2009 Washington County Lego Robotics Expo

 

The 3^rd Annual Washington County 4-H Robotics Expo was held Saturday, March 21^st at the Elm Street School in East Machias.  Sixty-two youth from six area schools participated in the day-long event which kicked off at 9:30am with a “robotics fair”.  Youth teams had their displays set up and practiced their public speaking skills while judges circulated and asked a variety of questions.  The afternoon offered a robotics skill-a-thon for youth and coaches fairly new to the robotics project.  They rotated through five stations that offered hands-on activities to teach a specific skill such as using light sensors and experimenting with tire size to determine the effect on speed and accuracy.  More experienced teams spent their afternoon working on a challenge activity in which they had to program their robots to navigate a course. The day wrapped up with an awards ceremony.  The event was organized by Tom Bickford of Maine Robotics in collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H program. “This event is designed to provide an opportunity for youth and coaches from schools around Washington County to come together and not only share and show off their projects, but more importantly, to ask questions and learn from one another,” says Jen Lobley, 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator for Washington and Hancock Counties.  “The coaches and kids deserve all the credit.  They work during class time or in after-school sessions on these projects and it is very cool to bring them together to see what all these young minds have created.”  Research show the United States is falling dangerously behind other nations in developing its future workforce of scientists, engineers, and technology experts. To ensure global competitiveness, 4-H is working to address our nation’s critical challenge by preparing 1 million new young people to excel in science, engineering, and technology by 2013. Currently, 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology programs reach more than 5 million youth with hands-on learning experiences to encourage young minds and fill the pipeline of young leaders proficient in science. “And what the teams may not realize,” Lobley adds, “is that while they’re having fun, they are developing life skills such as critical thinking, cooperation, planning and organizing as well as learning about possible career opportunities.”  Special thanks to the Perloff Family Foundation and the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation for their financial support.