At Explore UT, kids of all ages can create their own hover crafts, sample ice cream made from liquid nitrogen, or enter a balloon rocket race to the moon! Explore UT is the biggest open house in Texas — and it’s all for FREE!
On Saturday, March 4, 2017, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Austin families are invited to enjoy a day of hands-on educational fun at the University of Texas at Austin’s annual open house. Bring your future Longhorns out to explore the UT campus, while taking part in hundreds of activities that promote higher education. Students in grades K-12 will be encouraged to participate in various activities, no registration required. Admission is FREE and Explore UT is open to the public.
You can find the full schedule of Explore UT activities here, or you can download the 37-page program here. Meanwhile, take a look at some of our favorites below!
A sampling of hands-on activities:
Find more information on any of these activities by searching the Explore UT online scheduling tool.
- Anatomy Juan (all ages) – Learn about Human Anatomy with Juan, a life-size replica of a person. His organs are easily removed, but tricky to place back correctly. Come see if you can help Juan and the Hispanic Health Professions Organization to get his organs back in place again.
- Back to the Future: Engineering Hover Crafts (kids under 12) – Join students from the Society of Women Engineers for a back to the future experience by experimenting with the science and engineering of magnetics and aerodynamics to design and create your very own hover craft.
- Balloon Rocket Racers (all ages) – Have you ever dreamed of flying a rocket into space? Join members of Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering Honor Society to engineer and build a balloon rocket that you can enter in a race to the moon. Test your skills and become a rocket engineer for a day.
- Become a Doggy Doctor for a Day (all ages) – If you’ve ever wondered how fast a dog’s heart beats, join the Pre-Veterinary Student Association to hear the dog’s heart beat by using a stethoscope. Learn more about veterinary medicine and become a doggy doctor for a day.
- Popsicle Stick Catapult (kids under 12) – How far can candy fly? Find out by building your own popsicle stick catapult and testing it. Members from SEEK, Student Engineers Educating Kids, will show you how to build the catapult and make the candy fly.
- Create Your Own Clouds in a Bottle (kids under 12) – Discover which state of matter creates a cloud by using a bottle, rubbing alcohol, and the pressure of gases to create your own cloud. After pondering clouds, use Google 3-D visualization to walk on Mars or peer into a bottle terrarium.
- Creative Re-Use: Build an Eco-Friendly Birdhouse (all ages) – Visit the Architectural Materials Lab and reuse materials to create an eco-friendly birdhouse. Each session is limited to 20 participants. Tickets to be distributed in GOL North Lobby 30 minutes prior to each session; first-come, first-served basis.
- Earthquake Engineering Research: Protecting People and Property from What’s Shaking (kids under 12) – Design a building using toothpicks and marshmallows and test it in earthquake conditions. Visit with students of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute to learn how earthquake engineering research protects people and property from earthquakes.
- Frozen Chemistry: The Chilling Effect of Liquid Nitrogen (all ages) – Join graduate students in the Korgel Research Group to learn about chemical engineering and the chilling effects of liquid nitrogen. Sample liquid nitrogen ice cream and observe flowers, bananas, a racquetball and filled balloons being frozen.
- Glowing Dough Creatures (all ages) – Light up the room with electrifying play-dough creations while learning about circuits from student members of Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Create a work of art using light emitting diodes (LEDs) and discover what makes them work.
- Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream (all ages) – Stop by for an ice cream sample and add all of your favorite toppings, watching the magic unfold as the American Chemical Society – UT Student Affiliates create ice cream for everyone to enjoy using liquid nitrogen as our “freezer.”
- Building a Longhorn Rocket (all ages) – Join Longhorn Rocketry Association members to learn how to assemble model rocket kits. Space is limited, tickets are required. Tickets for the session will be distributed fifteen minutes prior to the start of each session.
- The Price is Right (all ages) – Test your skills and luck by playing a version of the Price is Right. Learn the importance of correct product pricing by guessing the price of everyday items from the grocery store. Successful guesses will win you a prize.
