitrogen, and a few stunning explosions. The Physics Van, also known as PhysVan or simply The Van, had an interactive room full of gears and pulleys for the younger visitors to tinker with. A fan favorite was the Bubble Room; participants would climb into a large structure that looked like a shower with strings and pulleys attached from above. A steady tug on the rope would encapsulate the fairgoer within a life-sized and cocoon-like bubble.

Also in attendance this year was The Society for Women in Physics, also known as SWIP. As first-time participants at EOH, SWIP created a wonderful demonstration called the Kelvin Water Dropper. Who would have thought that a couple of falling streams of water, PVC tubing, and metal buckets would be enough to produce lightning? This project was a big success and drew herds of eager enthusiasts all weekend long. Everyone was thrilled by the idea of creating electricity with a little bit of gravity and water.

Physics Society, also known as PhySoc, is another student organization whose members share a common interest in the wonders of physics. PhySoc had a number of excellent and original projects set up in Loomis, too. There was a hand-made helical screw, known commonly as an Archimedes’ screw, which demonstrated an efficient and clever way to transport water (or beads!) from the ground to a higher point with little effort. Another physics undergraduate student made a very cool contraption that harnessed his “brain power” and used it to flip a switch and turn on a light. Now that’s a bright idea. PhySoc also demonstrated a solenoid-based ring launcher, a Jacob’s Ladder (big hit!), and the award-winning Oxford Electric Bells, a project based on a pair of bells in England that have been ringing for over 160 years on the same batteries.

In the end, this year was another great year for physics at EOH. Students dedicated precious time and effort to making each project something to remember. A special thanks goes out to the Physics Department, PhysVan, SWIP, PhySoc, and all the family and friends who attended this year’s event. We can’t wait for next year!