Positive actions to encourage STEM for girls.
Howard Rose BEM
An award winning Business Manager looking to satisfy CSR and work with local businesses and show them how to build lasting relationships in the community.
A small group of Year 5 pupils from Balsall Common Primary School recently took part in The School Robot Challenge.
This national competition is designed to inspire the next generation of designers and engineers and this year involved designing a moonbase and a space robot. The competition is run by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS), a network of UK universities specialising in Robotics and Autonomous Systems. It is part of a family of competitions organised for the UK Robotics Week, which ran from 21st – 29th June 2018.
Software was provided and gave the children a basic introduction to 3D computer aided design and modelling, as well as providing a medium to explore links between creative art and computing. The competition allowed pupils to explore and visualise their own ideas about how robots could be used in space in the future.
Mrs Edwards, the children’s Computing Teacher, said that, “All the pupils really enjoyed taking part in the competition and seeing their ideas come to life. Opportunities like this are really exciting for the children and give them an insight into how technology can be used in real life situations. I was absolutely delighted when I found out that one of our pupils, Christie Shaw, was the overall winner in her age category.”
The children created their designs on paper and then using CAD software transformed them into a 3D computerised model. The children were able to add texture and gradients to their moonbases. Using the software they could then ‘explore’ their planet surface with their space robot.
Christie and her family, together with Mrs Edwards, were invited to London for a special awards ceremony, to receive her prize of an Apple Ipad Pro with I-Pencil from Professor Guang-Zhong Yang and Professor Robert Merrifield from the Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London.
Christie said, ‘I especially enjoyed finding about what space robots do. And as I had not been to London before that was really good too! I was really surprised when Mrs Edwards told me I had won first prize!”
Mrs Edwards is now looking forward to finding out what the theme is for next year’s competition.
#STEM #WISE