Field Trips and Tours

The Wisconsin Energy Institute welcomes all types of groups, including K-12, 4H, youth groups, teachers, teachers-in-training, and lifelong learners of all ages for field trips and tours. Please make your requests at least 4 weeks in advance so we can do our best to accommodate your group.

• To request a K-12 field trip to WEI, please fill out this interest form.

• Non K-12 Groups, request a tour here.

• We may be able to come to your Wisconsin school/library/community! Please contact us to inquire about availability. 

Fees: WEI does not charge a professional fee for field trips or tours. Donations are appreciated to help cover the costs of materials used for your group.

Questions? Contact us at outreach@energy.wisc.edu. 

Field Trip Topic Options:

See the list below for common field trip activities. For specific requests, give us a call or email at least a week ahead of your visit. Otherwise, we will choose from former visitor favorites. For handouts or more information on the activities listed below, please see the Educational Materials page.

• Power Grid and Microgrids – Learn about how electricity makes it to your homes, schools, and businesses, and how UW–Madison researchers are working to make that more resilient, efficient, and renewable! (Also available virtually.)
• Carbon Cycle and Climate Change – Play a game to model the carbon cycle and learn about how our energy use is connected to climate change and what we can do about it.
• Fermentation and Sustainable Biofuels– Conduct a fermentation experiment and learn how yeast and bacteria are used to make fuels and other products out of plants. (Also available virtually.)
• Climate Change Solutions Workshop – Use an interactive model to test global climate change solutions. Best for high school and up. (Also available virtually.)
• Meet a Scientist – Hear what it is like to do energy research at UW–Madison and ask questions of a scientist. (Also available virtually.)
• Pipe Cleaner Polymers – Bioplastics will change the way we think about plastic – so what are they exactly? Pipe Cleaner Polymers is a hands-on modeling activity that answers this question by exploring plastics at the molecular level. (Also available virtually.)
• Albedo and Our Warming Planet – Explore the phenomenon of albedo and its impact on climate change, interactively design and conduct a simple experiment, and meet a Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Researcher researching albedo and bioenergy. (Also available virtually.)
• Wind Energy – Design, build, and test small scale wind turbines, make decisions about where to site potential wind farms, meet students from UW–Madison's Collegiate Wind Competition Team, and explore careers in the wind industry. (Also available virtually.)
• Tour the Wisconsin Energy Institute to see state-of-the-art research facilities where scientists from multiple disciplines conduct energy research.

Virtual Programs

WEI offers a variety of live, virtual programming bringing the excitement of the Energy Institute to you. Engage in an interactive climate solutions workshop, conduct an at-home fermentation experiment, or participate in a role-playing environmental justice scenario with your class or student group. Please make your requests at least 4 weeks in advance so we can do our best to accommodate your group. To request a K-12 field trip to WEI, please contact us at outreach@energy.wisc.edu.

Explore UW–Madison

The Wisconsin Energy Institute partners with colleagues across UW–Madison to co-host a variety of public outreach events including Science Expeditions, Engineering Expo, UW Family Gardening Day and the Wisconsin Science Festival. Learn more and explore over a dozen other science venues at UW–Madison, and visit Campus and Visitor Relations.