Activities for Younger Guests
10th Roger That! - Friday, February 20th, 2026
Friday Workshops
Ongoing workshops from 4pm to 5:30pm on Friday, February 20th, 2026 at the DeVos Center (E wing), on GVSU's downtown Grand Rapids Pew Campus.
Parking for conference guests (Friday event ONLY) will be in GVSU's Seward Parking Lot (Parking lot #20 on this map). When you enter the parking ramp for the Seward lot you will need to take a ticket. The ticket can be validated in the building, next to the registration desk. Faculty and staff who attend should park in their normally designated parking areas.
Here are last year's workshops. Information on the 2026 workshops is coming soon!
Workshop #1: Acoustics - Sounds like FUN!
How is sound created, and how does it travel? What are the important characteristics of sound, and how do sounds interact with one another? How can sound be visualized, and how does the sound of a human voice compare to other sounds? This drop-in, open-ended workshop includes hands-on activities for all ages exploring each of these questions and more.
With Dr. Karen Gipson and Dr. Keith Oliver of the GVSU Physics Department
Workshop #2: Mission: Satellite Launch!
Come join the engineering outreach team for a family-fun design and build challenge. All the materials will be provided for you and your mission specialist crew to create a communications satellite. All creations will go home with their engineers to be installed in their home galaxies. All ages are welcome! There will be scissors, tape, hot glue, and more to assist with the building. Junior engineers will probably welcome an adult helper. Workshop is open to come and go as you please.
With Sara Maas of the Padnos College of Engineering and the PCE outreach team
Come see a real astronaut!!!
Astronaut Talk - Live, in-person at 6:30pm, Friday February 14, 2025
Dr. Jeanette Epps, PhD, is a retired NASA astronaut and engineer who traveled to space and lived on the International Space Station. She spent many months orbiting Earth, helping with science experiments and taking care of the space station.
Dr. Epps is also an aquanaut, which means she lived and worked underwater as part of a special NASA mission. Before becoming an astronaut, she studied science and engineering and worked on challenging problems on Earth. She believes that curiosity, teamwork, and not giving up can help people reach their dreams. Dr. Epps enjoys inspiring kids to explore science and imagine exciting futures.
She will be signing autographed pictures and taking photos after her keynote address, so be sure to stay and say hello!
After the workshops and before Dr. Epps' talk, have a space snack! A reception with a variety of delicious appetizers starts at 5:30pm.
Local students between 4th and 8th grade will be competing in Roger That!'s Design That! design challenge. You and your younger companions can check out their entries and vote for your favorite!
The space adventure continues on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum!