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Sharing Science With the Community

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Children gather around a presenter at the EOH conference to listen to her talk about research.

Paige Duncan from I-Sci Explorers leads visitors in an activity during Engineering Open House 2025.

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For research to flourish, young minds need to be continually inspired to take on the grand challenges of the science of the future. That’s one of the many reasons NCSA participates in the annual Engineering Open House (EOH) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) campus. Each spring, EOH, an event sponsored by the Grainger College of Engineering, invites visitors to campus to explore hundreds of exhibits that showcase the hard work of students and researchers on campus.

Children attentively listen to an expert in digital agriculture.
CDA’s Christina Tucker speaks with visitors at EOH 25.

This year, NCSA hosted various tables showcasing research and activities affiliated with the Center. Christina Tucker, assistant director of education for the Center for Digital Agriculture (CDA), talked about how technology is being used in agriculture to solve problems like feeding a growing population and sustainability. Her table showed a tiny robot tractor in action from their Digital Ag in a Box, which includes modules with a small programmable robot and a sensor kit to measure environmental factors.

“There is a lot of technology used in agriculture to continue to feed and clothe our growing population,” said Tucker. “Participating in events like EOH is important to the Center for Digital Ag to engage with the youth of our community and show them opportunities for majors and career paths in Digital Agriculture that they may not otherwise think about. We took the opportunity to talk to the students about ag robots, sensors for measuring environmental parameters, artificial intelligence and our chatbot CropWizard.”

a tiny robot tractor sits inside a model farm.
CDA shows Robot Jr. in action on a tiny farm.

The Illinois Science Explorers (I-Sci Explorers) made their debut at EOH this year with several interactive activities designed for grade levels K-8. The activities simulate complex computing concepts through hands-on activities. Visitors were invited to make binary bracelets – each bracelet was made with beads in two colors representing binary code to help the crafters understand how computers process information. Other activities included parallel processing challenges, where teams competed to complete tasks faster, demonstrating how supercomputers divide work efficiently.

A child fills in a worksheet at EOH 25.
An I-Sci visitor works on the Advanced Visualization Lab activity, completing a dot-to-dot worksheet to see how computers turn data into images and videos.

“At NCSA’s Engineering Open House,” said Paige Duncan, community engagement specialist who leads the I-Sci program, “I-Sci had an incredible time showing how even the most complex scientific ideas, like high-performance computing, can be made accessible and fun for young learners. Our hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations were designed to break down challenging concepts into fun, age-appropriate experiences that connect with K–5 students.”

The event was a powerful reminder that with the right approach, no concept is too big for young minds. I-Sci is all about making science and technology exciting, understandable and empowering for the next generation.

–Paige Duncan, I-Sci Explorers
two girls work on a craft at EOH 25.
Design for America’s (DFA) table was set up in NCSA’s atrium this year. DFA is a nationwide network of student-led studies focused on using Human-Centered Design to address real-world social challenges. At their table, visitors built houses that met the needs of different animals using craft supplies.

Students Pushing INnovation (SPIN) were also on hand, hosting a large table where they spoke to visitors about their research. The NCSA SPIN internship program is a terrific opportunity for students to get hands-on experience embedded into research teams.

Asshvi Bursa was excited to be a part of EOH 25. “I’m working on a project called WormFindr: Automatic Segmentation of Neurons in C. elegans,” said Bursa, a computer science student at the U. of I. “For the project, I’m developing a computer vision model to segment the cells in electron microscopy images of the C. elegans nematode, with the ultimate goal being to create a 3D model of C. elegans.”

Abhinav Angirekula, another SPIN intern working on a project about quantum computing simulators, had a great time interacting with visitors. “I had a lot of nice conversations with aspiring U. of. I. computer science students about doing research as an undergraduate, and why they should worry less about being “smart enough” to do research in difficult and emerging areas and more about just enjoying the process of learning and failing and meeting people with the same (or sometimes completely different) interests,” said Angirekula.

students are greeting visitors to EOH.
Student interns at the SPIN table share details about their research at EOH 25.

“I think EOH was a great opportunity to connect with the community and talk to them about the research going on at NCSA,” said Bursa. “I was able to speak with kids and parents alike about my project and how it explored the intersection of computer science and biology. Overall, I think a lot of visitors really enjoyed the booth, and I noticed that they would often want to learn about more projects after hearing about one. I’m glad that I was able to present my work at EOH as I think it was a great learning experience for myself and others.”

Students look at a screen that captures their movements via a sensor camera.
IMMERSE: Center for Immersive Computing hosted interactive events in NCSA’s atrium during EOH 25.
the same students who are looking at the monitor, only this time you can see their excited faces.
Visitors at the IMMERSE exhibit enjoyed the activity, which allowed for large groups to participate together.

NCSA Leadership also participated in this year’s EOH activities. NCSA’s Chief Scientist, Daniel S. (Dan) Katz, was invited to join a discussion panel with four other Grainger College of Engineering professors to talk to current and prospective students about their work. The panelists discussed their fields of study, how to get involved with research and pursuing a degree in graduate school or working in academia.

Katz, an associate research professor in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science in Grainger as well as in the School of Information Sciences, spoke about his non-traditional path to teaching at U. of I. “All the professors discussed their paths into their current careers,” he said, “including in many cases, degrees in different fields than they were now working in, but a strong drive to understand and to improve the world in some aspect that guided them in the career steps they had taken.”

“I really enjoyed my time on the panel, and the students and families who talked to me afterwards also seemed happy with the panelists’ informality and honesty.”

A boy looks closely at a robot.
Another IMMERSE exhibit showcased Robot Sr., a robot that can move in any direction, pick up objects and navigate through buildings like a human.

ABOUT NCSA
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing, expertise and advanced digital resources for the nation’s science enterprise. At NCSA, University of Illinois faculty, staff, students and collaborators from around the globe use innovative resources to address research challenges for the benefit of science and society. NCSA has been assisting many of the world’s industry giants for over 35 years by bringing industry, researchers and students together to solve grand challenges at rapid speed and scale.

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