University of Minnesota: College of Science and Engineering

Field Trips and Tours

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 K-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.

Minnesota Supercomputing Institute

• Tours and demos, including the supercomputer room and the Visualization Laboratory where 3D visualizations and virtual-reality simulations can be run; classes about supercomputing, including hands-on programming practice, can also be arranged
• Grades K-12
• Sponsor: Minnesota Supercomputing Institute for Advanced Computational Research
• 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.