Weston Cormier, a junior at St. Joseph School in Plaucheville, La., knelt behind a small catapult slightly larger than a shoebox that he and several classmates had cobbled together with wooden dowels, cardboard, string, rubber bands, electrical tape and Velcro.
Cormier was preparing to participate in a contest during the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Engineering and Technology Expo on Wednesday. The event is for high school students and educators who want to learn about engineering majors and careers.
小蝌蚪APP淥ur biggest challenge was making an arm that was strong and wouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 break from the force,小蝌蚪APP Cormier explained moments before the competition began.
Challenge met. When Cormier pulled a short piece of string that triggered the wooden lever, it hurled an orange Ping-Pong ball about 20 feet. The ball landed inside a plastic ring taped to a lab floor inside UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Rougeau Hall.
The exercise wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 mere fun and games. It was meant to illustrate the concept of stored energy, said Todd Crabtree, a junior mechanical engineering major at the 小蝌蚪APP.
小蝌蚪APP淚n terms of engineering, an example of the dynamics of stored energy would be a machine that requires a spring-loaded device to function,小蝌蚪APP Crabtree explained.
Crabtree was among hundreds of engineering students who volunteered for the expo, helping faculty and staff members guide lab tours, discuss engineering research and give demonstrations. Prospective engineering majors also got an opportunity to interact with industry professionals, who offered career advice.
The College of Engineering小蝌蚪APP檚 yearly expo is geared toward high school students who are exploring engineering majors, or who plan to study engineering but are still mulling which discipline to pursue or which school to attend, said Dr. Ahmed Khattab, interim dean of the College of Engineering.
Khattab said the expo also provides 小蝌蚪APP済ood exposure for the college because the public gets a chance to see what we offer.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淭his is our most comprehensive tour. It helps to promote engineering and technology as a career, and it helps to recruit students,小蝌蚪APP he said.
Caitlin Miguez, a senior at Loreauville High School who plans to study chemical engineering, knows exactly what she wants to do once she earns a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree. She envisions working for a cosmetics company, formulating beauty products that are safer than makeup laden with chemicals and contaminants such as formaldehyde, lead or mercury.
Miguez just isn小蝌蚪APP檛 sure where she小蝌蚪APP檒l enroll this fall. That小蝌蚪APP檚 why she attended the expo. 小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to see what UL is like and get a feel for the engineering experience here.小蝌蚪APP
Photo caption: High school and elementary students, parents and educators toured labs, heard about faculty and student research projects, interacted with industry professionals, viewed demonstrations and participated in competitions during UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Engineering and Technology Day on Wednesday. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 小蝌蚪APP