From Engineering Exposition
During E-Expo there will be various activities that demonstrate various aspects of Engineering.
Pre-built Activities
Sponsored by the University of Louisville Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
High School students build balsa wood bridges to cross a given span. Entries will be judged by the maximum load supported and by the overall construction / visual appeal of the bridge. Since this is a pre-built competition, groups must register for the E-Expo 2012 Balsa Bridge Competition in order to compete. A complete list of rules and restrictions is available on the registration page.
Mousetrap Catapult Design Competition
Sponsored by the University of Louisville Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
This competition is based on the medieval catapult: a device that was used to hurl large "rocks" into an opposing force's castle. The catapult was designed to be adjustable to meet varied conditions such as the distance from which the rocks were hurled at the castle and the elevation between the catapult and the castle. The objective of the competition is to design and construct a catapult that shoots Ping-Pong balls, using inexpensive and readily available materials.
Walk up Activities
BristleBot
Sponsored by Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Have you ever wondered what makes cell phones vibrate, or what causes your Xbox or PlayStation controller to shake? Well, the same device that makes these objects vibrate or shake can be used to make a robot move. In this activity, students will build their own vibrating robot, or “vibrobot” as they are often called, using a few simple parts including a toothbrush head, a small vibrating (eccentric) motor, and a battery. Upon completion of the robots, students will be able to race other vibrobots down a custom track to see how well their robot performs.
There are many variants of vibrating robots that can be easily built; however, this project will have students create a BristleBot as shown in the picture above. The BristleBot is a simple and inexpensive take on the vibrobot idea. The ingredients? One toothbrush, a battery, and a vibrating pager motor. The result? Serious fun!
Students will be given a choice of various types of vibrating motors, different size batteries, and different types of toothbrush heads. It will be up to each student to choose the parts that they believe will create the best vibrobot. Students will have to make a compromise between weight or size and performance. This project will teach the basics behind electric motors, and show just how simple robots can be.
At the end of the task, everyone gets to keep their robot and take it home to show off to their friends and family!
Demonstrations
Tablet PCs in Engineering Analysis Classes
Sponsored by Department of Engineering Fundamentals.
Faculty members in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals will showcase different ways in which Tablet PCs are used by students and instructors in Engineering Analysis courses: Engineering Analysis I, II, and III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and Numerical Analysis. The demonstration will include the use of OneNote for note taking during class, the DyKnow interactive classroom management software, and the use of embedded Maple documents in DyKnow lecture notebooks. The Engineering Fundamentals Department is comprised of faculty and staff who teach introductory engineering courses, advise entering freshmen, and coordinate outreach programs that promote engineering as a profession to elementary, middle, and high school students. Departmental faculty strive to achieve excellence in teaching courses that introduce students to the engineering profession and provide them with fundamental engineering skills through a common set of core courses that begin in their freshman year.
Louisville SAE: Fast Cars and Tough Cars!
Sponsored by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
The Speed School's SAE team currently consists of two sub-teams, SAE Baja and SAE Formula 1. Each of these groups spend all year designing from the ground up, building from scratch a working, running and roaring vehicle.
The FSAE (Formula SAE) team builds a finely tuned formula 1 car that, when not limited, can go up to speeds of well over 100mph and can even beat a corvette in the quarter mile! Not only are these cars built for speed and acceleration but they are rigorously tested for braking capability, roll over stability and noise levels. Check out the Louisville FSAE website! [[1]]
SAE Baja, as the name suggests, builds a baja or an off-road vehicle provided only with a ten horse power engine. These machines are built tough to withstand jumps, mud, water and during competition time, other baja vehicles! Check this website to see more information about them! [[2]]
Also when you get the chance check out the SAE Baja's Video!
Van de Graaff Generator
