Turn Up the Heat & Tune into the ALL NEW and IMPROVED FLATE’s Robotics Camps

With the summer heat turning up and schools midway through the spring semester, all eyes are now turning to summer camps. Florida Advanced Technological Education (FLATE) Center, the National Science Foundation Center of Excellence for high-tech manufacturing in Tampa, will offer several robotics camps this summer. The camps, which have been offered since 2006, will feature, for the FIRST time, the all NEW Lego^® Mindstorms^® EV3 Robot system which combines the “versatility of the LEGO building system with the most advanced technology” that allows users to “create and command robots that walk, talk, think and program to do anything one can imagine.” (Source: LEGO^®). The camps will be held in the student services building at Hillsborough Community College in Brandon, and are designed to enhance campers’ skills needed to succeed in high-tech, STEM-related careers using a modern manufacturing setting.

Cost for each, week-long camp is $175. Schedule and list of camp offerings include:

• June 16- 20:     Introductory EV3 Robotics Camp for Middle School GIRLS ONLY!
• June 23-27:      Introductory EV3 Robotics Camp for ALL Middle School students
• July 7-11:         Introductory EV3 Robotics Camp for ALL Middle School students
• July 14-18:       Intermediate EV3 Robotics Camp (A) for middle school students
• July 21-25:       Intermediate EV3 Robotics Camp (B) for middle school students
• July 28-Aug.1:  Robotics & Engineering Camp for ALL High School students

Each camp offers different level of challenges. During the introductory and intermediate camp, students will learn how to build and program EV3 robots and program them to follow specific commands. The high school camp provides students with higher level STEM and robotics related challenges. Campers will Solve LEGO^® Mindstorms® EV3 robotics challenges through original robot design, construction and programming. Campers will also learn about additive manufacturing and see demonstrations of 3D printing. Additionally, high school campers will use CAD software to design models for 3D printing and write programs to operate the NAO humanoid robot.

Curriculum for all the camps comprises of a mixture of LEGO^® educational materials that are integrated with STEM subjects and modern manufacturing, and are conducted in a competitive problem solving environment. Campers will tour various local high-tech manufacturing facilities, and develop increased critical thinking, teamwork, and communications skills. To register for the camps visit www.fl-ate.org/projects/camps.html, and www.madeinflorida.org. You can also contact Desh Bagley at camps@fl-ate.org.