Teachers to build and test underwater LEGO robots, Feb. 20
Will use information learned during workshop to catalyze students’ interest and achievement in engineering
HOBOKEN , N.J. — This Friday, teachers from eight New York City public schools will compete against each other with submersible LEGO robots, that they learned how to build during a week-long training seminar, designed to get students interested in engineering.
Through a $50,000 Motorola Innovation Generation grant with additional grant funding from the National Science Foundation, under the Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, this innovative project gives teachers the necessary tools to catalyze student interest and achievement in engineering, science, and information technology, said Beth McGrath, Director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Members of the media are invited to The Gateway Center for Science and Environmental Studies in Brooklyn on either Thursday, February 19 or Friday February 20, 2009 to see the 16 teachers from eight New York City Public Schools perform a series of increasingly complex and sophisticated underwater tasks with their LEGO creations.
“This workshop gives the teachers the confidence and capability to do this curriculum with their students,” said McGrath.
When the teachers return to their classrooms next week they will introduce the project which uses underwater LEGO remotely operated vehicles. In June, Stevens Institute of Technology will host an event where the students will be able to compete against other schools.
Build IT exposes students to science, mathematics, and engineering concepts such as buoyancy, Newton's Laws, momentum, density, gear ratios, torque, forces, energy, volume, mass-weight distribution and simple machines.
The demonstration will be held at the Gateway Center for Science and Environmental Studies, Floyd Bennett Field, Bldg 272 Brooklyn, NY 11234.
On Thursday the demonstration will take place between 1 - 2:30p.m. On Friday, the demonstration will take place between 9-10 a.m.
Please contact Pat Slater at (201) 216-5375 to RSVP.About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
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