Robotics is a great way of making science and technology exciting and Saint Maur certainly knows how to do it. This year, Saint Maur students in grades 3–12 will have a lot of fun and exciting robotics activities available to them. All Saint Maur robotics clubs and activities operate out of the robotics lab in the Saint Maur Science Center.
Elementary school students in grades 3–5 can participate in the Lego Mindstorms Club. Students complete building projects and missions using Lego Mindstorms NXT robots and compete in the Robo Sumo Friendly in May.
Elementary and middle school students in grades 4–7 can participate in the school’s First Lego League team. First Lego League is an international robotics competition currently offered in over 70 countries. Students compete in a robotics game, and complete a research project on a global issue that has been selected as the theme for that year’s competition. This year’s theme is “Nature’s Fury.” In this year’s challenge, members will have to build and program a Lego Mindstorms robot, and investigate and find a solution to a problem in their community caused by natural disasters.
Middle and high school students can participate in the middle/high school robotics club. In the autumn, club members will participate in the VEX Robotics Competition held at ASIJ. This is an international robotics competition that is currently being offered in 20 countries. In the winter season, club members can work on Maker projects, and in the spring, club members can build sumo-bots to compete in the Robo Sumo Friendly.
Every year in mid-May, Saint Maur hosts the Robo Sumo Friendly, an autonomous Robot Sumo tournament. Categories include elementary Lego Mindstorms, MS/HS Lego Mindstorms, and MS/HS VEX. The tournament is open to members of Saint Maur robotics clubs, teams from other international schools, and teams from Japanese public and private schools. See http://robosumofriendly.wordpress.com for more details. The tournament welcomes visitors. — MATTHEW ROSE
