The Education Center of Rising Sun hosted the 1st Annual Lego Robotics Camp for Southeast Indiana on July 28th – 31st.   Fifty seven campers attended, split between the morning and afternoon sessions.  The four day camp was intended to excite students about math, science, engineering, technology and teamwork using robotics. 

Campers used the Lego NXT Robotics system to design, build and program their robots.  Dr. Joe Fuehne, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology for Purdue University College of Technology led the program along with his son Matt.  Joe taught students how to build the Lego robot, work with light, sound, music and touch sensors; as well as programming the robot to move and do various tasks.  In addition to having fun, participants learned about mechanical and software design, problem solving and teamwork skills.  The camp encouraged students to begin thinking about career opportunities in the engineering and advanced manufacturing fields.
The final day of camp was a very exciting day, filled with many “not quite” or “oh man” as students were in competition to complete various tasks.  Each task was assigned a set number of points and students were given 2 minutes 30 seconds to achieve as many challenges as possible to obtain the highest number of points. 
The camp helped to introduce students to the Lego Robotics League which has a regional competition in November.  The competition involves three aspects:  1) the actual robot competition in which team members complete defined tasks; 2) an interview with judges as to why your team chose the tasks and programming used; and 3) a project in which teams will consider many modes of transportation beyond their daily routine and streamline their options by making smart moves.  Local teams are being formed to compete for our region and are for 9 to 14 year olds.   The competition will be held on Sunday, November 22 at the Holiday Inn in Columbus.

The Lego Robotic Mindstorm equipment was funded through the EcO15 initiative of which Debbie Thomason is the Coordinator for Ohio County.  Economic Opportunities through Education by 2015 (EcO15) is an initiative focusing on education and careers associated with Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Hospitality/Tourism for 10 counties in Southeastern Indiana.  Advanced Manufacturing is the major economic cluster in SE Indiana, therefore, the major focus of the initiative.
If you would like to receive information regarding future camps and learning experiences at the Education Center of Rising Sun, please contact Debbie Thomason at 438-2437 or dthomason@occfrisingsun.com