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June 11, 2007

Students learn robotics at camp

By Nancy Glasscock

Twenty-nine students from high schools in Cullman and surrounding counties attended their first day of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics camp Monday at Wallace State Community College, where they learned how robots are used in automotive manufacturing.

The students from Morgan, Blount, Winston, Marshall and Cullman counties started the day at 8 a.m. with orientation, followed by a walking tour of the campus, lunch, and an introduction to NXT robots. The camp lasts two weeks, from 8 a.m. until about 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Joe Hendrix, Automotive Manufacturing Technology advisor and electronics instructor at Wallace State, said the main goal of the camp is to promote an interest in automotive manufacturing degree programs. Students are selected to attend the camp based on the recommendations of teachers who attended a work shop held earlier this year, he said.

During the introductory robotics session, Hendrix talked about tasks best suited for robots rather than man power, like those requiring repetitious movement or anything that might put a person in danger.

“If I have an unexploded bomb, what type of inputs and outputs am I going to need on my robot?” Hendrix asked the class.

A robot uses information from inputs and outputs to determine how it will react, he said.

Performing a high number of repetitious movements like lifting could cause a person to strain muscles or suffer other injuries.

“If you need the exact same thing every time, it’s a good thing to automate,” he said.

Cameron Thomas, a Cleveland High School senior said he enjoyed learning about robots, and plans to study computer programming in college. While Thomas seemed sure of his career choice, Joe Roberts, an Arab High School senior, said he attended STEM Camp to get a better idea of what field he wants to enter after graduation.

“I came to get ideas for future careers,” Roberts said.

During this year’s STEM Camp, students will travel to REHAU, TOPRE and International Diesel. The students are scheduled to tour Hyundai in Montgomery June 21. On the last day of the camp, June 22, the students will conduct freestyle robot demonstrations for parents and other guests followed by awards.

The camp, which will be held once a year for the next three years, was paid for by a grant to the Consortium for the Alabama Regional Center for Automotive Manufacturing from the National Science Foundation, Hendrix said. Colleges in addition to Wallace State that make up CARCAM are Central Alabama Community College, Gadsden State Community College, Jefferson State Community College and Trenholm State Technical College.

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