Inspiring Future Engineers with NC SciFest

If you were in the Wilkinson Engineering Building on April 11, you might have caught sight of a bright blue whirlpool, a dancing minion or a robot dog doing handstands. These were just some of the demos families encountered during Discover Engineering @ Duke, an official event of the North Carolina Science Festival (NC SciFest). 

NC SciFest is an annual, month-long celebration of science featuring events across the state. From lab tours to hands-on demonstrations, the festival invites people of all ages to experience the wonder of science, encouraging students to pursue STEM careers while giving local institutions a chance to connect with their communities. 

This year, Duke Engineering hosted Discover Engineering @ Duke, an open house event that reflects the school’s broader Community-Based Innovation (CBI) initiatives. One of the goals of CBI is to strengthen ties between Duke and its surrounding communities through transformative learning and impactful STEM outreach. 

“The NC SciFest is a perfect opportunity to open our doors to the community and share the exciting research that takes place within Duke Engineering every day,” said Adrienne Stiff-Roberts, the associate dean for CBI. “The event is also a chance for Duke Engineering faculty, staff, and students to work together to achieve much greater impact than is possible individually, which is part of the mission for CBI.”  

This year, over 20 Duke Engineering faculty members volunteered for the event, several of which were from the mechanical engineering and materials science (MEMS) department.  

One of the first booths visitors encountered was “Fluid Dynamics and Soft Matter” by Michela Geri and Bavand Keshavarz, who are both assistant professors of MEMS. Their table featured a collection of visually striking demos that turned complex research topics into tangible learning experiences. 

In the center of the table, a smiling yellow ball spun inside a blue whirlpool fountain, illustrating angular momentum and vorticity (or how quickly a fluid rotates). Nearby, Geri and Keshavarz took turns pouring streams of thick red liquid between beakers to demonstrate the tubeless siphon effect, as the elastic liquid continuously poured itself once started. Kids who visited the booth could also take home their own silly putty, an everyday toy that embodies the concept of viscoelasticity: Stretch the putty slowly and it flows, but pull it quickly and it snaps.

For Keshavarz, one of the most rewarding — and challenging — parts of outreach is explaining the same scientific principles to visitors of many different ages. “You might be talking to a five-year-old one minute and a high schooler the next,” he said. “The key is finding ways to describe the same idea at different levels so everyone can connect with it.” 

That approach seemed to work. Geri noted that curiosity often extends beyond the youngest visitors. “Sometimes the parents end up asking even more questions than the kids,” she said with a laugh. “It becomes a fun conversation for the whole family.” 

Downstairs in Wilkinson, another crowd gathered around a lively robotics display. The “Robots Live!” booth featured a walking robot dog, an AI camera that tracked hand movements and even a dancing robot minion. The table was run by Siobhan Oca (MEMS assistant professor), Evan Kusa (R&D engineer), and other members of robotics-focused labs. 

“This event is a fantastic way to connect with our local community,” Oca said as she guided the robot dog to shake hands with excited children. Some families had traveled from well beyond Durham to attend. “We met a family from Burlington earlier today. It’s great to see how far people will come for something like this.”

The dancing minion was created by senior mechanical engineering student Devi Yuliarti. She originally built the robot for a class project but was invited to showcase it at the event. Even though the robot is still a work in progress, Yuliarti enjoyed explaining its mechanisms to visitors. For younger kids, she described how small motors and a tiny hidden computer help the robot move its legs. Older students were eager to dive deeper, asking questions about the actuators and control systems behind the design. 

“It’s been really fun seeing how interested people are,” Yuliarti said. “They genuinely want to know how things work.” 

For Durham resident Michelle Merritt and her second-grade son Carter, the event felt like a perfect fit. Carter attends the Murray-Massenburg Elementary School, a new Durham public school that offers robotics classes starting in first grade. After seeing a flyer about the event through the school, the pair decided to visit. 

The experience lived up to both of their expectations. “It’s been like Carter’s dream come true,” Merritt said. “He wants to become an engineer when he grows up, so we’re grateful he’s gotten this chance to see robots up close and talk with real scientists.”  

By the end of the three-hour event, hundreds of visitors had passed through Wilkinson to explore the interactive exhibits. Many young attendees left with LocoPops in hand: a sweet reward after a day spent learning about science and engineering. 

For Oca, events like Discover Engineering @ Duke matter because they help remind people that the things students learn in school have exciting real-world applications. 

“Seeing the wonder on kids’ faces when they realize how cool this stuff is — that’s what makes it worth it,” she said. “It reminds me why I went into engineering in the first place.”