Students learn math skills by building robots

Randy Winzer announces the winners for at the Adventures in Robotics workshop at Pittsburg State University.

For the cheering youngsters gathered around the table and the circles of parents beyond, this week’s work was all about the robots clashing in the middle. Every day this week, third-through-eighth-grade students have worked in teams in Pittsburg State University’s annual Adventures in Robotics workshop to build the toughest robots. Now the robots themselves would determine whose work was best.

While the students and parents may have focused on the machines and the fun they were having, to Randy Winzer, a member of the faculty in the Department of Engineering Technology and coordinator of the workshops, this was the culminating activity in a week focused on inspiring youngsters with math and science.

“It’s not about the robots,” Winzer said. “We could do this with model airplanes or any number of things. The goal is to get kids excited about mathematics and science.”

Winzer said the workshops are designed for elementary school children for a reason.

“Eight is the right time to reach them,” Winzer said. “At that age, they still haven’t developed a negative attitude about math.”

Some academics worry that the U.S. is not producing enough mathematicians, scientists and engineers to maintain its global leadership. While Winzer knows that Adventures in Robotics won’t make a huge dent in that deficit, he is happy to make even a small difference.

“A lot of the kids who enroll in Adventures in Robotics already have an interest in math and science,” Winzer said. “But there are others who are average or find math more difficult. Working in teams helps them have a better attitude. And building and testing the robots helps them see the real applications for the math they do.”

The final session of Adventures in Robotics concludes on Aug. 4. For more information on this program, contact Randy Winzer at  620-235- 4370, rwinzer@pittstate.edu.

---Pitt State--