Marquette College of Engineering plans fall Engineering Academies for K-12 students
Starting its fifth year, the Engineering Outreach Program in Marquette University’s College of Engineering will include several new academies as part of its fall 2009 schedule for K-12 students.
Three of the new classes will introduce students to LabVIEW, software used to program robots, and prepare students for the FIRST Tech Challenge and the FIRST Robotics Competition. The FIRST competitions are meant to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders. The new classes are in addition to sessions being repeated from last year because of high demand. Some academies are on weekends, and others are offered during holiday breaks.
“The true measure of success is when participants want to come back for more,” said Dr. Jon Jensen, associate dean in the College of Engineering. “We were delighted when past participants challenged us to offer new sessions, and we are excited for them to try even more hands-on experiences. Our academies introduce young people to the challenge and excitement of science, technology, engineering and math. If we build on that natural enthusiasm, we can interest them in careers in these fields.”
A full list of programs, along with registration information, is available online at http://tinyurl.com/MUEng-fall2009 or call 414-288-6720 for information. The new programs include the following:
Oct. 10, 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., "Super SUMO-bot Competition, RCX”
Students ages 8-14 will design, build and program robots to compete in a Sumo wrestling-style competition using the LEGO Mindstorms® RCX system. There will be two divisions in the contest, one for beginners and one for students with RCX experience.
Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., “LabVIEW Introduction for FIRST Competitions"
This course provides an introduction to LabVIEW by National Instruments for students 12 through 18. Programming using graphics is described and illustrated through examples and student exercises. Students will work in teams to develop simple LabVIEW programs and use the LEGO NXT and other hardware to test their results. An introduction to the use of LabView in the FIRST Technical Challenge and Robotics Competitions will be described and illustrated (See Dec. 12 academy).
Nov. 27-28 OR Dec. 5 and 12
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., “Introduction to Robotics with the new LEGO WeDo”
The LEGO WeDo is an easy-to-use system that introduces young students ages 6-10 to robotics. It features working motors, sensors and computer programming to produce real, autonomous robots. Teams who participate in the Junior FIRST LEGO League can use the WeDo.
Dec. 12, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., “LabVIEW for the FIRST Technical Challenge”
This course is to provide students with the basic knowledge needed to develop programs for the FTC competitions. The Process of loading and applying Labview for the NXT as used in the FTC will be described. Examples of FTC programs and programming approaches using LabView will be illustrated and will be applied in student exercises. Students completing this and the introduction course will have the basic knowledge needed to plan and develop their competition robot programs.
Dec. 29-30, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., “Super SUMO-bot Competition, NXT”
Students ages 12-18 will design, build and program robots to compete in a Sumo wrestling-style competition using the LEGO Mindstorms NXT system. There will be two divisions in the contest, one for beginners and one for students with RCX experience.
Dec. 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., “LabVIEW for the FIRST Robotics Competition”
This course will provide students ages 12-18 with the basic knowledge needed to develop programs for the FIRST Robotics competitions. The students attending will be asked to bring the cRIO and associated hardware from their respective teams. The course instruction will describe and illustrate the creation of simple programs applicable to the FRC robots. Through student exercises they will learn how to load the cRIO with their programs and to obtain robot status information from the cRIO for use in controlling a robot. Students completing this and the introduction course will have the basic knowledge needed to plan and develop their competition robot programs.
Other academies include special sessions for girls 6-11 and 12-18 interested in engineering, additional robotics classes and a mechanical engineering academy. All sessions include hands-on learning activities. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
MEDIA NOTE: There will be great photo/video opportunities during all sessions. For the best times to attend, please contact Andy Brodzeller in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-0286.
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