K-State Salina is preparing to open its doors to the community for a special event. The university’s annual open house is next Saturday, April 5th.

According to the school, more than 40 booths will be on display across campus exhibiting student clubs and organizations, class projects, academic information and fun, interactive demonstrations. The community can learn more about life on the K-State Salina campus.

There is a long history of education excellence at the K-State Salina location. The school says that in 1965, the real estate transformed from an Air Force base into Schilling Institute where it offered the first computer science degree in the state. Four years later it was renamed Kansas Technical Institute and then in 1988 it was converted into Kansas College of Technology. With the approval of Governor Joan Finney, the campus officially became Kansas State University Salina in 1991.

Currently Kansas State University offers 16 academic programs in Salina from professional pilot and airport management to social work and personal financial planning. There are also more than 40 clubs and organizations for students to experience.

K-State Salina’s Open House is a family friendly event dedicated to education, entertainment and energizing the Wildcat spirit.

Events include:

* Willie the Wildcat – Come give Willie a hug and a high-five! He’ll be on campus from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
* Hot Air Balloon Rides – Weather permitting, the Hot Air Balloon Club will provide tethered rides for $10 per person.
* Flight Team Pancake Breakfast – Start your Open House experience off right with a pancake breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. courtesy of K-State Salina’s Flight Team. Also, stay out on the ramp and take a look at some of the university’s aircraft as well as a Cessna business jet.
* Party with Pups – Play with a furry friend and learn about pet care from K-State Salina’s BARK club.
* Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand – Assist computer systems technology students in activating a robotic M&M dispenser designed and built as a class project.
* Flying the Garmin Glass Cockpit – Take to the skies with the aviation department in an airplane simulator using Garmin’s Glass Cockpit with Synthetic Vision; you will feel like you’re operating a Cessna 172.
* Robot Automation – Dance with a robot or watch it perform a variety of tasks depending on your commands.
* Bottle Rocket Build and Launch – Decorate your own two-liter bottle rocket and with the help of our physics students, pump it up and see how far it launches.
* Chemistry Demos – Watch in wonderment as K-State Salina’s chemistry students demonstrate some of their fascinating class projects.
* Airplane Toss – Using a rubber band airplane at the Alpha ETA Rho booth, toss it towards a target and see how many times you can get a bull’s-eye.
* UAS Club – Check out the fleet of unmanned aircraft from our UAS program, one of the best in the nation.
* Vehicle Displays – Examine a solar boat, electric car and Baja car from K-State Salina’s Solar Boat/Car Club and the Baja SAE Club, with possible vehicle demonstrations.