May 3, 2019
On Saturday April 13, more than 2,000 people came to campus to experience the first Show Me Mizzou Day – a campuswide open house for families to get a behind-the-scenes view of all things Mizzou, with more than 100 activities to choose from.
Show Me Mizzou Day offered interactive activities for people of all ages, including workshops on healthy families and relationships in the College of Human Environmental Sciences.
Below are a few highlights from the event. Join us April 2020 for our next open house!
A Nobel event
Bond Life Sciences Center worked with Saturday Morning Science and The Connector to have Nobel Prize winner George P. Smith speak to a crowd of more than 200. MU research centers and the MU Research Reactor also had interactive displays where all ages learned about science.
2018 Nobel Prize winner George Smith holds a conversation with the Saturday Morning Science crowd about cricket experiments in science.
Up, up and away
One attraction that was a huge hit for families who attended were the tours of MU Health Care’s Emergency Department and helicopter.
“We offered ambulance tours as well as tours of our helicopter, which was a huge success with the crowds,” said Misty Jones, director of emergency services. “Participants also received life-saving information with our Stop the Bleed and Hands Only CPR training.”
Families got to tour MU Health's emergency department, including getting to see the helicopter.
Hands-on science
The College of Engineering hosted a wide array of crowd-pleasing events for the whole family including STEM Cubs Festival put on by student and college organizations to showcase science and engineering to children. The festival was co-sponsored by the College of Education.
“It was exciting to see the amount of energy, collaboration, and contributions of multiple entities to make this first year of STEM Cubs Festival as part of Show Me Mizzou Day a huge success," said Theresa Metz, director of diversity and inclusion in the College of Education. "We had more than 15 student organizations, departments, and community organizations that showcased during this family friendly extravaganza!”
Members of the National Society of Black Engineers showed students how to build paper helicopters as part of the College’s STEM Cubs Festival on Show Me Mizzou Day.
The college also hosted the Balsa Bridge Middle School Competition, Army Ants robot demonstration, tours of its 3D printing lab, and demonstrations from Infiltronics Environmental and various material and virtual reality labs.
Melinda McPherson brought her family to tour Mizzou’s many laboratories within the College of Arts and Science. The college hosted more than 20 activities.
The McPherson children learned about seeds from the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Science.
“I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff, graduate students, and faculty that hosted my family in your laboratories during Show Me Mizzou Day,” McPherson said. “We recognize the efforts that were put forth to plan the events and the time that each of these amazing biologists spent with us that Saturday morning. My children, ages 5 and 7, were blown away and are still talking about the things that we learned that day. I very much appreciate you taking the time to connect with my children and introducing some of the wonders of your work.”
Show me health
The School of Health Professions shared how faculty and students are working every day to improve the health and well-being of people around the state. Whether visitors came for the high-tech research, the innovative clinics and outreach, or to learn about educational programs that get students jobs, there was something for everyone.
A middle school student uses the Rapael Smart Glove to replicate range of motion and therapy tasks used by occupational therapists and researchers treat patients and study various forms of therapy.
Outstanding in their field
The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources gave participants plenty to buzz about. The Enns Entomology Museum, Tiger Garden flower shop and Buck’s Ice Cream Place were open for tours and business.
Visitors toured the Enns Entomological Museum in the Ag Building – one of the largest university collections in the world.
They also exhibited and showcased the Torq’N Tigers quarter-scale student-built competition tractor and the Missouri Mobile Meteorological Observatory weather data collection vehicle – which launched weather balloons throughout the event.
Behind the scenes
Staff and students from the Missouri School of Journalism hosted five events to give guests a sneak peek behind the curtain of news production. Events included a showing of documentary clips from student productions at the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism. Visitors also viewed artist renderings of the proposed new journalism building, toured the Columbia Missourian, checked out the KOMU-TV live truck and sat in on a presentation on the Missouri Method.
Matt McCabe, 18, of Overland Park, Kansas, poses for a photo with Dean David Kurpius outside the KOMU 8 live truck. His mom, Susan, right, took the photo after the McCabe family visited the truck.
Hope to see you next year. M-I-Z!
