OSU robotics camp gives kids chance to explore, create

Jul. 26—Outside, it's blazing hot but inside the Endeavor Lab at Oklahoma State University, 47 campers cool down with creative projects.

They're here on campus to attend the three-day OSU Robotics Exploration camp — a science, technology, engineering and math summer program led by OSU students.

The summer internships are not only giving OSU students the chance to practice a "near-peer" mentorship format, but also middle school students are getting a chance to practice their STEM skills and explore new ones.

On Tuesday, campers built seed-planting robots made out of old compact discs, toilet paper rolls, straws and tape.

On Wednesday, they learned "Human Coding," where campers turn their teachers into human robots and learn to enter codes that give commands, such as making a sandwich. That was a favorite among the campers, along with "Alzoo bots," or tiny robots that are remote-controlled.

On Thursday, campers worked on their capstone project — building and coding a VEX robot (snap-together robotics system) from scratch.

When camp ends, participants receive a certificate and engineering souvenirs.

Most campers have attended multiple STEM camps before, but this is only the second time that 12-year-old Tristan Stanley has attended.

Stanley's project — a mechanical bird with a surveillance camera that turned into a mini-gun — was a military machine that goes on secret military missions. He wasn't particularly interested in engineering, but likes exploring.

"I just want to invent," Stanley said. "I like doing stuff."

For Oliver Queen, a seventh-grader at Stillwater Middle Schools, it was his first time to attend. His teammate, seventh-grader Raygan Leach from Perkins-Tryon Middle School, has attended for at least three years.

The two of them worked together to build a game using a coding program called Scratch. Campers brainstorm the first day, create and repair their ideas and then build a prototype.

Another story-based coding program, Ardvino, would give them a chance to build their skills to a higher level.

Gavin McKee, a junior computer and electrical engineering major, interned as a teacher for the summer STEM camps for the second year. With approximately 20 other interns, he traveled all summer leading three- and four-day camps across multiple Oklahoma counties.

"This camp we're doing here today is more robotics-based, so we're doing things like coding and drawing out sketches and creating prototypes ... teaching them about the design process of engineers," McKee said.

The teachers give the campers a lot of creative liberty, but within guidelines so that campers can understand what's good or bad about their prototypes.

"This camp specifically is one where the ... parents sign them up," McKee said. "All of them are already at least a little bit interested."

The U.S. Department of Defense provides a grant of $5 million for four years for STEM programs at the state level, with the idea to grow the STEM ecosystem.

For Mary Tran, the administrative manager for STEM summer camps at OSU, along with her colleagues, the goal is to reach all 77 counties in Oklahoma with the programs.

So far, they have reached 26 counties, and it's only year two in the grant program.

This summer, Tran trained 75 teachers for the summer camp program in 31 districts. She previously taught at Metro Technology Center and Northeast Academy in Oklahoma City, and said her students inspired her to pursue training interns and managing OSU STEM camps.

"We just want to make sure that (in) every county kids know that, 'Hey, STEM can be for you,'" Tran said. "And you're probably already doing it, you just don't realize it."