Rain or Shine!
Free and open
to the public.
DCU Club Level
The DCU Club Level is on the second floor of Polar Park. You can take the stairs or elevator at Gate D or the stairs at Shaw’s/Hanover Decks located on the 3rd base line.
DCU CLUB LEVEL – NEAR ELEVATOR
WPI Summer and Academic Year Programs – Summer 2022 Back in Person!
Location: DCU Club Level – Elevator
Presented by: WPI Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs
WPI’s Office of Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs offers impactful experiences for elementary, middle, and high school students throughout the school year and over the summer.
If you are a high school student who is enjoying TouchTomorrow, and you would like to continue to explore STEM this summer, visit us to learn about our exciting opportunities! Launch, a one-week introductory program, is geared toward rising 9th and 10th grades; Frontiers, takes the exploration a bit further during its two 2-week residential programs for rising 11th and 12th graders, and Frontiers for Credit is a virtual experience allowing high school juniors and seniors the ability to earn college credit! Visit wpi.edu/academics/pre-collegiate to learn more.
Apply to WPI for Your Undergraduate Degree
Location: DCU Club Level – Elevator
Presented by: WPI Admissions
WPI is a top-ranked university with more than 50 undergraduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, math, business, and the humanities and arts. A WPI education will enable you to pursue your passions at a world-class research institution with an innovative project-based curriculum where you combine theory and practice. WPI uses the Common App and offers several different options for how, and when, to apply. Early Action I and Early Decision I deadlines are November 1. Early Action 2 and Early Decision 2 applications are due January 15, and the Regular Decision deadline is February 15. To learn more and apply, stop by our table visit wpi.edu/+admissions.
WPI Graduate Programs
Location: DCU Club Level – Elevator
Presented by: WPI Graduate Enrollment
WPI is a world renowned institution for STEM programs. Come find out more about our graduate programs in arts and science, business, engineering, and global programs!
DCU CLUB LEVEL – JERSEY WALL
The STEM Education Center at WPI
Location: DCU Club – Jersey Wall
Presented by: The STEM Education Center at WPI
A great teacher can spark a love of STEM in future generations of students. Thus, the STEM Education Center is committed to empowering educators with the guidance to lead relevant, integrated, and inclusive STEM learning experiences with their students and communities. To transform STEM education, we collaborate with PK-12 educators through our: undergraduate STEM teacher preparation program, STEM professional development offerings, community engagement, and STEM education research. Our work is informed by current research and by the lived experiences of our students / teachers.
Activities & Networking with the Central MA STEM Network (CMSN) Ecosystem
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Jersey Wall
Presented by: Central MA STEM Network Ecosystem
Discipline(s): Chemistry, Engineering, Science
Come experience when science exhibits unexpected properties… metal that defies gravity, self-cleaning fabrics inspired by nature, the blue morpho butterfly that isn’t blue, and more! These captivating demos are part of the STEM Kits Lending Library available through the CMSN Ecosystem. Learn more about our STEM ecosystem, a partnership among colleges, in-school and out-of-school-time PreK-12 educators, companies, government, STEM organizations, and families. We support STEM learning, programs, workforce development, and STEM Week in Central Massachusetts.
WPI IMGD
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Jersey Wall
Presented by: Interactive Media and Game Development; Connor Peavey, WPI ’24 & Kateri Bajer, WPI ’23
Discipline(s): Computer Science, Technology
Come play games made by WPI students!
DCU CLUB – FIELD WALL
Food of the Future: 3D Printing Food
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Field Wall
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering; Dr. Danielle Cote
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Engineering, Food, Health, STEM, Other
Learn about 3D printing and its application for creating personalized food options.
Autonomous Off-road Vehicle Mobility and Space Exploration
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Field Wall
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Discipline(s): Computer Science, Engineering, Health, Physics, Robots, Science, Space, Technology
Solving the challenges of off-road vehicle mobility, maneuvering, and energy efficiency with direct applications on Earth as well as planetary exploration in space. Systems approaches to payload development for low Earth orbit and deep space travel. Approaches to science sample preservation on the International Space Station (ISS) and Moon/Mars missions.
DCU and Financial Tech
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
Location: DCU Club
Presented by: DCU *FESTIVAL SPONSOR
Discipline(s): Computer Science, Technology
Stop by to check out some of the technology used in the financial industry.
The Cosmic Canvas
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club
Presented by: Aldrich Astronomical Society, Inc.
Discipline(s): Science, Space
Amateur and Professional astroimaging techniques & images displayed to help us better understand our universe & beyond. Youth STEM activities to challenge the mind – stop by and explore! Free handouts to all and chances for all youth to win spacey event prizes! (books, posters, space toys and puzzles!)
