What do you have planned this summer?
The summer months are a great opportunity for any number of things – enjoying the warm weather, having a cookout, maybe going swimming or perhaps building a robot. That's right; thanks to NASA, students around the country will have the opportunity to build their own robot this summer! But you have to act quickly in order for your school to be able to participate in the program.
The scholarship application deadline has been extended to June 12.
Image above: During the 2005 summer robotics course, students will learn the basics to build their very own robot. Image Credit: NASA
In order to give students a chance to get a head start on preparing for the 2006 U.S. FIRST Robotics competition, NASA is working together with the Fremont Union High School District in California to offer a summer school course in robotics. The course will be hosted at the district's Homestead High School in Cupertino. Students in that area will be able to attend at the school, but students around the country can participate in the course remotely. The class will begin on June 21, and will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays until July 28.
Using a VEX Robotics Design System kit, students will design, build and program their own robots, based on a controller similar to the one used in the FIRST competition. Helping them along the way will be NASA engineers from Ames Research Center, who will participate in live Web broadcasts and online chats with students.
And, as if that weren't exciting enough, it gets better. Selected schools will be able to participate in the program for free! Not only does NASA provide the lesson plans for the course, but the agency is awarding 50 scholarships to schools to cover the cost of the robot (a $300 value).
So, what will you plan to say in the fall when someone asks, "So, what did you do this summer?" Thanks to NASA, students have the opportunity to make the answer to that question an experience they'll never forget.
For additional information, visit:
http://robotics.nasa.gov
Kathy Forsythe/NASA Educational Technology Services
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