Twice a year, ASFA hosts an inreach event, where middle school students from other schools will learn robotics principles. The first inreach event of the school year is tomorrow, Nov. 9.
Middle schoolers from other schools come to ASFA and spend the morning in the Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre lobby, where they separate into groups. Each group rotates around five stations: two Sirius robotics stations, one LEGO Mindstorm robotics station, an Edison robotic station, and a binary lock puzzle.
Mr. Anton Spraul, the faculty member in charge of the event, says that middle schoolers will “have a lot of fun while learning and gaining an interest in computer science.”
The first Sirius robotics station allows the participants to drive around an obstacle course with a remote control in the preparation for the second station. The second station involves students going through another obstacle course but blindfolded. The team can only use predetermined numbered commands to communicate with the driver to help them guide the robot through the course.
The third station uses a LEGO Mindstorm robot. The students have to program the robot to drive through a maze. They can measure the distance of each wall in the maze, and have to put in predetermined commands for the robot to go through it.
The fourth station uses Edison robots. The robots have color and bump sensors. The students are tasked to drive the robot through an obstacle course by drawing different lines. The robot will follow certain line colors. With other colors, however, the robot will do other things such as turning or changing its speed.
Finally, the fifth station is a binary combination lock. The lock is a series of switches, each with an on and off state. Guests can rearrange the switches to see how the number above them changes. They are then tasked to see how many numbers they can get the combination within a set time.
The stations teach the participants concepts of algorithms and programming, similar to the ones that computers use. After the event, the groups can be given prizes, including 3D printed mini trophies or certificates. Math/Science department students get to teach younger kids, sharing their knowledge of robotics.
The event also promotes ASFA itself, introducing middle school students interested in STEM to the learning environment that the Math/Science department provides.
The event needs a lot of students to run smoothly, and Spraul says that he “appreciates other teachers that allow the students to participate.”
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