Girls learn robotics basics at PNW summer camp
Liliana Avina wanted to enjoy her summer not being in school as most teenagers like to do.
However, her grandmother had other plans, signing Avina up for multiple summer camps, including Purdue University Northwest’s All Girls Robotics Explorer and Adventure Camp.
At first, Avina didn’t want to take part in the camp, however, she quickly learned how fun the program was.
The week-long robotics camp is geared towards girls ages 12 to 17 and is meant to promote science, technology, engineering and math by teaching the students how to control and code industrial robots.
Engineering professor Maged Mikhail, who leads the camp, said the girls practice simple tasks with the robots, such as tracing shapes and picking up and placing objects. The end goal, he said, is to give the students an abstract problem for them to solve using the machines.
People are also reading…
Throughout the program, Mikhail said the students learn teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Ultimately, he believes the girls becoming knowledgeable about robotics will make them more marketable for future employers as technology becomes more prevalent in daily life. Additionally, he hopes they will see the value of a STEM education.
Avina enjoys how hands-on the program is.
Liliana Aviña watches closely as her team programs a robotic arm to trace a around a gear Tuesday at Purdue Northwest’s All Girls Robotics Explorer and Adventure Camp.
“You actually get to work with these machines and these robots,” she said.
Avina, who will be starting her freshman year at Munster High School this fall, said she sees herself pursuing STEM-related courses. Her goal is to enlist in the military after high school before going to college to study biochemistry.
The robotic camp is funded through the Lilly Endowment’s Indiana Programs on Campus Initiative, which provides funding to the state’s colleges and universities to create or expand on-campus programs for children ages 5 to 18.
PNW was awarded $583,000 in 2022 from the initiative to expand its existing summer youth camps, including the girls’ robotic camps.
Purdue engineering student Jayanth Chillarige helps Sayde Martinez, left, and Elayna Lopez program a robotic arm Tuesday at Purdue Northwest’s All Girls Robotics Explorer and Adventure Camp.
Sayde Martinez, who attends Fegely Middle School in Portage, said more girls should participate in the summer program.
“I’m surprised there’s not a lot of people,” said Martinez, one of the dozen students taking part in the camp.
PHOTOS: Beehives at PNW
Thousands of bees do what bees do in a wax comb in one of the three hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Hannah Ingraham (from left), John Bachmann and Nicky Jones check on one of the three beehives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
A camera keeps watch on the thousands of bees around the hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
A sign on a door leading to the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest warns of bees.
Thousands of bees cling to a frame from one of three hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Nicky Jones shows a drone from one of the hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Bees from the hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Nicky Jones and Hannah Ingraham examine a frame from a hive that houses thousands of bees on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Nicky Jones examines a frame from a hive that houses thousands of bees on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Thousands of bees are shown on a frame from one of the three hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Bees swarm around the hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
Thousands of bees do what bees do in a wax comb in one of the three hives on the roof of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building at Purdue Northwest in Hammond.
