Engineering students demonstrate job potential with green slime, dry ice

Pitt engineering students went back to middle school on Thursday.

As part of Engineers… Pitt engineering students went back to middle school on Thursday.

As part of Engineers Week, students from the School of Engineering held a career fair at the Frick International Studies Academy in an effort to educate middle school children about the wide range of engineering opportunities.

The engineering students set up eight stations, each concentrating on a specific area of engineering. The stations included information on computer and electrical, mechanical, industrial, chemical and civil engineering, as well as material science, bioengineering and general engineering.

The middle school students went to the station of their choice to listen to a 13-minute presentation about that field of engineering. After the presentation, the children rotated to another station of their choice. Before they went back to class, each student attended three different stations.

During the presentations, the students were also shown visual demonstrations. The computer and electrical engineering station presented how signals are sent and received by displaying a remote control car, explaining that each turn of the dial on the remote sent a specific signal to the car. One signal would make the car turn, while another signal would make the car drive forward.

At the general engineering station, the students leaned forward in their seats as they saw dry ice being dropped into an acidic solution containing a chemical indicator, turning the solution from purple to orange and causing steam to billow up. The color changed to orange because it became less acidic, freshman Jane Haven explained to the onlooking students.

After being told that the solution was not hot despite the steam, some of the students went up to touch the container holding the solution.

The students appeared interested, saying things such as “that was gangsta” and “that was off the heezy fo sheezy.”

“Engineers Week is to promote engineering in the community” and interdepartment competitions, such as sumo wrestling and soapbox derby competitions, junior Desiree Bonadonna, co-chairperson of the Engineering Student Council, said.

“We work hard the whole year and this is just to show the community what we do and to have fun,” she said. “We end the whole week with a ball.”