SUCCEED

   

Engineering and Robotics
Shodor > SUCCEED > Curriculum > Workshops > Engineering and Robotics

Course Description:


During five consecutive Saturdays this Spring, we will hold workshops to introduce students to robotics, structural engineering and electrical engineering through a combination of hands-on activities and computer simulations. For the first two weeks, students will be introduced to the idea of robotics, basic implementations and uses of robots in the current world and how to program a robot in a virtualized, simulated environment. Ultimately, students will be tasked with programming a robot to move through a maze, draw pre-set images and bulldoze pre-built structures. During the final three weeks, students will be introduced to the primary elements of a computer-aided engineering design process through the exploration and development of small scale systems. Students will be provided with a set of design criteria and allowed to actively pursue their own engineered solutions through exploration and modeling. Participants will develop techniques in the measurement and collection of experimental data, the use of computational models to process data and aid design, and the construction of an engineered system. The small-scale systems will primarily draw from two disciplines, structural (trusses, span bridges) and electrical (circuits and passive electronics).

Structure of activities:

Session size is limited to 20 participants in order to assure a high quality learning atmosphere. Participants work both in teams and individually in a supervised learning environment. Each day they learn about new scientific approaches and tools and then have the opportunity to try them out for themselves in our classroom.

Educational Objectives:

The goal of this workshop is to promote analytical thinking using highly motivating interactive applications while providing a more traditionally academically based math and science context - in essence, introducing the culture of engineering in it's modern, computer-driven form. Students will learn to explore and question with the motive of eventually shaping the world around them and to work as a team.

Facilities and equipment:

All activities take place at the Shodor headquarters located in Durham, North Carolina. Participants will use high-performance laptops loaded with computational software which the students will learn how to use throughout their classes. Additional resources for the physical builds will also be provided.

Prerequisites:

Participants should be 6th - 8th graders (or the equivalent) and interested in science and mathematics. Younger students who are particularly mature and older students who are well-behaved may also be considered. While some experience with computers is helpful, it is not required.