Children and families can experience magic from the Land of Oz at Tech-or-Treat
The Moss Arts Center will be transformed into the Land of Oz for this year’s Tech-or-Treat.
To be held on Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 5 to 8 p.m., the family-friendly event for kids of all ages will feature yellow brick road-themed technologies, including some new inventions created specifically for the event.
Presented by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology and the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, the free event will be held throughout the Moss Arts Center Grand Lobby and the Cube, located at 190 Alumni Mall.
Designed to give children the opportunity to experience the creativity that flourishes at the intersection of science, engineering, art, and design, Tech-or-Treat features research projects created by students and faculty affiliated with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology. Participants will learn how these students and faculty use lights, cameras, music, fabrics, motors, robots, and computers in innovative ways.
Be sure to look to the sky for the special “ICAT signal” on the evening of Tech-or-Treat. Just as the bat signal is used to summon the aid of Batman, the “ICAT signal” alerts the community to gather at Tech-or-Treat to harness their creative powers.
Once inside, visitors can travel through the Luminescent Forest. This special area features interactive light components, which sense movement and become more intense in relation to the proximity of visitors.
Making its debut during this year’s event is the OzVendor. This enchanting technology harnesses the power of 3D printing, creating one-of-a-kind keys to the Land of Oz. Participants watch as their special keys are printed layer by layer. These keys can then be used to open one of the Wizard’s magical chests, unveiling the brilliance of his many gifts.
Visitors can also get a peek behind the curtain of Tech-or-Treat through a special project that documents the inspirations, challenges, and triumphs of the research teams that created the many featured projects.
Faculty and students participating in Tech-or-Treat bring their work from many disciplines, including departments in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, College of Engineering, College of Natural Resources and Environment, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, as well as the Center for Geospatial Information Technology, Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Virginia Tech’s AmeriCorps VISTA program, and Design for America at Virginia Tech.
Costumes are encouraged at Tech-or-Treat and children must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
