A robot battle showcase topped off an eight-week robotics program held by the United Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara County in Lompoc. On Aug. 13, small teams of elementary and junior high school students in third through eighth grades built and programmed LEGO robots for various tests and competitions.
The “Sumo Challenge” showcase concluded the summer program for more than 20 of the older students and gave the younger ones an opportunity to display their talents. Many showed that they gained knowledge in construction and programming, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Unit director Dena Kern said the event was a success.
“Several people who heard about the event from Facebook or other advertisements came to check it out, and we even had parents and their kids there who were interested in the program for next summer,” Kern said.
She also mentioned she was surprised by the ability of the students and robot-makers themselves.
“We thought it would actually be too much for them to retain, but the kids were able to handle the task extremely well,” she said. “The challenging aspect—programming the robots—was something the kids worked well with and ultimately succeeded at.”
Interns from the STaRS (Space Technology and Robotics Systems) program at Lompoc High School led each team of three to five students. The interns were selected through a career-building interview and résumé process designed to teach them valuable job-searching skills.
“There were cases when third-graders were helping fifth-graders, and vice versa,” Kern said. “The kids got along well and the dynamic of the small groups really made everything go smoothly.”
This article appears in Aug 22-29, 2013.
