Mr. Witman
Robotics Reaching Out
Robotics teams are taking advantage of the remote learning environment to conduct outreach in new ways. The goal of robotics outreach is twofold; inspire others’ interest in STEM and have our students learn from professionals in STEM fields. Here are some recent highlights from the past few weeks.
Marlbots Teach Coding: Students from the Marlbots are teaching introductory coding in collaboration with a program called CoachArt, which serves students with chronic illness. They are using a web based version of the Processing language to explore computer graphics and animation.
Curiosity COVID Microgrant: Team Curiosity raised $500 from affiliates to grant to a team whose funding was impacted by COVID-19. The application process is now complete and the funds will be distributed to the recipient from our region this week.
Marlbots Teach Engineering: Students from the Marlbots are teaching engineering concepts in collaboration with a program called No Limits, which serves students with hearing impairments. The Saturday classes feature fun hands-on activities that use materials from around the house.
Virtual Visits with Professionals: The virtual environment is making it easier to reach out to real world engineers and scientists. Team Curiosity recently invited JPL Scientist Kevin Hand to Marlborough for a Q&A session about his work. In the first semester, teams received feedback from separate panels of professional engineers and robotics alumnae.
The familiarity of virtual meetings is changing the way teams conduct outreach and indicates exciting future possibilities. Many thanks to everyone who participated!