AUSTIN, Texas The University of Texas at Austin will host more than 50,000 visitors from young children to parents of college-bound students for Explore UT, an annual event featuring more than 400 free activities on the university’s main campus. This year’s event will be held March 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In what is known as “the biggest open house in Texas,” students, parents and teachers from cities and towns across the state come to the Forty Acres for a day of learning and discovery. From a 3-D mask-making class to a concert hall backstage tour, and tips on developing healthy sleep habits to a class that illustrates engineering concepts through the dissection of toys, this year’s event offers something for everyone.
Explore UT activities and courses highlight a broad range of topics covering virtually every academic discipline. Some of this year’s events include:
Hogwarts Jungle Potions Class
Even if you have not been admitted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you can learn how medicines are prepared and create your own pharmaceutical products. Tickets are required and may be picked up beginning at 11 a.m. at the door.
Noon-12:40 p.m.
Pharmacy Building (PHR), 3.110
3-D Tour of Drugs
Join professor Walter Fast to take a 3-D tour of medications and discover how they fight diseases.
11-11:40 a.m.
Pharmacy Building (PHR), 2.1114
Superheroes and Supercomputers Help Envision a World of Difference
Visit the Visualization Lab at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to learn about how supercomputers and simulations are powering discoveries around the world. Interact with cutting-edge technologies used to predict weather and find the cure for cancer.
1111:40 a.m.
Peter O’Donnell Jr. Building (POB), 2.404A, Visualization Laboratory
Frozen Chemistry
Learn about chemical engineering and the chilling effects of liquid nitrogen. Watch as engineers freeze flowers, bananas, racquetballs and balloons, and try a sample of liquid nitrogen ice cream.
1111:40 a.m.
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building (CPE), 2.214
March with the Longhorn Band
Experience the thrill of marching with the Longhorn Band and become an honorary member. Following a rehearsal session on the field, participants will march to the UT Tower to participate in the biggest “class photo” in Texas.
44:40 p.m.
Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, NEZ Gate 16 Entrance, Joe Jamail Field
Ten Tips for Success in College
Receive practical tips and valuable advice on how to be a successful undergraduate student.
1111:40 a.m.
Student Activity Center (SAC), 1.401, Auditorium
For a complete schedule of activities, times and locations, visit the Explore UT website at http://exploreut.utexas.edu.
While the students are exploring activities on campus, there are also training opportunities for their teachers. Explore UT offers free continuing education courses that count toward teachers’ required professional development credit hours.
Since 1999, Explore UT has given Texans an inside look at the university. The event provides an opportunity for prospective students and their families to see the university’s literary and art collections, learn about its groundbreaking research, experience its history and traditions, and interact with faculty members, staffers and students.
Last year, about 55,000 people attended Explore UT including more than 20,000 kindergarten-through-12th-grade students, teachers and parents who traveled to campus on more than 450 school buses. Those students represented more than 100 school districts and 270 individually registered schools from across Texas.
