Decatur City Schools Robotics
E-News February 2015
OAK PARK FLL TEAM WINS A FIRST PLACE MEDAL AT STATE FLL COMPETITION!!!!!
The Robotics Expo is March 3rd!!!!!
Several businesses/ educational institutions that are planning summer Lego camps will have a display at the expo to hand out brochures and info to students and parents. Make sure to invite parents, faculty, and administration.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ROBOTICS CLUBS
Austinville Elementary School, Jeffrey Gilbreath, Sponsor
Banks-Caddell Elementary School, Joy Martin and Whitney Eddy, Sponsors
Benjamin Davis Elementary School, Caroline Weems, Sponsor
Benjamin Davis Robotics Students are competing in Jr. FLL this year!
Jr.FLL captures young children’s inherent curiosity and directs it toward discovering the wonders of science and technology. Jr.FLL features a real-world Challenge, solved by research, critical thinking and imagination. Guided by adult coaches and the Jr.FLL Core Values, students work with LEGO elements and moving parts to build ideas and concepts and present them for review.
Chestnut Grove Elementary School, Kristi Adams and Mary Kate Collins, Sponsors
Eastwood Elementary School, Melissa Dickman, Jennie Roberts, Margaret Greer, Teresa Oakley,Patti Wilkins, Sponsors
Francis Nungester Elementary School, Allison Sain and Sara Clifton, Sponsors
Julian Harris Elementary School, Jerry McRae, Sponsor
Leon Sheffield Elementary Magnet School, Kent Sanders and Laurie Corson, Sponsors
Somerville Road Elementary School, Shena Ivey, Sponsor
Walter Jackson Elementary School, Leah Payne, Sponsor
West Decatur Elementary School, Shannon Posey, Sponsor
5th Grade Robotics
4th Grade Robotics
Woodmeade Elementary School, Cristy Brown and Tonya Russell, Sponsors
EV3 Robotics Resources- from Robin Gillespie @ Oak Park
EV3 Tutorial: http://www.stemcentric.com/ev3-tutorial/
Robotics Lessons: http://www.ku-prism.org/resources/polar/robotlessons.html
NASA Robotics Lesson Plans: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/robotics/lessonplans/#.U7oZ_XkZdg0
MIDDLE SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAMS
Brookhaven Middle School, Tom Irwin, Sponsor
Brookhaven Students chose a tug of war for their next challenge. This will focus students skill on engineering/building rather than programming. Student will explore the use use of gears and gear ratios to obtain an advantage over the competition. This will be the last competition for these students this semester. Next week students will begin sorting parts and putting every thing a way until after Christmas break.
Cedar Ridge Middle School, Tammy Pickens, Sponsor
Cedar Ridge Robotics Students tour ULA and Calhoun Robotics Center
Oak Park Middle School, Robin Gillespie, Sponsor
Oak Park's FLL team 2014-2015
Front row: Hunter Greenwell, Eli Burns, Wim Vandiver, Jackson Peters
Back row: Will Dinsmore, Issac Englund, Bill Collins, Joe May, Chandler Bryant
OAK PARK TEAM COMPETED AT THE STATE FLL COMPETITION!!
As novice participants in the First LEGO League (FLL) tournament, the Oak Park Red Raiders weren't sure how they would fare in the competition. There was no need to worry. Team members Bill Collins, Eli Burnes, Chandler Bryant, Wim Vandiver, Will Dinsmore, Jackson Peters, Isaac Englund, Hunter Greenwell, and Joe May represented Decatur City Schools extremely well in the state FLL competition held at Grissom High School on Saturday, January 24th, winning a First Place trophy in Best Mechanical Design! Along the route to victory during the competition, Oak Park team members had a blast solving the instant challenge to build a 2-D robot out of 100 pennies, showing off their innovative "Radical Adventures of Hackstorm" digital math game, and impressing judges with their discussion and display of mechanical design and robot performance. It was a long and exhausting day, beginning at 7:30 AM and concluding at 6:00 PM, but the Oak Park team smiled and performed beautifully throughout the event, even jumping on the floor to get the crowd started dancing while waiting for judges' scores! Way to go, Raiders!
VEX at OPMS
Oak Park and Cedar Ridge Middle Schools participated in FLL this year.
The best way to summarize FIRST LEGO League is to say that it is a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds (9 to 14 in US/CAN/MEX), which is designed to get children excited about science and technology -- and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Teams, composed of up to ten students with at least one adult coach, can also be associated with a pre-existing club or organization, homeschooled, or just be a group of friends who wish to do something awesome.
In FLL, the students do the work! And the work is programming an autonomous robot (using the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot set) to score points on a thematic playing surface, creating an innovative solution to a problem as part of their project, all while being guided by the FLL Core Values. These three elements - the Robot Game, Project, and FLL Core Values - make up what we call the FLL yearly Challenge.
HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS
The Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition (DARC), Susan Haddock, Sponsor; Ian Lamb, Asst. Coach
DARC at TVB Competition
UPCOMING CAMPS AND SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
Auburn Robo Camp
Registration is open for the spring 2015 Robo Camp, a program developed by Auburn University's Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering to introduce students ages 10-17 to computer science and computational thinking concepts. Camp participants will be familiarized with hands-on applications of computer programming and robotics using a variety of computer programs. No prior computing experience is required.
Camp will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Shelby Center computer labs. The fee is $185 and registration is limited. For more information or to register for camp, visit here or contact Daniela Marghitu at 334.844.6386.
We hope your students will participate in this opportunity.
War Eagle!
Jessica Taylor
Engineering Recruiter
Auburn SSI
We are preparing for our fourth year of the Auburn University Summer Science Institute (SSI). SSI is a FREE 6-day summer residential program at AU that targets exceptional students from Alabama and Georgia who are currently in 10th or 11th grade and are interested in a future career in the sciences. The dates are May 31 - June 6. Those who are chosen to participate (there are up to 24 slots) will have the opportunity to work with over a dozen of the best and brightest science and math faculty at Auburn. The students will get a rare inside look at the fascinating research that takes place at a Research–1 institution and will learn cutting–edge techniques in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and mathematics. For your college bound students, this is a great resume builder! Students who have participated in SSI say it is a life-changing experience for them.
We need your help! If you have an outstanding student (minimum ACT 28 or combined SAT 1850) that you think could benefit from this experience, we’re asking you to give them the link to the application packet at www.auburn.edu/cosam/ssi. These are due by January 31 and require some work from the applicants to complete.
Thank you for your help in providing this unique opportunity to your students. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.
Mary Lou Ewald
Auburn University
Director, Science and Math Outreach
Director, Science in Motion
College of Sciences and Mathematics
131 SCC Bldg
Auburn University, AL 36849
phone: 334-444-1513
fax: 334-844-5740
E-Day At Auburn University
Seventh through twelfth graders have opportunities to chat one-on-one with students and faculty, experience interactive exhibits, and visit classes and labs, including the new Shelby Center for Engineering Technology. They can also tour the beautiful Auburn campus, and learn about admissions, scholarships, financial aid and residence life.
Information can be found at http://eng.auburn.edu/outreach/k-12/eday/index.html
SAME Camps
http://samecamps.org/
Eligibility for SAME Camps:
To qualify for consideration, students must meet the following criteria:
1.Student must be a U.S. Citizen.
2.The student must be at least 15 years old and have completed their freshman year of high school at the time he/she departs for camp.
3.The student must still be enrolled in school at the time of the camp.
4.Be on a high school track that will provide a basis for attending an accredited engineering college or university (i.e., taking appropriate math and science courses).
5.Have an expressed intent to pursue a degree in architecture, engineering or a related field.
6.Have demonstrated leadership characteristics through participation in extra-curricular activities, sports, and/or community activities.
7.Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 GPA scale.
8.Be physically fit and healthy (not have any physical limitations including, but not limited to the following: a requirement to take mandatory medication that requires special handling; sprained joints; or, neck, shoulder, or back injuries).
9.Be of high moral character.
10.Students who have attended an SAME Engineering and Construction Camp prior to this year will not be eligible to attend the same camp. Students are eligible to attend a specific camp once only.
11.Students must be sponsored by a local SAME Post. Please see the Camp Application Process for details.
GEMS Camps
GEMS
All students who are selected and successfully participate in GEMS qualify for an educational stipend ($100 per week).
The GEMS program at the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center (AMRDEC) - Redstone Arsenal, AL is open to the public for rising 8th-12th graders. All participants must be United States Citizens or U.S. Permanent Legal Residents. All participants are eligible for an educational stipend. In 2015, AMRDEC GEMS programs will be hosted at the beginning (GEMS I) and advanced levels (GEMS III).
Near-Peer Mentors and Resource Teachers
The AMRDEC GEMS program utilizes Near-Peer Mentors (NPM) and Resource Teachers (RT). Interested applicants must be available during all GEMS sessions and potentially for additional paid training days.
2015 Program Dates
GEMS I (rising 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th grade)
* Jun 8-12
* Jun 15-19
GEMS III (completed GEMS I & II and demonstrated high interest in STEM)
* Jun 22-26
* Jul 20-24
Near-Peer Mentor Program
* Jun 1-Aug 7
Resource Teacher Program
* Jun 1-Aug 7
Army Educational Outreach Opportunities
http://www.usaeop.com/
Decatur City School's Robotics Expo
Tuesday, Mar 3, 2015, 05:30 PM
Ingalls Harbor, Market Street Northwest, Decatur, AL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.