Edison Lecture Series 2026

Hey there, future scientists and tech enthusiasts! The 2026 Edison Lecture Series will take place on Friday, February 6 at The University of Texas at Austin's Engineering Education and Research building. The Edison Lecture Series is a free, interactive STEM learning experience that engages middle and high school students with the fun side of electrical and computer engineering. Edison attendees learn the fundamentals of an engineering topic through a university-style lecture, then see these concepts come to life through hands-on demos. Be part of the excitement!

The 2026 Lecture Topic is Robotics. Robots help make difficult tasks easier, like Roombas vacuuming houses or industrial robot arms making cars. But these robots are pretty different from what we imagine in the movies! How far away are we from Star Wars, WALL-E or... The Terminator? 😱 In this talk, we'll explain what robots are, how they work and what problems we have to solve to make movie-style robots. We'll also talk about how you can get involved in robotics now and how to turn high school level experiences into a career. No experience is needed—just bring your curiosity and excitement to discover the science behind the sci-fi!

All of the lectures are the same. Register to attend whichever is most convenient for your group. Plan for your group to spend at least an additional 45 minutes to an hour to browse 15 - 20 interactive electrical & computer engineering demos in our exhibit hall, which will be open from 10 AM - 12PM!

Info: Check-In: 9:15–9:45 a.m.
Lecture: 10:00–11:00 a.m.
Demos: 11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Info: Check-In: 9:30–10:00 a.m.
Demos: 10:15–11:00 a.m.
Lecture: 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

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Host or Publisher UT Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering