The Education Center of Rising Sun hosted the 1st Annual Lego Robotics
Camp for Southeast Indiana on July 28 to 31. Fifty seven campers
attended, split between the morning and afternoon sessions. The four day
camp was intended to excite students about math, science, engineering,
technology and teamwork using robotics.
Campers used the Lego NXT Robotics system to design, build and program
their robots. Dr. Joe Fuehne, Associate Professor of Mechanical
Engineering Technology for Purdue University College of Technology led
the program along with his son Matt. Joe taught students how to build
the Lego robot, work with light, sound, music and touch sensors; as well
as programming the robot to move and do various tasks. In addition to
having fun, participants learned about mechanical and software design,
problem solving and teamwork skills. The camp encouraged students to
begin thinking about career opportunities in the engineering and
advanced manufacturing fields.
The final day of camp was a very exciting day, filled with many not
quite or oh man as students were in competition to complete various
tasks. Each task was assigned a set number of points and students were
given 2 minutes 30 seconds to achieve as many challenges as possible to
obtain the highest number of points.
The camp helped to introduce students to the Lego Robotics League which
has a regional competition in November. The competition involves three
aspects: 1) the actual robot competition in which team members complete
defined tasks; 2) an interview with judges as to why your team chose the
tasks and programming used; and 3) a project in which teams will
consider many modes of transportation beyond their daily routine and
streamline their options by making smart moves. Local teams are being
formed to compete for our region and are for 9 to 14 year olds. The
competition will be held on Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Holiday Inn in Columbus.
The Lego Robotic Mindstorm equipment was funded through the EcO15
initiative of which Debbie Thomason is the Coordinator for Ohio County.
Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015 (EcO15) is an
initiative focusing on education and careers associated with Advanced
Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Hospitality/Tourism for 10 counties in
Southeastern Indiana. Advanced Manufacturing is the major economic
cluster in SE Indiana, therefore, the major focus of the initiative.
If you would like to receive information regarding future camps and
learning experiences at the Education Center of Rising Sun, please
contact Debbie Thomason at 812-438-2437 or dthomason@occfrisingsun.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .