In partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) hosted a battlebots competition at the John Hope Envision Center on Friday. The competition marked the final event of the CIA Robotics Academy’s week-long day camp where a cohort of 23 rising seventh-ninth grade students used hands-on skills to learn how to build, test and refine robots. The academy was also hosted in partnership with the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative and the Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education, which granted participants tours of the AUC campuses.
“The CIA supports STEAM education to prepare students to enter into careers that will require them to demonstrate their ability to problem solve, to critically think, to have self exploration and to continue to persevere. The students have done all four this week,” said Manon Fleming, project manager for ORISE.
Working in teams of two or three, students only had one week to design, building and programing their robots in preparation for the showcase.
They battled it out in a bracket-style competition that featured robots with various mechanisms from claws to scoops to conveyor bolts. In simplest tems, the object of the competition was to win as many points as possible by directing the robots they designed to score balls in different baskets.
Students got to showcase the science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) skills they’d learned throughout the week and use teamwork to navigate the playing field for the competition.
“My favorite part of the CIA Robotics Academy this week was probably learning and experiencing how fundamental directions can be, especially when it comes to building robotics and knowing what steps to go first and probably learning more about the HBCU colleges,” said I’vion Pattman, one of the student participants of the academy.
At the end of the competition, the students received certificates for completing the CIA Robotics Academy. Fleming said she hopes to reach and interest more parents and teachers to encourage students to join next year’s cohorts when applications open.
