From building bridges and discovering medication to writing software — Engineers Day, or E-Day, is the University of Kentucky College of Engineering’s celebration of everything engineering and computer science have to offer.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a virtual experience branded E-Day Live! will replace the traditional in-person event from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27.  

“E-Day Live! will be a combination of an all-day livestream variety show — full of engineering activities, live webinars, and on-demand activities and presentations,” Eric Sanders, the creative director of E-Day Live!, said. “Participants can tune-in live throughout the day or plan a day filled with follow-along activities through the on-demand YouTube library.”

E-Day Live! will offer a mix of live and on-demand exhibits. The live exhibits have scheduled times, while participants can access on-demand exhibits at any time during the six-hour event. Just as the typical E-Day open house is a come-and-go event, viewers can customize their E-Day Live! experience any way they want. 

Some of the college’s best-known personalities will host the program, alongside current engineering students who share an infectious enthusiasm for the profession and the college.

"E-Day celebrates engineering in a way that is fun. But it also plants a seed in kids’ minds and gets them thinking about engineering," Micaha Dean Hughes, chair of E-Day, said. "The more they’re exposed to engineering in an engaging context, the more they’ll begin to see themselves as future engineers."

Prior to the event, the E-Day Live! website will list household items participants will need for any of the numerous interactive or on-demand exhibits.

Engineers Day comes at the end of Engineers Week, an annual event sponsored by a coalition of more than 100 professional societies, major corporations and government agencies dedicated to promoting math and science literacy and ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce.

More information about E-Day Live! is available online.