Soper Group members participate in 2018 Engineering Expo
Members of the Soper group participated in the 2018 Engineering Expo “The Spirit of Innovation” at the University of Kansas, March 2-3, 2018. Over 2,000 area Elementary and Middle School students attended the Expo to explore the world of engineering and science through demonstrations, hands-on activities, and competitions. Activities at the Expo included a Rube Goldberg machine contest, downhill car competition, bottle rocket competition, egg drop, catapult creation, and construction of things such as marshmallow towers and pasta bridges. The point of the Expo is to get kids interested in science and engineering, and to have fun with it!
One of the hands-on activities offered was a microfluidics station, hosted by the Soper group and CBM2. The theme of the activities was Paper-Based Microfluidics. Kids learned about capillary action through many fun and colorful applications such as making their own filter paper tie-dye, mixing food colors through a paper microfluidic device, seeing how white flowers absorb colored water and change into colored flowers, and observing different colors of water travel through paper towels to make a new color in a shared cup. They learned how paper microfluidics are applied in real life situations through pH testing, glucose monitoring, pregnancy testing, and urine analysis.
