ASU Open Door to kick off its 13th year in February
Children, teens and families are invited take part in ASU's Open Door events this February. Photo by Enrique Lopez/ASU
Where can you operate the controls of a flight simulator, have a virtual reality adventure and even learn how Taylor Swift affects public policy?
At Arizona State University’s Open Door events, which are running throughout February.
Open Door is a free, annual celebration that offers the community a peek behind the scenes of ASU. Its goal is to highlight the innovative, inspirational and just plain cool research and projects happening at the university through interactive, hands-on activities.
Open Door events are held on the university’s four main campuses — Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe and West Valley — over four Saturdays in February.
“Attending an ASU Open Door event gives families an insider look at the fascinating innovations happening at ASU,” said Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and university provost. “Year over year, it has proven to be a way to inspire young minds through hands-on activities hosted by many of our top faculty members and students.”
Qa’ed M.Who prefers to go by last initial only. and his family are regulars at Open Door, having attended four times.
“I take the kids to Open Door because ASU’s been in my life for as long as I remember, so it’s just really fun to share so much of it with my kids. Also, I get a chance to peek in at what my colleagues are up to,” he said.
But his kids might be bigger fans of Open Door than he is, including 12-year-old Zakiyy, who said, “The entire community is awesome! It’s fun to walk around and just see robots, and turn a corner and see paper airplanes, and explosions and science!”
Other highlights of Open Door (beyond robots and explosions) include a forensic anthropology demonstration, Sun Devil race cars, a stuffed animal hospital, an ultrasound demonstration, rocket-building, catapult-building and more.
Although Open Door is literally an occasion where ASU opens its doors to the public, Gonzales says it’s important to know that the public is always welcome to engage with ASU.
“We talk about Open Door offering a behind-the-scenes view of the work happening at ASU, but in reality, our doors are always open," she said. "It’s our hope that ASU Open Door reminds families that there is a major research university in their backyard, with countless free events to enrich their lives. Young people do not need to wait to enroll in ASU to access ASU.”
If you go ...
Open Door dates and times are as follows. Click the links to find a full list of activities on each campus.
Feb. 1, 1–5 p.m., Downtown Phoenix campus
Feb. 8, 1–5 p.m., West Valley campus
Feb. 15, 1–5 p.m., Polytechnic campus
Feb. 22, 1–5 p.m., Tempe campus
You can register for Open Door here.
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