Each spring, the college of engineering holds a large open house (http://eoh.ec.uiuc.edu/). Every department opens up their buildings to the public (students, faculty, residents of the Champaign-Urbana area, and companies) and shows off the projects that their students have been working on. Think of it like a giant science fair. Projects range in size and complexity, but almost all of them require a lot of work time and effort to create. Many of ACM’s SIGs work on their own projects, so that can be an easy way to get involved as a Freshman. As a result, if this sounds like something you might be interested in, I would recommend you start planning your project early. Engineering Open House is a great experience, and something I would highly recommend trying out.