Engagement of High School and Middle School Students in Robotics: Solving Space Challenges in the Zero Robotics Competition

Advisor Information

Raj Dasgupta

Location

UNO Criss Library, Room 231

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Start Date

7-3-2014 3:45 PM

End Date

7-3-2014 4:00 PM

Abstract

The goal of this project is to engage Omaha middle and high school students into University of Nebraska at Omaha programs through competing in an international robotics tournament. The aim of this project is to build and prepare a team(s) of middle and high school students to compete successfully in the 2014 Zero Robotics challenge. This tournament is a program organized by MIT and NASA and it provides high school and middle school students an opportunity to do real space research. Students compete in virtual programming challenges using the SPHERES (Synchronized Position-Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites) robots that were developed at MIT. The final phase of competition takes place live aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on the real SPHERES robots that are already on board. In the 2013 tournament there were 13 European countries and 29 states from the US participating. Nebraska was not represented by any team. The importance of this endeavor is that it will provide outreach between the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s computer science department and area high schools, while also creating interest in math and computer science and keeping our best and brightest students here in Nebraska. We have built a team of students from several Omaha high schools and have begun teaching them the math, physics, and programming skills they will need for the competition. The students have shown a real interest in learning and have already improved in their skills in the robotics space challenges.

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Mar 7th, 3:45 PM Mar 7th, 4:00 PM

Engagement of High School and Middle School Students in Robotics: Solving Space Challenges in the Zero Robotics Competition

UNO Criss Library, Room 231

The goal of this project is to engage Omaha middle and high school students into University of Nebraska at Omaha programs through competing in an international robotics tournament. The aim of this project is to build and prepare a team(s) of middle and high school students to compete successfully in the 2014 Zero Robotics challenge. This tournament is a program organized by MIT and NASA and it provides high school and middle school students an opportunity to do real space research. Students compete in virtual programming challenges using the SPHERES (Synchronized Position-Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites) robots that were developed at MIT. The final phase of competition takes place live aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on the real SPHERES robots that are already on board. In the 2013 tournament there were 13 European countries and 29 states from the US participating. Nebraska was not represented by any team. The importance of this endeavor is that it will provide outreach between the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s computer science department and area high schools, while also creating interest in math and computer science and keeping our best and brightest students here in Nebraska. We have built a team of students from several Omaha high schools and have begun teaching them the math, physics, and programming skills they will need for the competition. The students have shown a real interest in learning and have already improved in their skills in the robotics space challenges.