Dr. Frankenstein, beware: Math- and science-minded students at Columbine Elementary School, in Longmont, Colo., have created robots that rival your famous monster.
here's the "Jedi Hockey-bot," an automated slapshot machine with light sabers. . .
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. . . the Rube Goldberg-like contraption that makes a marionette dance when levers connected to its strings are triggered by a car's movement.
. . . and the "Write Brothers," a robot that can scribble the letters M-E-S-A (for Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement, the after-school program to which the students belong).
"Eighteen wildly imaginative, budding engineers built these robots," says Scott Linssen, an IBM Information Technology Services employee in Boulder, Colo., who organized a six-week pilot to excite kids about math, science and programming via robotics.
Inspired by the "Engineer-A-Robot" program from IBM's On Demand Community initiative, the project was sponsored by IBM's Technical Education Outreach group in partnership with the IBM Boulder Technical Vitality Council, an Affiliate of the IBM Academy of Technology. John Cohn, an Academy member, chair of the Academy outreach committee and a member of the IBM Academy Technology Council, founded the program.
"According to LEGO's Web site, the name for these toys comes from 'Leg godt,' a Danish phrase that means 'play well,'" says Scott. "In Latin, the words translate to 'I put together.' Fitting, since LEGOs have allowed students to play and learn at the same time -- and IBMers to put together their technical knowledge with volunteering."
For one hour every Tuesday afternoon at the school, 13 IBMers inspired seven boys and 11 girls in the fourth and fifth grades to delve into the creative parts of their brains to solve logistical challenges.
For example, during races of LEGO vehicles, the same car won every time, and the kids learned how to come up with hypotheses to explain the result.
"It's got slightly bigger tires," one girl speculated.
"It's got a new battery," guessed a boy.
"Maybe this car is heavier than the other ones," another youngster conjectured.
Although the answer wasn't clear-cut, the IBMers were impressed by the astute observations.
"These 'inventioneers,' as they called themselves, were taught the basics of problem-solving," says Scott. "That means learning how to break big problems into smaller pieces. They also discovered engineering concepts, such as how gears work, and programming, such as the 23 commands required for the 'Write' robot to spell out MESA. These activities brought the students' scientific literacy to a whole new level."
Larry Longseth, IBM Boulder senior location executive, concurs. "LEGOs are a great medium for kids' learning because the tools aren't intimidating," he says. "I've watched students working with these robots, and you can't help getting pulled in by their excitement. What a terrific way to give back to our community."
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