TouchTomorrow was originally launched in 2012 in celebration of WPI’s designation as host of NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge. This marked the very first time a college campus hosted a NASA Centennial Challenge. Like all Centennial Challenges, it promoted technological innovations that could aid in NASA’s mission and work—in this case the development of a new generation of autonomous planetary rovers to explore diverse landscapes.

Through the years, TouchTomorrow has held on to that same spark of curiosity, discovery and fun that first drew NASA to campus, while simultaneously building upon it with activities ranging from hands-on experiments and demonstrations, to lab tours and exciting stage programming.

Oh!  And did we mention robots, 3D printers, electrostatic Van De Graaff generators and slime?!

The festival is also an integral part of WPI’s overall outreach and desire to strengthen the STEM pipeline for K-12 students.  Check out WPI’s Office of Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs for more information on how your student can explore the STEM fields while honing their leadership and collaborative skills, building confidence and meeting new friends.

Robotics at WPI

A leader in robotics research and education at all levels, NASA chose WPI in 2012 as the first and only college to host a NASA Centennial Challenge. WPI not only created the first bachelor’s degree in robotics in the nation but also regularly manages robotics competitions, is on the cutting-edge of robotics research and technology, and sponsors a wide variety of programs that foster the use of robots to solve societal problems.