OSGC Educational Resources Blog


Mars Rover Testing in Corvallis OR - May 10, 2008
May 7, 2008, 9:58 am
Filed under: Higher Education, NASA, Robots, STEM, Science

The Oregon State University Robotics Club will host an open demonstration of their “University Rover Challenge” entry on Saturday, May 10 – part of a national competition among university students to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers. The event will be at the Arts and Crafts Building at the Benton County Fairground in Corvallis, OR.   From 11 a.m. to about 2 p.m. the rover will work to perform tasks in geology, soil analysis, emergency navigation and construction.  The team, funded through a NASA ESMD Design Project award, has also received equipment donations from a corporate sponsor, Parallax Inc.  The demonstration is free and open to the public.

For more information about the University Rover Challenge and the tests planned for Saturday, please visit the Mars Society’s University Rover Challenege website at http://www.marssociety.org/portal/c/urc

Read more about the OSU Robotics Team at their journal, hosted through the Parallax company, at http://www.parallax.com/tabid/638/Default.aspx



2008 FIRST Robotics Championship Live Webcast
April 17, 2008, 2:08 pm
Filed under: Competitions, Cool Science, NASA, Robots, Science, Webcasts | Tags:

 The FIRST Robotics Championship is the final and largest event of the 2008 Competition. The 2008 Championship is at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA on April 17-19. This event is open to the public and free of charge, as are all FIRST Robotics Competitions.

If you are unable to attend the live event, you can still watch the matches on our live webcast courtesy of NASA TV! Check the link below for schedules, teams, match results, and a link to the webcast.
http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=432&menu_id=80



Oregon FIRST Robotics - Events Near You!
February 13, 2008, 5:21 pm
Filed under: Competitions, K-12, Robots, Science | Tags: , ,

FIRST Robotics
Pre-Season Scrimmage

Area High school FIRST Robotics teams will have a pre-season scrimmage with their newly constructed robots for the 2008 season. This will be the first test of these newly minted robots. High school students have been working the past six weeks, creating, designing, building, and testing these new creations and going without sleep! A few days after this, the teams will ship their robots to the OREGON REGIONAL.

The game this year is challenging….
“FIRST OVERDRIVE” 2008 FIRST Competition

For short videos of the competition, visit the following url: http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/2008_frcwebcasts.php
You can also watch the FIRST competition in person! Cheer on your favorite teams!

What: FIRST Pre-Season Scrimmage
When: Saturday, February 16th
Time: 11am-3pm
Cost: Free
Where: Linn County Fairgrounds – Santiam Bldg

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FIRST Robotics Oregon Regional Finals

The Oregon regional will be held in a few weeks at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. This event is free and open to the public. Teams from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Hawaii, Michigan and Montana will be there competing for the opportunity to go to Atlanta for the Championships. Come and cheer your favorite robot and team!!!!!

When: February 28 – Practice Day for teams
February 29 –Qualification Matches
March 1 – Finals
Cost: Free
Times: Thurs: 10:00am Practice Rounds
Fri/Sat 9:30am - 4:30pm Matches

For a complete schedule of upcoming FIRST events near you, please visit the following url: http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedfiles/community/frc/events/2008/2008_OR_Agenda.pdf



Applications for Upcoming Academies Due Jan. 15, 2008
January 8, 2008, 6:04 pm
Filed under: Higher Education, Internships, NASA, Research, Robots, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities

Robotics Academies

The NASA Robotics Internship Program is a 10-week resident summer internship for students specifically interested in robotics. Students who have previously participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition, Botball, or have taken active interest in robotics in demonstrable ways are given priority. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who are rising freshmen or sophomores with a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Interns are assigned to a team project and receive direct guidance from the Principal Investigator who sponsors the project. An advanced robotics student is assigned as team lead to guide interns and manage the project on a daily basis. The interns and team leads participate in enriching activities such as a group project, lectures, field trips and meetings with leaders in the field.

Internship opportunities are sponsored by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. and Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C. The 2008 internship will take place in June-August. Applications are due Jan. 15, 2008.

For more information about the MSFC Robotics Academy, visit http://education.msfc.nasa.gov/Robotics/index.html .
For more information about the GSFC Robotics Academy, visit http://university.gsfc.nasa.gov/programs/robotics.jsp .

NASA Academy

The NASA Academy is an intensive, residential, ten-week summer leadership development program for university level students. Activities throughout the summer include laboratory research work, a group project, lectures, meetings with experts and administrators, visits to NASA centers and space-related industries, technical writing, and presentations. Students learn how NASA and its centers operate, gain experience in world-class laboratories and participate in leadership development and relationship building activities. Upon graduation, Academy participants are inducted into the NASA Academy Alumni Association, whose goal is to promote NASA, the NASA Academy, research and space education.

To be eligible to apply, students must be rising juniors or seniors at the undergraduate level or be at the early graduate level in an accredited U.S. college or university. Applicants must also be majoring in engineering, science, mathematics, computer science or other areas of interest to NASA. They must have a minimum of a B average. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens or permanent residents as of May 2008. Students with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation services. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are due Jan. 15, 2008.  For more information and to apply online, visit http://academy.nasa.gov/



Find FIRST Robotics Events Near You
December 18, 2007, 2:24 pm
Filed under: Competitions, K-12, Robots, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities

FIRST Robotics’ mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication and leadership. 

The 2007/08 FIRST Programs include:

Visit the FIRST Robotics website to find robotics competitions and events near you! Compete, volunteer, get involved!
http://www.usfirst.org/whatsgoingon.aspx



Google Lunar X Prize Competition Announced
September 17, 2007, 2:00 pm
Filed under: Competitions, Robots, Science | Tags: ,

Google announced late last week a new X Prize competition. This time, the goal is the moon!

