After a week of learning, kids at University of Virginia's Systems Robotics Camp took their love of engineering to the soccer field Friday. It isn't quite on the level the U.S. women's soccer team, in the running for the World Cup this weekend, but these students are taking a passion for robotics and making different kinds of goals a reality.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science's fifth System Robotics and Design Camp gives middle school students from all backgrounds a chance to learn about technology, design, and engineering by building and programming robots.
On Friday, students and their remote controlled robots hit the soccer field. Using Nintendo Wii remotes, they navigated their Lego robots through a small indoor field. Although the final score of today's game was a low-scoring 1-0, everyone had a great time during the exercise.
Camp Director Reid Bailey hopes to inspire these students to learn and work toward careers in science and engineering.
Bailey said, "The main motivations of the camp is to light some fire in some students and get them excited about engineering or science or technology. And then they'll start following this through, and hopefully it will turn into a good career for them ultimately."
This is the first time most campers had any exposure to engineering, programming, or robotics. The students we talked to said they hope to continue pursuing their passions.
