Virginia Tech KTU exhibits on April 5th!

The exhibits below are for KTU registered kids and parents in the Virginia Tech Kids' Tech University program on April 5th! 

Exhibit title- "Flavors of Physics"

At our booth we will be showcasing the following activities:

1) Electricity and Magnetism Demonstrations

2)  Aluminum Barge Challenge                                     

3) Non-Newtonian Fluids

Group hosting exhibit- Enriched Physics Outreach Students

This group is a class led by Dr. Mary Norris. Eric Hahn, Kade Monnell, Sandy Brothers, and Mehdi Himmiche will be leading the booth!

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Exhibit title- "The Geotechnical Student Organization of Virginia Tech "

The Geotechnical Student Organization will be performing two demonstrations; the first being a reinforced soil demonstration and the second being a liquefaction demonstration. The reinforced soil demonstration will allow the kids to build multiple blocks of sand, some being reinforced with paper and some not. They will then get to stand on each block and compare the results. After observing how different the two outcomes are, students will be asked to hypothesize how the reinforcement is working. Posters with simple explanations of what is happening will be used to ultimately explain the reinforcement. The second demonstration will show what liquefaction is and how it actually occurs. Volunteers will place small objects on sand and a machine designed to cause liquefaction will be used to simulate an earthquake. This test will be run when the sand is dry and when the sand is saturated, and it will be observed that when water is present the sand will liquefy and the objects on the sand will sink. An explanation will then be provided as to why liquefaction is occurring. Both of these demonstrations are designed to involve the kids in hands on activities as well as challenge them with questions. Virginia Tech key chains will be given out to students who participate in answering questions.


Group hosting exhibit- The Geotechnical Student Organization of Virginia Tech


The Geotechnical Student Organization (GSO) is a student-led body that functions to enhance the educational and personal experience of students in geotechnical engineering at Virginia Tech. The organization is committed to increasing student awareness of the geotechnical engineering profession as well as Virginia Tech’s reputation as a leader in graduate geotechnical engineering education. The GSO works to connect with the undergraduate civil engineering population at Virginia Tech as well as promote participation in student activities organized by the Geo-Institute.

The organization consists of a president and six officers, who work together to organize field trips, open house for newly accepted students, as well as outreach activities to educate younger students about geotechnical engineering. The GSO coordinates with professionals to obtain guest speakers for seminar classes where students can see geotechnical engineering from an industry perspective. An annual trip to the Geo- Congress conference is coordinated by the GSO as well. All students in the geotechnical
engineering program are invited to attend and the conference provides great networking and educational opportunities.