ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS AT UH GET A LIFT FROM NASA
Grant to Help College of Technology Host Educational Tournaments
HOUSTON, July 27, 2006 – Robots aren’t just characters
in science fiction films. They’re used in such fields as manufacturing,
medicine and space exploration. The University of Houston’s
College of Technology also uses them to bolster young people’s
interests in science, technology, engineering and math through annual
robotics competitions.
The college’s Coordination Of Robotics Education (CORE) recently
received an added boost in hosting these educational contests on
campus, thanks to a $20,000 grant from NASA.
“Robotics plays a central role in space exploration, and it
pervades virtually all aspects of modern industry, commerce and
science,” said William Fitzgibbon, dean of the College of
Technology. “Both NASA and the College of Technology view
robotics competitions as a superb means of stimulating high school
and middle school students’ interests in pursuing careers
in the important disciplines of science, engineering, mathematics
and technology.”
For the past four years, UH has been the site of the Texas Regional
Botball Robotics Tournament, and since 2002, the College of Technology
has served as a sponsor of the Lone Star FIRST LEGO? League (FLL)
Robotics Tournament and training in Houston. Both events host teams
of students from around the state, who build and program autonomous
robots using specialized LEGO equipment.
“UH has turned into this region’s control center for
junior high and high school robotics education,” said Lucien
Junkin, robotics engineer for NASA Johnson Space Center. “For
students, science, technology, engineering and mathematics are pieces
of a puzzle. Robotics helps put these concepts into perspective.”
CORE is part of the College of Technology’s Center for Technology
Literacy, which trains and supports Texas technology educators.
Each December, it hosts FLL and every March, it brings Botball to
UH. For more information on CORE, contact Taresa Mikle, College
of Technology instructional designer, at 713-743-8155.
“Robotics competitions are contemporary variants of the Soap
Box Derby,” Fitzgibbon said. “They’re fun, and
students learn scientific principles, technological design and project
management. The NASA grant enables the college’s efforts in
promoting these efforts, and this endorsement lends credence to
and assists the outreach effort.”
UH’s College of Technology offers undergraduate and graduate
degrees related to practical technology and consumer science. Its
curriculum includes programs in engineering technology, information
technology, logistics, merchandising and life sciences technology.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit
the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
|