Engineering Open House (EOH) 2022, with its theme of “The Power of Us”, was held on April 8-9. This marked the 100th in-person EOH and the first in-person EOH since 2019. Each year this event draws thousands of students, families, teachers, and science-lovers to campus to partake in a truly unique experience celebrating all types of engineering. This is the place to see cutting-edge innovations before they are popularized, and see how students are at the forefront of science and engineering. With limited help from faculty and staff, Illinois students ultimately take the reins in planning, developing, and executing the open house that draws in over 20,000 attendees each year. The first Engineering Open House was in 1920, and it is now an integral part of the Grainger Engineering experience.
Six rail related exhibits were on display. Three were in the Crane Bay in Newmark Civil Engineering Lab and three were in the Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building.
Experienced railroaders from CN Railway shared their stories and display at EOH. Here representatives of CN set up a presentation to show attendees how train dispatching works.
RailTEC hosted Hanson Professional Services Inc. and a group of students from Springfield, IL to visit EOH exhibits on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
Central Japan Railway (JRC) had a popular rail exhibit showing their new maglev system. Visiting scholar Masaru Morita describes to an EOH attendee how JRC’s system works.
An attendee tries his hand at driving the train simulator located in the Crane Bay at Newmark Civil Engineering Lab.
An EOH visitor stares intently at the train exhibit on display in the Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building.
RailTEC graduate student Jaeik Lee observes EOH attendees enjoying the challenge of the train puzzle as they determine what types of items can be carried in different types of railcars.
Shashank Muddana, an Illinois RailTEC graduate student, (right) explains to a group of students how the Intermodal Game works.
The model train exhibit featuring train switching and sorting was a favorite of both younger and older visitors.
