- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/stem-educational-center/ ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Mon, 27 Nov 2017 14:50:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host first ever VEX Robotics Tournament /news-archive/2017/11/27/vex-robotics/ Mon, 27 Nov 2017 14:50:17 +0000 /news/?p=68628 ...]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host its first VEX Robotics Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the basketball courts in the Donaghey Student Center. VEX IQ is a snap-together robotics system designed from the ground up to provide educational opportunities to future engineers of all skill levels. The VEX IQ program, which is for elementary school students, is the predecessor for robotics competitions at the middle school/high school (VEX EDR) and university (VEX U) levels. More than 50 teams made up of over 300 team members from the third grade to the university level, including ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s own Just a Prototype team, are expected to compete. The event is free and open to the public. The best time for the public to view the competition is between 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help with registration, inspection, and field setup as well as serve as judges and referees. Those interested in volunteering may. Sandra Leiterman, math specialist in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educational Center, said the event is an invitational tournament for new teams and coaches that have never competed before. It is part of the university’s effort to get educators and students interested in robotics. Over the summer, the STEM Center held two professional development events for educators interested in starting robotics teams at their schools. Leiterman is the coach of the only VEX U robotics team in Arkansas. While most robotics teams are staffed by engineering students, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s squad, dubbed Just a Prototype, is made up of future math and science teachers who will one day start school robotics teams. For more information, contact Leiterman at 920-227-8576 or saleiterman@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, the Just a Prototype robotics team members include: Back row (L-R) Jamie Burrows, Rachel Smith, Shala Nail, and Donetha Groover. Front row (L-R) David Shurley, FLN the robot, and Faculty Advisor Sandra Leiterman. ]]> Arkansas students learn robotics skills /news-archive/2017/08/24/robotics-camp/ Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:30:30 +0000 /news/?p=67717 ...]]> A new summer camp at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock introduced more than 30 Arkansas students to the exciting world of robotics competitions. The camp, held July 31 to Aug. 4, taught students how to build and program robots as well as how to compete in VEX IQ robotics competitions. VEX IQ is a snap-together robotics system designed from the ground up to provide educational opportunities to future engineers of all skill levels. The VEX IQ program, which is for elementary school students, is the predecessor for robotics competitions at the middle school/high school (VEX EDR) and university (VEX U) levels. Sandra Leiterman, math specialist in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educational Center, led the camp. She is the coach of the only VEX U robotics team in Arkansas as well as the coach of two teams at Mills High School. Leiterman hopes that by introducing students to robotics before junior high school, she will encourage them to pursue STEM-related careers. She also hopes the summer camp will lead to more schools starting robotics teams. “We thought it would be a great way to introduce robotics to elementary students who don’t have robotics teams at their schools, and it promotes an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education,” Leiterman said. “We hope these students will go back to their teachers and ask them to start robotics teams in their schools.” Neva Dagtas of Little Rock was excited to attend the camp to learn engineering and robotics skills. “I like building robots, and I love the way you can control the robots and make it do things autonomously,” Dagtas said. Dagtas and her team partner, Natalie Tyler, a sixth-grader from Maumelle, said it took a lot of ingenuity and online research to get their robot, which they named Walle Jr., to work. “We were missing so many parts,” Tyler said. “The chips were different. When we tried to make the controller work, it didn’t.” Their efforts paid off, as Dagtas and Tyler won the camp’s robotics competition for fifth- and sixth-graders. “After all the struggles you’ve been through, it’s a really happy moment in your life,” Dagtas said. Clare Quaid, a Mills High School senior who is a member of an all-girls robotics team coached by Leiterman, was one of 10 high school and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock college students who volunteered to introduce the students to the world of robotics. “Being on a robotics team is very empowering,” said Quaid, who added that she is a distant cousin of actor Dennis Quaid. “At first, I didn’t want to go into a STEM field, but now I see how much girls are needed in STEM fields. Robotics empowered me to make a change.” Participants included:

