Middle and High School Students to Compete in 12th Annual Robotics Challenge at SCC

Published: 10/12/2009

Students will use skills in math, engineering, technology, and science to develop and present their own robot to a panel of judges. The competition gives students awareness of careers in manufacturing, science, and technology industries, and emphasizes the value of teamwork.
 
Student teams are challenged to build a miniature robot that would function much like a robot in the General Motors Wentzville Assembly Plant. Brian Steber, senior manufacturing engineer at General Motors Wentzville Assembly Plant, wrote the challenge based on a real application used at General Motors.
 
“The competition will help kids make the connection between business and education,” said Tammie De Los Santos, coordinator of workforce development school-business programs at SCC. “From the math and science skills they use in developing the robot, to the teamwork and business skills used in presenting the robot to a team of judges, the students acquire a great deal of real-world training.”

Competing in this year’s challenge will be 18 teams from the Francis Howell School District, the Winfield School District, the Fort Zumwalt School District, the St. Charles School District, the Orchard Farm School District, the St. Charles County Home Educators, and St. Paul School.
 
The competition will be judged by local industry professionals and will include a variety of breakout sessions.
 
The robotics competition is a collaboration between the Mid Rivers Tech Prep Consortium, the General Motors Wentzville Assembly Plant, the SCC Workforce Development School-Business Programs, and the St. Charles County Alliance for Business, Learning, and Education (ABLE).
 
The public is invited to view the competition, which will be held both in the auditorium of the Social Sciences Building and in the gym of the College Center Building from 8 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Awards will be presented at 12:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Social Sciences Building.
 
For more information on the Robotics Challenge or other school-business programs, contact De Los Santos at tdelossantos@stchas.edu, or 636-922-8342.
 
St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences, and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational, and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.