DCU CLUB – LEFT WALL
Planar Mechanism Kinematic Simulator
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Left
Presented by: Robotics Engineering; WPI Graduate Student Alexander Galvan
Discipline(s): Engineering, Mathematics, Robots, Science, STEM, Technology
Planar mechanisms are used in many applications such as windshield wipers, steering linkages in remote controlled cars, and crankshaft piston linkage in an internal combustion engine among many others. There are several steps to designing a planar mechanism. In order to expedite this and to help students learn better, a software called PMKS+ (Planar Mechanism Kinematic Simulator Plus) is being developed. The software can compute kinematics and force analyses. Built-in optimization algorithms allow users to quickly synthesize mechanisms for various real world applications. The designs generated can be viewed in 3D and exported as STL for rapid prototyping and testing.
The Wacky World of Biomedical Engineering
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: Elementary School (K-5), Middle School (6-8)
Location: DCU Club – Left
Presented by: Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Taimoor Afzal
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Biology, Engineering, Health, Science, STEM, Technology
An exploration into the four corners of Biomedical Engineering. An area of science where mechanics, biology, and computers converge to push the envelope in medical care into the modern age. You will have a chance to test your strength, your steadiness, and heartrate. You will also see how losing certain faculties effects your balance and strength. This experience of navigating the world with limited abilities will ignite in you a desire to help others and the make the world a better place for everyone.
DCU CLUB – WINDOW WALL
Silkworms and Silk: The Life Cycle Leading to a Revolutionary Material for Biomedical Engineering
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Window Wall
Presented by: Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Jeannine Coburn
Discipline(s): Biology, Engineering, Science
This exhibit will show you the different stages of the silkworm life cycle and some of the materials and research areas being investigated by the Coburn lab.
Silk, prized for its visual appeal as a fabric for thousands of years, is now achieving new applications in biomedical engineering. Silk, most notably associated with silkworms and spiders, is made of two classes of molecules, or proteins. We are interested in the protein that provides silk with its excellent mechanical properties and uniquely processable molecules, known as silk fibroin. Silk fibroin a unique chemical sequence, or amino acid sequence, which give rise to these properties. When processed, silk fibroin can be fabricated into films, fibers, particles, hydrogels, and porous sponges or scaffolds.
Implementation of Digital Circuit Design onto FPGAs for Gaming Applications
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Window Wall
Presented by: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Maqsood Ali Mughal; Jessie Curley
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Engineering, Science, STEM, Technology
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are semiconductor devices that are based around a matrix of configurable logic blocks (CLBs) connected via programmable interconnects. FPGAs can be reprogrammed to desired application or functionality requirements after manufacturing. This feature distinguishes FPGAs from Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), which are custom manufactured for specific design tasks. Come and stop-by to see the implementation of the digital circuit design onto a Basys 3 Board for Gaming Applications such as Tic-Tac-Toe.
To Crack or not to Crack Wi-Fi Password!
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Window Wall
Presented by: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Berk Sunar & Dr. Koksal Mus
Discipline(s): Cybersecurity
Would you like to be able to connect to all Wi-Fi around you? Do you want other people to be able to access your Wi-Fi? It is important how secure your wireless password is. In this demonstration, you are going to set a Wi-Fi password and we are going to attempt to find it on a pre-arranged wireless setting. We will also determine the security level of the password.
DCU CLUB – RIGHT WALL
Cyber Attacks on Mobile Robots
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Right
Presented by: Electrical and Computer Engineering; Dr. Andrew Clark
Discipline(s): Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Mathematics, Robots, STEM, Technology
Autonomous robots are poised to transform manufacturing, transportation, search & rescue, and countless other domains. These robots rely on a suite of sensors which may be corrupted by malicious cyber attacks. The exhibit demonstrates the impact of cyber attacks on robotic navigation & shows how estimation & control theory can be used to ensure safety and reliability.
Human Heart Pump Model
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Right
Presented by: Biomedical Engineering; Alpha Eta Mu Beta BME Honor Society
Discipline(s): Biology, Engineering, Health, Science, STEM
The Alpha Eta Mu Beta Biomedical Engineering Society at WPI is excited to share how to make a working heart pump model! This exhibit will feature a hands-on activity suitable for all ages. Guests will be able to learn how to make a working heart pump model using everyday supplies you can find at home. This activity will teach guests how the human heart functions and the different components that help keep our hearts beating!
Photonics in Everyday Life
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Right
Presented by: LEAP; James Eakin and Dr. Douglas Petkie
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Educator Workshops, Physics, STEM
Photonics are a part of everyday life including how we communicate with friends and family. This exhibit shows how scientists and engineers use photonics to make new materials and devices including objects so small you have to use a microscope to see them. Come see examples of nano-3D prints and investigate how fiber optics are used to transmit information across the internet.
