Engineering takes to the streets of Sioux Falls

Bringing a taste of what the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South Dakota State University has to offer to the Sioux Falls metro area is no small task. 

Trailers, vehicles and nearly 100 volunteers made up of faculty, staff and students brought engineering to Sioux Falls for a first-of-its-kind event at the Washington Pavilion. 

Friday, Sept. 20, presented an opportunity to showcase the college to around 270 eighth grade students from Whittier Middle School. The following Saturday, over 700 individuals ranging from 5 to 65-plus years old joined the college at the Washington Pavilion to see what the college had to offer. 

SDSU Day at the Washington Pavilion closed Main Avenue in front of the facility, allowing various student-designed vehicles such as remote-controlled robots, NASA rovers, a Formula One race car and a quarter-scale tractor to be driven down the street. 

These efforts are in part to fulfill SDSU’s land-grant mission of spreading knowledge and engaging the communities SDSU serves. 

“We wanted to show the public, who does not get the opportunity to come and see the college, to see what we do,” said Sanjeev Kumar, dean of the Lohr College of Engineering. “We took the College of Engineering to their backyard.” 

The hands-on activities provided by the Lohr College of Engineering engaged students and community members with the work of the college. Current SDSU students showed off their work and explained the opportunities available at SDSU. 

“As much as the public, the parents enjoyed coming and looking at it, I think our students enjoyed it even more,” Kumar said. “It was great interacting with them, showing them, talking to them and explaining about their projects. I think it was a win-win situation.” 

The event came about because of a casual visit between SDSU Associate Vice President for External Affairs Vernon Brown and Kumar with Washington Pavilion staff. The result of that interaction was the entire College of Engineering, along with over a dozen other SDSU academic programs, spending two days at the Washington Pavilion. 

“Events of this nature foster partnerships between the university and the Sioux Falls community,” said Madelyn Grogan, director of education and museums at the Washington Pavilion. “It allows us to engage with local families and schools, strengthening ties and showcasing the university and the Washington Pavilion as a community resource.”

In addition to the academic showcases, Kumar said the free SDSU ice cream was also a big hit.