FORT SILL, Okla., April 28, 2016 -- Fort Sill's Youth Center is in the middle of its first robotics lab with Lego Mindstorms robot kits.
The robotics lab began in February and is scheduled for 30 minutes, two days a week until the end of the school year. The curriculum they are using was downloaded from the 4-H Club website which also offers 4-H Club members robotics classes using the same Lego Mindstorms that the Youth Center has purchased.
"It is also the same Lego Mindstorms that is used at the 4H club at Virginia Tech 4H camp so we adopted the same program that they use," said Jung.
The robotics class has eight robot core sets with eight expansion sets that can be transformed into sixteen robots. Currently the students are building the first-stage robots and are preparing to program them using an iPad provided by the Youth Center. The robots will be programmed via a Bluetooth connection rather than hard wired. Lego Mindstorms provided a free app to the students for communicating between the two devices.
"The students will not receive school or college credit for the course, however a certificate will be awarded to each student upon successful completion of a working robot, and they really seem to love it," said Jung.
Gary Bietl, a ninth-grade student, participates in the robotics class and said it may help him decide what he wants to focus on as he gets older.
"I haven't chosen what my future will be, but I could get into art, music or robotics if I really get into it," said Bietl.
While the robotics class started two months ago, Angie Jung, Youth Center lab associate, said the project has been years in the making.
"The former director ordered the robot kits and it took almost a year to get them here," she said.
Jung has a bachelor's degree in information technology from George Mason University in Virginia and trains children in the computer, Photoshop and robotics labs.
"I have no formal training on the robot program or the robots so I had to teach myself by actually building and running the robots and programs prior to starting the class," said Jung.
Jung, the staff at the Youth Center and students said they would like to have a robotics specialist to come in, but are having difficulty finding anyone in this area.
"I would like to get a Lego Mindstorms specialist to appear as a guest speaker or for myself to get (additional funding) for training," added Jung.
All students in grades six through twelve that are dependents of a Department of Defense card holder, whether they live on or off post, are eligible to register with the Youth Center.
Registration grants access to all programs provided. For more information call the Youth Center at 580-442-6745.
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