Open House Renamed in Honor of the Late Professor Christopher Levey

Mar 11, 2026

Dartmouth Engineering's annual open house returns on April 7 with a new name—the Levey Engineering Open House at Dartmouth—in honor of the late Professor Christopher G. Levey, who founded and championed the signature event that has helped introduce countless local community members to the power and excitement of science and engineering.

Professor Christopher Levey presents during the Engineering Open House in 2009. (Photo by Douglas Fraser)

Levey, who served as faculty across Dartmouth and Thayer School of Engineering for nearly four decades until his death in 2024, was a tireless advocate for K-12 STEM outreach and hands-on, project-based learning. Under his leadership, the open house event evolved from what was once a small community gathering into the bustling, interactive engineering and technology showcase it is today.

"Chris had an uncanny ability to share the excitement of discovery with people of all ages, starting with very young children," said Douglas Van Citters, interim dean of Thayer. "You couldn't help but be drawn in by his enthusiasm and be inspired to follow his lead in describing your own research."

Co-sponsored by the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society, the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Department of Computer Science, the open house features live demonstrations, lab tours, hands-on, interactive learning, and "make-and-take" experiments across the Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center (ECSC), MacLean Engineering Sciences Center (MacLean ESC), and Irving Institute facilities.

"Chris was always the engine that brought the open house together."

Eric Hansen, professor emeritus of engineering

2025 Engineering Open House. (Photo by Lee Koh)

A proponent of the "learn-by-doing" approach to engineering education, Levey was instrumental to the design and implementation of the project labs and makerspaces in ECSC and MacLean ESC, where the majority of open house activities are now held. He was also often seen guiding visitors through his microfabrication lab or showing off the world's smallest untethered mobile robot, which earned his research team international acclaim.

"To Chris, science and engineering weren't mysteries, they were fields to be shared, explained, and used to have a positive impact on society," Van Citters said. "We are proud to carry this legacy forward in his name."

See more past open house photos.

The Levey Engineering Open House at Dartmouth will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from 5:00 to 7:00pm, in Dartmouth's West End. The event is free and open to the public.

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