The Daily Utah Chronicle - News Issue: 09/03/02  

Engineering College Exhibits Experiments
By J. Aaron Goldsmith  

For those who have ever wondered what flubber is made out of or how
designers make the cool graphics on a Nintendo game, Engineering Day had
the answers.  

The event, held Friday, was the first Engineering Day held by the College
of Engineering.

Engineering Day was an exhibition showcasing a variety of engineering
projects aimed at recruiting potential majors and showing them the
opportunities that exist in the field of engineering.  

Among the interesting projects and demonstrations were a walking robot,
solar car, X-box demonstration and a tour of the nuclear reactor.

There were also contests and games including "Guess What Household
Materials Make Up the Composition of Flubber" and an X-box demonstration
featuring the game "Halo."

Free breakfast and lunch were also served, attracting many students.

"The event was meant to get other people excited about engineering," said
Mac Newbold, organizer of engineering day. "There were a lot of cool toys,
some really fun stuff."

One of the more popular booths was the X-box demonstration. The X-box
features some of the best modern graphics for game consoles.  Students in
the graphics program in the computer science department, which is ranked
in the top 10 in the nation, ran the booth.

"If you like gaming, pursuing a degree in computer science might be for
you," said Justin Elliss, a computer science major.  

Tours of the Triga nuclear reactor were held throughout the day in an
attempt to enlighten people on the use of nuclear fuel.  

"Nuclear power gets a bad rap. The actual risk is much lower than the
perceived risk," said Justin Wilde, a graduate student in the nuclear
engineering program.
 
Awards were given out at the end of the event where the U solar vehicle
design team took top honors with best overall project. The solar car
project is the first competitive solar car project in Utah, and the team
will be taking part in a cross country race from Chicago to Los Angeles. 

"Engineering day was so successful in its first try that it will
definitely be an annual event," Newbold said.

jgoldsmith@chronicle.utah.edu