It’s June!, which also means FLATE’s robotics camps
season is at hand. This year many new and returning campers are looking forward
to a summer full of adventure and fun learning how to program robots as they
work to solve several thought-provoking STEM related challenges using
robots. For campers like MacKenzie Evans, who is returning to attend the
intermediate camp, the camp promises to be another exciting learning
experience…one that is sure to set her on another path of innovation.
Evans attended the 'all girls' camp last summer thanks to a scholarship from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation. This past year, Evans worked closely with FLATE’s outreach
manager and camp director, Desh Bagley, on a class-
related science project to
come up with a new invention to help save electricity, reduce global warming
and help polar bears. Inspired by her exposure to robotics and powered by her
knowledge about sensors that she learned to program during last year’s intro camp,
Evans designed a system that could detect motion and turn the light on, or off
in a room based on sensors that could detect human motion. Instead of having
lights turn off due to lack of movement, Evans programmed the sensor to
simulate a system in which lights turned off due to lack of carbon dioxide in
the air.
Indeed, FLATE’s robotics camps have
proven to be inspirational on many levels, and represent a ‘hands-on, minds-on’
approach to showcasing the applications of STEM in real-world settings. During the weeklong program, campers will engage
in various challenges, building and program Lego® Mindstorms® EV3
Robots. Working in a predominantly team-based environment, campers will learn how
to reconfigure and program LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3 robots. They will also
learn about 3D printing techniques, and write programs to operate the NAO
humanoid robot.
The high school camp is also poised to provide an intellectually
charged experience. Campers will use Solidworks
and CAD to design a functional
robotic arm. They will learn about 3D printing processes using additive
manufacturing techniques, and program an Arduino microprocessor to operate
servo motors. Thanks to the support of Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs, the
Foundation for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, the high school
campers will be able to keep the Arduino microprocessors and 3D printed
projects that they create during the camp.
The model for FLATE’s the
state-of-the-art robotics camps has been replicated across the state and the
nation, and just like in the case of MacKenzie Evans, the camps continue to serve as a platform to inspire students to become innovative thinkers, and pursue STEM careers that can support manufacturing and high-tech industries in Florida. Cost for each, week-long camp is $175. This
year’s schedule and list of camp offerings both on-site and across the state
are posted on the FLATE homepage at www.fl-ate.org/projects/camps.html, on www.madeinflorida.org, and
also on the side bar of the newsletter. So, if you haven’t already, be sure to
recommend and/or sign up for one of the camps, as space is limited. You can
also contact Desh Bagley at camps@fl-ate.org
and Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org,
for more information.
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