DCU CLUB – CENTER
mPAD: Modular Package for Autonomous Driving
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Center/Front
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering; Dr. Pradeep Radhakrishnan
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Computer Science, Engineering, Robots, STEM, Technology
The project will demonstrate a system that enables autonomous driving in any scale car (or remote controlled car). mPAD consists of two development boards, Raspberry Pi 4 8GB and Elegoo Mega 2560. The sensors (Ultrasonic, inertial measurement unit, temperature, and hall-effect) are connected to the Elegoo, which then connects to the Raspberry Pi. The sensor package uses a Raspberry Pi camera for lane recognition and ultrasonic sensors for collision avoidance. The package is specifically designed to be easily transferable from one RC car to another and allows Mechanical Engineering students to create self-driving RC cars without requiring a coding or electrical design background.
Koalby: 3D Printed Humanoid Robot
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Center/Front
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering; Dr. Pradeep Radhakrishnan
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Engineering, Robots, Technology
Robotic research on humanoid robots often involves expensive hardware. Using modern manufacturing techniques and off the shelf components a small humanoid robot can demonstrate many of the capabilities of larger systems at a lower price point. We present a 27 degree of freedom humanoid robot based on the Poppy Project. The robot operates untethered using internal battery power and an onboard Raspberry Pi and manipulates objects up to 100 grams with grasping hands. We demonstrate this functionality using a record/play system that allows a human operator to manually position the robot and then record those positions for later playback.
The Design of Next Generation Materials
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Center/Front
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering; Dr. Yu Zhong
Discipline(s): Chemistry, Engineering, Science, STEM
Learn about the research being conducted by my research group (IMPD). Find out the efforts we are taking to design the next generation of materials.
Autonomous Prosthetic Tongue
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Center/Back
Presented by: Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Discipline(s): Biology, Engineering, Science, STEM, Technology
The objective of our team is to innovate, fabricate and test a prosthetic tongue prototype to restore deglutition functionality for oral cancer patients. Through researching existing oral prosthetics, tongue biomechanics and soft robotics applications, we were able to test some designs for possible methods of tongue actuation utilizing solenoids, servos, and air pumps. We will be demonstrating a prosthetic tongue with an EMG sensor, linkage and pulley system within an accurate human jaw resin model.
FETCH and PARV
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Center/Back
Presented by: Mechanical Engineering, WPI Students Anthony LoPresti & Kwesi Sakyi
Discipline(s): 3D Printing, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Robots, Science, STEM, Technology
Our project was to design an autonomous vehicle on the scale of an RC car. We aim to introduce users to the world of autonomy by making a nearly fully 3D printed vehicle and trailer system that is easily interchangeable and replicable. The necessary materials needed for assembly are easily accessible to the public so they can mimic and create their own autonomous vehicle. Included is a modular trailer system that is easily adaptable depending on the needs of the user. The current iteration of the project includes two functional vehicles and a delivery trailer.
GearTrain – A Software to Design Gear-Trains
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Center/Back
Presented by: Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Pradeep Radhakrishnan, WPI Grad Student Yash Yadati
Discipline(s): Engineering, Robots, STEM, Technology
The goal of this research is to automatically synthesize gear-trains for various applications using a rule-based approach alongside optimization algorithms. In the process, a software tool is being developed that will allow users to design and analyze gears, shafts, and other components. It will also automatically generate collision-free CAD models of the generated designs. Work is currently being done to integrate collision detection and kinetic/kinematic analysis. The addition of these to the existing software environment can help the tool perform efficiently in a range of engineering classes which can be very beneficial in the learning process for students.
Keeping Things Cool in Space
Exhibit Type: Demonstration
Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), Adult
Location: DCU Club – Center/Back
Presented by: Mechanical Engineering; Multi-Scale Heat Transfer Lab
Discipline(s): Aerospace, Engineering, Physics, Science, Space, Technology
WPI Professor Jamal Yagoobi and his students conduct groundbreaking research in the Multi-Scale Heat Transfer Lab, featuring NASA funded research on two-phase heat transport systems. These systems are developed and tested for use as cooling technology for satellites and spacecraft. An experiment demonstrating this new technology has been undergoing a long-term test aboard the International Space Station, with another major experiment set to fly aboard in the near future. The findings of this research are fundamental to developing next generation heat transfer technology for future spacecraft.
DCU CLUB – MUSEUM WALL
Mini-MAMS Experience: Explore STEM Like a Mass Academy Student
Exhibit Type: Hands-on Exhibit
Ages: All Ages
Location: DCU Club – Museum Wall
Presented by: Mass Academy of Math and Science
Discipline(s): Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Science, STEM, Technology
Are you curious about the world around you? If so, then visit our table to explore STEM concepts just like high school students at the Mass Academy of Math and Science at WPI! We have hands-on physics and computer science demonstrations to help you understand scientific phenomena. Students and staff will guide you through investigations, explain the science behind what is happening, and share details of their experiences at Mass Academy. Samples of student projects will be on display and packets of puzzles and challenge problems will be available for you to take home!