BUILDING AND ENGINEERING ROBOTS WITH BOTS IQ

INSTRUCTOR(S): Pat Unke, Milwaukee Area Teachnical College, Dan Neuman, Gateway Technical College, Stephanie Bernander, Sally Ride Academy
GRADE LEVEL: 6-12
CREDIT: 1, 2 or 3

This workshop will provide participants with a comprehensive integrated program of instruction through which they can acquire the necessary technical skills, science and math knowledge and the positive attitudes to successfully establish a competitive engineering program in their school.

Participating teachers will be fully immersed in the process of designing and constructing an electro-pneumatic radio controlled robot athlete that will compete successfully in an engineering game or challenge.  Participants will use GEARS-EDS^™ engineering education kits and Bots IQ educational resources to design and fabricate their mechanisms.

Building robots is only one of several good ways to develop an understanding and appreciation of engineering skills and processes.  The overarching purpose of engineering education programs like those made famous at many engineering colleges and universities is to learn and develop engineering knowledge and skill by doing engineering.