Wichita State University College of Engineering students will be taking questions from the public as they show off their designs at the Engineering Student Showcase being held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd. Admission to the event is free.
WSU’s College of Engineering features an experience-based curriculum that provides vigorous, challenging experiences through a broad spectrum of fundamental technical knowledge as well as courses in humanities, social sciences, and communications. The showcase will feature the projects of students at the beginning and end of their degree programs.
Tom McGuire, who teaches both courses, says students benefit in ways that go beyond the primary purpose of learning the engineering design process and getting the opportunity to design and build their own inventions: “Many of our students come from far away or are just in unfamiliar settings. Through these courses, they tend to find friends they can relate to,” McGuire said.
“A good engineering project can bridge the culture and gender gaps,” he said. “Students get to make new friends with common skills and a common goal. This helps them again later, when they venture out into the job market. “
About 90 students are enrolled in Engineering 101, a course specifically designed for engineering students in their first year at Wichita State University. The course provides an overview of the field of engineering and culminates with final hands-on projects, which are conceived, designed, and built by teams of 3-4 students. WSU's Engineering 101 is taught by Dr. Larry Whitman, Dominic Canare and McGuire.
Another 80 students are in Senior Design, a course designed for WSU engineering seniors in their last year. In this course, students in teams of 3-4 students create a product or improve an existing product. Saturday’s presentations include projects by students in their first or second semesters. Senior design is taught by Dr. Steven Skinner, assisted by McGuire and Parth Kumar.
The Engineering Student Showcase will be held in the terrace areas outside Exploration Place’s main exhibit halls. The showcase is open to the public, but does not include admission to the science museum exhibits. Information about general admission can be found at www.exploration.org.