Penn State Berks Engineers Week plans virtual escape room

Despite a milestone year for the engineering program at Penn State Berks, the university will hold its annual National Engineers Week celebration in an entirely digital format due to the coronavirus.

Yet what could easily be viewed as negative situation is being turned into a positive, said Kathleen Hauser, professor of engineering at Penn State Berks.

That is, after all, just what engineers are supposed to do.

“Since almost all of it is online and not necessarily on campus, we have the ability to reach way more people than we normally do,” said Hauser. “So we thought in planning, wouldn’t it be great to engage students, or businesses, or anybody in the community who wants go get excited about engineering?”

The university has a full slate of events planned online from Feb. 22 through 26, including everything from roundtable discussions to competitions — almost all of it is free and open to the public.

One such activity Hauser expressed enthusiasm for is the virtual escape room set to launch Feb. 23.

The Engineering Achievements of Berks County Escape Room finds players have been transported back in time. The only way to return to the present is by finding clues in area engineering feats, each one the key to unlocking a time machine.

The game takes players on a tour beginning with iron production in the 1700s, through operations that were integral to regional trade such as the Schuylkill Canal, Reading Railroad and the Knitting Mills, then to a 19th century arch bridge that’s completely unique to the U.S.

“The escape room provides a historical perspective on some of the great engineering moments that occurred locally, but helped get our civilization where we are today,” said Hauser. “It demonstrates why Berks County was so instrumental in the development of our country.

Upon completion of the puzzle, participants are entered into a prize drawing.

The escape room is far from the only fun aspect of Engineers Week. Another event that is sure to captivate a range of audiences is the Wondrous Wearables contest, which asked competitors to fix an everyday problem by combining technology with fashion.

“Show ingenuity by creating digital design that solves a problem and is meant to be worn,” said Hauser. “Things that drive you nuts in daily life — what can you do to make them better? How can you fix it and also make it something you an wear?”

Submissions to Wondrous Wearables will be unveiled in a video debuting Feb. 25 and will be on display at the Berks LaunchBox within the Goggleworks from Feb. 21 to March 21.

Programs like Wondrous Wearables as well as the LionSide Chat on Discovering Engineering at Penn State Berks on Feb. 22 act as a sort of entryway to what engineering even is.

While the LionSide Chat serves as an introduction to Penn State Berks’ two engineering programs, it also attempts to answer fundamental questions about the field.

“The term most people think of is ‘inventors,’ but I think that’s intimidating,” said Hauser. “It’s not just that.

“Anybody who looks at something and is annoyed by it, it doesn’t work the way it should, doesn’t last as long, any modification you make to make it better, that’s an invention.

“I don’t want to say engineers are dissatisfied with life, but there’s a tendency to be critical of things we think could be better.”

Other events that are open to the public include an elevator pitch competition between the university’s engineering clubs and a roundtable discussion among local professional engineers reflecting on what they wish they knew when they were undergraduates.

Visit berks.psu.edu/engineersweek to participate in National Engineers Week.