(From X PRIZE Founder – Peter H. Diamandis, MD)

It has been many decades since we explored the Moon from the lunar surface, and it could be another 6 - 8 years before any government returns. Even then, it will be at a large expense, and probably with little public involvement.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE seeks to create a global private race to the Moon that excites and involves people around the world and, accelerates space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The use of space has dramatically enhanced the quality of life and may ultimately lead to solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems that we face on earth – energy independence and climate change.

The X PRIZE Foundation could think of no better sponsor and partner than Google. We share a common vision for opening frontiers and a belief that a small dedicated group of individuals can accomplish amazing feats at very low cost.

With the Ansari X PRIZE, we were able to demonstrate that personal spaceflight is possible. Now, a new industry is emerging making it possible for anyone to fulfill their dream of spaceflight. With the Google Lunar X PRIZE we hope to usher in an era of commercial exploration and development, in which small companies, groups of individuals and universities can build, launch and explore the Moon and beyond.

We are very grateful to Google for their support, vision and courage and look forward to working with them to extend the online community to the Moon and beyond.

View more of the press conference, access education guides, and read details of the competition at the Google Lunar X Prize website:
http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/



THE 2007 GREAT LIGHT-RACER CHALLENGE
September 4, 2007, 1:22 pm
Filed under: Competitions, Educator Kit, K-12, Robots, STEM, Science, Student Opportunities | Tags:

What is the Great Light Racer Championship?
The GLRC is a technology and science competition designed for parent/child, teacher/students, or RC car hobbyist teams. The teams compete in solving a real NASA lunar exploration problem: building a rover that can operate in a permanently shadowed area of the moon.

Competition rovers consist of an electric RC car, modified to operate using a beam of light as its power source. The teams design, build, and operate the cars. We (Spaceward) provide the race track and the high-power spotlights used to power and race the cars.

Who can play?
The championship is open to three groups: Schools, Families, and Grown-Ups. School and family groups must have a person under the age of 16 controlling the car.  A grown-up can handle the spotlight.

The Spaceward Games in Salt Lake City Utah, will host preliminaries beginning on October 15, 2007.  Please visit Spaceward’s Light-Racer site for details, including rules and registrations.
http://www.spaceward.org/lightRacers.html

A complete curriculum packet for STEM educators and parents including background materials and car construction guidelines can be found here:
http://www.spaceward.org/lightRacers-stem.html



NOVA’s Science NOW Website Profiles Robotics Engineer

In the latest episode of NOVA’s scienceNOW, you can see a profile of Cynthia Breazeal, a daring engineer who designs robots to communicate and interact the way people do. Read more about Cynthia and her work here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3318/03.html

At NOVA’s scienceNOW Web site, you can watch the entire hour-long episode online. Also, examine the culprits of the Permian extinction, cast your vote for or against the 1918 flu revival, hear Cynthia Breazeal talk about her friendly robots, read ancient papyri, and much more.

http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow



Summer STEM Classes for Middle and High School - Saturday Academy at Oregon State University

Registration is now open for Saturday Academy classes at Oregon State University. Middle and high school students may choose a variety of workshops focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math skills in a fun and challenging environment. Courses offered this year include:

Harry Potter’s Secret Magic for Unfogging Future Challenges
Engineering Camp
Lego Robots for Everyone, Beginners (afternoon session)
Lego Robots for Everyone, Intermediate (morning session)
Summer Science Camp
Computer Comfort
Web Page & Animation
Algebra Prep
Calculus Prep

Saturday Academy is a non-profit, extracurricular, pre-college education program hosted by the College of Engineering at Oregon State University. The program enlists community professionals to share their facilities, equipment, and expertise through hands on classes, workshops and apprenticeships. Special emphasis is placed on the sciences, math and technology. Scholarship assistance is available.

Please visit the OSU Saturday Academy website for more information:
http://academy.engr.oregonstate.edu/



The Great Robot Race - Tuesday, May 22 on NOVA

(From the latest NOVA newsletter)
Next on NOVA: “The Great Robot Race”
http://www.pbs.org/nova/darpa

Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 8 p.m.
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.

Join NOVA for an exclusive backstage pass to the DARPA Grand Challenge — a raucous race for robotic, driverless vehicles sponsored by the Pentagon, which awards a $2 million purse to the winning team. Armed with artificial intelligence, laser-guided vision, GPS navigation, and 3-D mapping systems, the contenders are some of the world’s most advanced robots. Yet even their formidable technology and mechanical prowess may not be enough to overcome the grueling, 130-mile course through Nevada’s desert terrain. From concept to construction to the final competition, “The Great Robot Race” delivers the absorbing inside story of clever engineers and their unyielding drive to create a champion, capturing the only aerial footage that exists of the Grand Challenge.

Here’s what you’ll find on the companion Web site:

Meet the Teams
Watch video clips and learn more about “Sandstorm,” “Ghostrider,” and 10 other racing robots.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/team.html

Cars That Drive Themselves
In a lively interview, Stanford’s Sebastian Thrun shares his excitement about real-world applications for autonomous vehicles.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/cars.html

A Triumph for New Orleans
How did a team of self-proclaimed “nobodies” survive Katrina and go on to almost win the Grand Challenge?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/gray.html

VIDEO & SLIDE SHOW

What Robots See
 In this slide show, look out through the “eyes” of computer-driven vehicles.
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/see.html

Watch the Program
 The hour-long program is available to view online.
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/program.html

Video Extras
 See a wild and bumpy Grand Challenge practice run in the Mojave, find out how the motorcycle robot balances itself, and more.
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/darpa/outtakes.html

Also, Links & Books, a Teacher’s Guide, a video preview of the program, the program transcript, and more:
http://www.pbs.org/nova/darpa