��Zamari Ball of North Little Rock, fourth-grader at North Little Rock Catholic
��Granger Colclasure of Little Rock, third-grader at Episcopal Collegiate
��Mia Colclasure of Little Rock, fifth-grader at Episcopal Collegiate
��Leonardo Cruz of Little Rock, fourth-grader at Forest Park Elementary
��Tristen Cunningham of Little Rock, fifth-grader at Episcopal Collegiate
��Neva Dagtas of Little Rock, sixth-grader at Huda Academy
��Kaan Dagtas of Little Rock, fourth-grader at Huda Academy
��Eric Carmona Garcia of Little Rock, third-grader at Baseline Academy
��Tyler Goodman of Jacksonville, sixth-grader at Bayou Meto Elementary
��Naia Green of Little Rock, fifth-grader at Christ Lutheran School
��DeAndre James of Little Rock, sixth-grader at Meadowcliff Elementary
��Amelia Johnson of Bryant, fifth-grader at Springhill Elementary
��Kenyon Key of North Little Rock, fourth-grader at Abundant Life School
��Connor Lloyd of Little Rock, sixth-grader at Lisa Academy
��Christian Mack of Lake Hamilton, fifth-grader at Lake Hamilton Elementary
��Fernanda Martinez of North Little Rock, fifth-grader at Lisa Academy North
��Vania Martinez of North Little Rock, third-grader at Lisa Academy North
��Chloe Mitchell of North Little Rock, third-grader at Arkansas School for the Blind
��Mason Mitchell of North Little Rock, sixth-grader at Lakewood Elementary
��Alex Moore of Mabelvale, fifth-grader at Davis Elementary
��Rafeal Morgan of Little Rock, fourth-grader at Forest Heights STEM Academy
��Nam Nguyen of Little Rock, fourth-grader at Forest Park Elementary
��Roger Quad of Bigelow, sixth-grader at Anne Watson
��Ryker Quaid of Bigelow, fourth-grader at Anne Watson
��Nikhil Shanmugam of Little Rock, third-grader at Williams Magnet
��Dishant Sharma of Little Rock, sixth-grader at Baker Elementary
��Shriish Sathish of Little Rock, third-grader at Chenal Elementary
��Davontae Taylor of Lake Hamilton, fourth-grader at Lake Hamilton Elementary
��Natalie Tyler of Maumelle, sixth-grader at Pine Forest Elementary
��Matthew Wiebelhaus-Brahm of Benton, fourth-grader at Springhill Elementary
��Samuel Wiebelhaus-Brahm of Benton, third-grader at Springhill
��Bradyn Wilkerson of Bigelow, East End Elementary
Sheriff Wolfe of Little Rock, third-grader at Pulaski Heights Elementary

In the upper right photo, Neva Dagtas (middle) of Little Rock celebrates as her robot, “Walle Jr.,” wins the robotics camp competition for fifth and sixth graders. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host robotics camp for elementary students, teachers /news-archive/2017/05/23/ua-little-rock-robotics-camp/ Tue, 23 May 2017 13:10:52 +0000 /news/?p=67231 ...]]> Sandra Leiterman, math specialist in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educational Center, will lead a VEX IQ Robotics summer camp for students entering third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The camp will be held from 8 a.m. to noon July 31 to Aug. 4 in the Engineering Technology and Science (ETAS) building on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. The cost is $125. A limited number of scholarships are available for students with a financial need. Students will learn hardware design, programming, teamwork, problem solving, and leadership skills. “We thought it would be a great way to introduce robotics to elementary students who don’t have robotics teams at their schools, and it promotes an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education,” Leiterman said. “We hope these students will go back to their teachers and ask them to start robotics teams in their schools.” In addition to students eager to learn about robotics, educators may attend the summer camp for free to learn how they can create a robotics team at their own schools. “One of the biggest hang ups of teachers starting robotics programs is that they think they are in over their head or under qualified,” Leiterman said. “This camp can show teachers how easy it is. There are also grants available. I can show teachers how to get a grant, so they can basically come and see how to get a robotics team started for very little cost.” VEX IQ is a snap-together robotics system designed from the ground up to provide educational opportunities to future engineers of all skill levels. The VEX IQ program, which is for elementary school students, is the predecessor for robotics competitions at the middle school/high school (VEX EDR) and university (VEX U) levels. Leiterman is the coach of the only VEX U robotics team in Arkansas. While most robotics teams are staffed by engineering students, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s squad, dubbed “Just a Prototype,” is made up of future math and science teachers who will one day start school robotics teams. She also coaches two robotics teams at Mills High. One of the teams is an all-girls team, the Uncut Diamonds, which has made four national championship appearances. Members of all three of Leiterman’s robotics teams will work at the camp. The funds raised will be used to purchase parts to build robots and to attend competitions. Applications can be found online at. For more information, contact Leiterman at saleiterman@ualr.edu or 920.227.8576. In the upper right photo, the Just a Prototype robotics team members include: Back row (L-R) Jamie Burrows, Rachel Smith, Shala Nail, and Donetha Groover. Front row (L-R) David Shurley, FLN the robot, and Faculty Advisor Sandra Leiterman.]]