College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota
College of Science and Engineering
http://cse.umn.edu/

Field trips and tours

Energy lab fire-300

Learn about the latest cutting-edge research in the areas of energy, medicine, nanotechnology, transportation, robotics, and the environment.

Bring your class or other student group to tour a lab in the College of Science and Engineering and hear from world-renowned experts!

Characterization Facility Tours

  • Tours of a high-tech materials research lab used in nanotechnology, biology, medicine and many other fields
  • Grades 9-12
  • Sponsor: Characterization Facility
  • Visit the website.

Civil Engineering Department Tours

  • Tours of a unique facility seven floors underground with labs studying structures, water quality and much more; presentations in schools can also be arranged
  • Grades K-12
  • Sponsor: Department of Civil Engineering
  • Visit the website. 

Digital Technology Center Tours

  • Tours of the Digital Technology Center include tours that include robots, virtual reality, 3D visualizations, and more
  • Grades 7-12
  • Sponsor: Digital Technology Center
  • Visit the website.

Earthquake Engineering Lab Tours

  • Tours of a specialized lab that twists, compresses, or stretch components of large structures such as buildings or bridges to study what happens to them during earthquakes and other extreme events
  • Grades 9-12
  • Sponsor: Department of Civil Engineering
  • Visit the website. 

Intelligent Transportations Systems Institute Tours

  • Tours and demos for high-school groups interested in transportation; includes the Minnesota Traffic Observatory, HumanFIRST Program, and Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory
  • Grades 9-12
  • Sponsor: Intelligent Transportations Systems Institute
  • Visit the website. 

Medical Device Center Tours

  • Tours of this new, interdisciplinary research facility where students and faculty work on developing innovative new medical devices; facilities include prototyping labs and a video portal to watch live surgeries
  • Grades 9-12
  • Sponsor: Medical Device Center
  • Visit the website.

Soudan Underground Laboratory

  • A half-mile underground in an old mine near Ely, Minnesota, this unique high-tech facility offers individual and group tours exploring neutrino physics and the enormous MINOS detector modules.
  • Grades K-12
  • Sponsor: School of Physics and Astronomy
  • Visit the website.