Last month, the First Lego League (FLL) Robotics Team at St. John Neumann School had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Engineering. The team consists of fourth through eighth graders interested in developing their skills in engineering and robotics.
St. John Neumann School’s program encourages students to go on field trips and share their project ideas with experts in the field. SIUE alumna Michelle Spillers, PE, contacted Brent Vaughn, PE, laboratory specialist and lecturer in the Department of Engineering, with a request to bring her son’s team on a trip through the Department.
“Bringing my son to campus was a great experience for both of us,” claimed Spillers. “It was a bit surreal to see past, present and future converge. My son was able to walk through the engineering building and sit in labs where I spent so much time as a student.”
The team plans to participate in this year’s FLL competition, which features different challenges regarding robotics. Part of the competition requires teams to solve a problem in the community. For this task, one of the team’s groups plans to design a gas-free car, and the other plans on designing a portable ramp for wheelchairs.
Another part of the competition asks teams to design and program a Lego robot that can complete various tasks. This year, the tasks have a civil engineering (CE) theme and include: moving a bridge inspection drone, placing a green roof, “lifting” traffic congestion and moving a crane.
In line with these goals, Vaughn and colleagues planned an afternoon of activities suitable for the team. Vaughn provided a brief walking tour of the CE labs and guided discussions about different engineering topics. Next, the team met with SIUE Solar Car team captain Sydney Stogner to see a solar car in person and gain insight on the materials used in its creation.
“The students were most excited to see the solar car,” noted Spillers. “They were impressed by the size of the car and the fact that it can actually run on the highway.”
Afterwards, the team moved to the Autonomous Robotics Club lab and watched a student demonstration of the different types of robots the club has built and programmed. The afternoon ended with the St. John Neumann team showing Vaughn a prototype of their work.
“The SIUE student teams learn a lot by working on their projects, and they enjoy sharing their enthusiasm with other students,” explained Vaughn. “Many of our students were probably on teams like the one from St. John Neumann, so they can identify with those younger students.”
“The idea of ‘college’ is abstract to most kids, and giving them a chance to visit a university campus allows them to visualize themselves as future students,” added Spillers.
“This is our way of giving back,” said Vaughn. “We are an important educational resource for our community. We want to continue to encourage our neighbors to reach out to us as part of our educational mission.”
“SIUE is such an asset to our community,” claimed Spillers. “It is amazing to have a top-notch university nearby with students and staff who go above and beyond by volunteering to share their expertise with local elementary students. The St. John Neumann School FLL Robotics Team greatly appreciated this opportunity.”
Photo: (Top Right): Sydney Stogner (center) talks about the SIUE Solar Car.
(Below right): Brent Vaughn (far right) visits with students in a civil engineering lab.