> Future STEM teachers look to inspire students with robotics club /news-archive/2017/04/05/stem-teachers-robotics-club/ Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:12:32 +0000 /news/?p=66754 ...]]> Sandra Leiterman, a math specialist in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educational Center, created the first (VEXU) robotics team in the state of Arkansas. In VEX robotics, students design and build robots to compete in robotics competitions that change every year. Prior to six years ago, Leiterman had no experience coaching robotics teams. Now, being a robocoach is practically second nature to her as she coaches the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock team and two robotics teams at Mills High School. Last year, she also helped start robotics teams at two Little Rock elementary schools, Chicot and Jefferson. “When I first started teaching, I was asked to start a robotics team when I had no experience,” Leiterman said. “Now I know a lot of high school robotics teams want to continue onto college competitions. As future teachers, there is a huge push for these students to provide STEM activities for their future students.” While most robotics teams are staffed by engineering students, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s squad, who dubbed themselves “Just a Prototype,” is made up of future math and science teachers looking to inspire their future students. “There is such a demand right now for STEM in schools,” said Donetha Groover, a robotics team member and biology major. “We are all going to be teachers. We want to experience robotics and take it into the classroom ourselves.” In addition to being on the robotics team, the students also give back by volunteering with local high school robotics programs and serving as judges at their competitions. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock team members include Groover, senior biology major from Lodi, California; Jamie Burrows, junior math major from Mabelvale, Arkansas; Robert Presswood, sophomore physics and math major from Lincoln, Illinois; Rachel Smith, senior math major from Lockesburg, Arkansas; Michael McKinnie, senior biology major from Cabot, Arkansas; Shala Nail, senior math major from Evening Shade, Arkansas; and David Shurley, physics major. The REC Foundation awarded the team a materials grant that team members used to build their robot named FLN, which is pronounced Flynn and stands for Finished Last Night. The humorous name refers to a highly stressful week when the team completely redesigned its robot and made last-minute adjustments the night before the competition. “Four of us had judged a high school robotics competition in Monticello the weekend before our competition,” Burrows said. “We were really impressed by Bryant High School’s design and used an adaptation for our robot. That left us about four days to rebuild the robot before we left for the competition, and we had a few sleepless nights.” Each year, VEX creates a unique game teams play during the robotics competitions. This year, they used their robots to play the game “Starstruck” on a 12-foot by 12-foot field. The object was to attain a higher score than the opposing team by placing stars and cubes in the scoring zones and hanging a robot on the hanging bar. “FLN is unique because every other robot had a claw, yet FLN’s design is to collect the star in the basket and then shoot the star across the border,” Smith said. After their first competition in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Just a Prototype members were invited to participate in the TEX VEXU tournament in Houston against teams from Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas in February. Just a Prototype received the special Judges Award recognition. “The judges loved the fact that the team is made up of future math and science teachers that joined the team in order to gain experience so they may one day start their own teams when they have teaching jobs,” Leiterman said. For now, the team members are looking forward to April 21, when VEX will announce the new robotic game competition for the 2017-18 season. The students plan to create a second robotics team and are hoping to host a VEXU competition at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall. In the upper right photo, the “Just a Prototype” robotics team members include: Back row (L-R) Jamie Burrows, Rachel Smith, Shala Nail, and Donetha Groover. Front row (L-R) David Shurley , FLN the robot, and Faculty Advisor Sandra Leiterman. Photo by Lonnie Timmon III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications. ]]>