High school students on Brisbane's northside have embarked on an eight-week robotics journey that will see them learn about – and create – miniature robots with the help of QUT.
About 240 students from eight high schools visited QUT this month for the launch of the Moreton Bay STEM Fest to gain some inspiration for their own robot projects.
The event's theme is aligned with this year’s National Science Week (August 21-23) theme of Drones, Droids and Robots.
At QUT's Gardens Point campus, the Year 8 and 9 students heard from some of the university's world renowned robotics scientists, toured the facilities of the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision (ACRV), and got to experiment with different types of robots.
They included tiny Sphero rolling ball robots, which move like Star Wars’ BB-8. (Sphero actually does make and sell a toy version of BB-8.)
After getting plenty of tips from the QUT experts, they have now returned to school where they will spend eight weeks designing and building their own small robot using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics kits – which can create a variety of mobile robots including WALL-E lookalikes.
The eight schools taking part in the challenge are Aspley State High, North Lakes State College, Murrumba State Secondary College, Pine Rivers State High, Bray Park State High, Deception Bay State High, Dakabin State High and Burpengary State Secondary College.
Professor Peter Corke from QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty is the director of the ACRV and talked to the students about the challenges facing today’s robot designers and the gap that still existed between science fiction and reality.
“STEM Fest provides students with a genuine extension opportunity in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, well beyond what they would normally experience in their high schools,” he said.
“They will work in groups in after-school clubs to build their robots and will be assisted by QUT student ambassadors who will visit their schools.
“Once they finish their robots they will be presented to judges at a prize night at Murrumba State Secondary College in August.”
STEM Fest is a partnership between schools in the Moreton Bay Region, QUT, STEP Up and Wonders of Science.
QUT’s Queensland STEM Education Network (QSEN) project, which funded the schools’ visit to campus, is part of the QUT Science and Engineering Widening Participation Program, which seeks to demystify the university experience for students who may be the first in their family to attend university.
Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, QUT media officer, media@qut.edu.au
- (After hours) Rose Trapnell, QUT media team leader, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au
