Aerospace Student Organizations Garner 2012 EOH Awards

An exhibit featuring four large rockets and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) won first place, a flight simulator exhibit won second place, and two other aerospace projects nabbed third place wins in the 2012 Engineering Open House (EOH) March 9 and 10.

In its 92nd year, EOH is an annual student-led event featuring two days of exhibits and competitions showcasing engineering students’ talent and ingenuity. The exposition attracts thousands of visitors to the Urbana campus each year, and stands as the largest event of its kind in the country. EOH brings together students, faculty, and corporate sponsors to feature cutting-edge innovation in science and technology.

Illinois Space Society (ISS) won first place in the Original Undergraduate Research category for the exhibit, “Illinois Space Society Technical Projects.” The exhibit featured four large rockets between 5- and 12-feet tall, a quad-rotor UAV integrated into the nose cone of the 12-foot-tall rocket, and an experiment showing zero gravity’s effects on an iPad launched with the help of the National Space Administration (NASA) on the “Vomit Comet.”

Demonstration during EOH

ISS also won third place in the Back to School Category for its “Orbital Simulator” exhibit. The project offered spectators an opportunity to gain an intuitive understanding of concepts such as how mass warps space-time and affects the universe, including an explanation of why the Earth orbits the Sun. Younger viewers were able to simulate their own orbits with different size and mass “planets.”

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) student chapter won second place in the Encore/Non-Technical Projects division for the “Flight Simulator.” The simulator allowed visitors a chance to experience flying an airplane by taking control of a yoke, pedals, and throttle.

Illinois Robotics in Space (IRIS) won third place for an exhibit in the Presentation of Society category. With student membership from several departments across the College of Engineering, IRIS works on the concept and design of automated and tele-controlled robots for use outside the Earth.

The exhibit featured a robotic arm, and EEG machine to read brain signals, and IRIS’s moon dirt excavator robot that has competed in NASA’s Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Photos from aerospace student societies’ entries in EOH 2012 are available for viewing on theAerospace Engineering at The University of Illinois Facebook page.