Programming robots launches interest in engineering
Diego Fierro, 13, hopes to be a mechanical engineer someday. And thanks to a LEGO Robotics: Space Challenge camp at the University of 蜜糖直播 Boulder, Diego took one step closer to that dream this week.
鈥淚鈥檝e never built anything with LEGO Mindstorms before,鈥 Diego explained, as he programmed the robot鈥檚 next move. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cool because it gives me an idea of how a machine works, how every piece is important and has a job.鈥
Diego was one of 30 middle school students from Skinner and Lake middle schools and Bryant Webster 鈥 an early childhood through eighth grade school 鈥 in Denver who built and programmed robots as part of 蜜糖直播-Boulder鈥檚 Science Discovery residential camp.
The summer camp is a partnership between , and the Summer Academic Focused Education program, a nonprofit that provides hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to middle school students in northwest Denver. These week-long camps focus on architecture, business and engineering and are held at 蜜糖直播-Boulder, UC Denver and the 蜜糖直播 School of Mines.
鈥淢any low-income, first-generation students haven't had much exposure to STEM fields,鈥 said Ron Gallegos, who coordinates the northwest Denver summer program. 鈥淭hrough hands-on projects like programming robots, STEM becomes something they understand and as a result they might choose as a potential career.鈥
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