National Engineer’s Week ended with a bang! On Saturday, February 27, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science celebrated with Innovative Engineering Day. Participating student organizations, UMaker and Society of Women Engineers (SWE), hosted interactive outreach activities while the research teams of James Coakley, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and GeCheng Zha, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, demonstrated the importance of technological advances. Our hosts were Daniella Orihuela and Angela Colbert, from the Museum. Daniella pointed out that more than 1,600 people attended that day.
“We are so appreciative that several organizations and labs from the University of Miami were able to join us and showcase some of the amazing work they do,” Daniella said. “We plan to continue providing these amazing programs to the public in a safe setting so that scientists can continue sharing their research, students have the opportunity to develop important science communication skills and people of all ages can get excited about science.”
On the first floor of the Museum was UMaker’s “Smart Mirror,” a reflective tech gadget that can be customized to display data such as weather, news or even social media updates. It’s creator, undergraduate student Nicholas Jacks, along with UMaker’s president and vice president were on hand to share and discuss the display with families visiting the museum.
“I am passionate about technology and science, so I was excited when UMaker was invited to exhibit our projects,” said Berk Basarer, UMaker president.
On the fifth floor, near the elevators, Zha and his graduate student Brendan McBreen showcased their research on the “future of flight,” using what they learned from the way a dragonfly uses its wings to develop CoFlow Jet Active Flow control, which makes planes more efficient and allows for vertical take-off and landing.
"It is a great opportunity to disseminate our green aviation research,” Zha said. “We enjoyed the interaction with visitors, in particular the children who are the future of aerospace scientists and scientists. If we can impress one child to join the aerospace research in future, it is a success.”
Just a few steps away was SWE, represented by their president, Anisha Kore. Kore and other members showed guests how to make paper rockets and talking about the basics of aircrafts and spacecrafts. Additional showcases inlcuded presentations from Coakley’s research assistants, William Hixson and Muhammad Awais.
“The work I do inspires me.... this E-day event lets me share it with people on the outside,” Hixson explained.
