An innovative week-long robotics workshop for middle school students ages 9-12 will culminate with a robot parade on Friday in the Canisius College Science Hall. This week’s and last week’s 2015 Art, Robotics and Technology for Youth (ARTY) Summer Workshops were a collaboration among the University at Buffalo’s Techne Institute, Canisius College and AT&T.
Students have designed and built their multiple configurations for the capstone robot parade, a performance at the intersection of art and technology that incorporates elements of robotics, computer science and media art and design. New York State Sen. Timothy M. Kennedy addressed the students as part of last week’s finale and presented each of the participants with congratulatory certificates.
The ARTY summer workshop, administered by Sarah Bay-Cheng, director of UB’s Techne Institute, and led by Debbie Burhans, associate professor of computer science at Canisius, is a contemporary alternative to the traditional practice of teaching robotics through programming camps built around competition, robot battles and simulated warfare.
The ARTY workshop is free and designed to be accessible to the broadest possible audience, though predominantly attracting groups currently underrepresented in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“We wanted to create a collaborative and creative engagement for the students that moves in the direction of creativity, problem solving, aesthetics and beauty,” says Bay-Cheng. “We’re working to expand the way kids think about themselves and technology, to view themselves not just as consumers but as creators. This is important to attract not only girls and young women to STEM fields, but also to allow all students – boys and girls of diverse backgrounds – to think of themselves as creative and competent in contemporary digital culture.”
Students work with UB and Canisius artists and engineers to integrate their lessons in computer science, sensors, circuits, electronic music and design into the final program.
In addition to the workshop’s inventive art and technology curriculum, the entire ARTY experience is couched in a unique architecture of multi-tiered mentoring, an expansion to the program made possible by a contribution of more than $16,000 from AT&T.
High school students who have been specifically trained for the weeklong workshop mentor ARTY participants. Those high school students in turn are mentored by college and graduate students who are led by faculty.
“Diversifying STEM disciplines is not just a matter of attracting a more diverse population,” says Bay-Cheng. “It’s also important to establish networks and mentorships in those fields. It’s about being able to imagine yourself in different environments and seeing successful people who look like you from middle school though high school and college, to professionals in higher education and beyond.”
The contribution from AT&T is part of the company’s legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM disciplines in New York through AT&T Aspire, the company’s $350 million commitment to education. With more than 1 million students impacted since its launch in 2008, Aspire is one of the nation’s largest corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on 21st century careers.
“AT&T’s partnership with the University of Buffalo and Canisius College in the ARTY program is an example of our ongoing commitment to provide resources for STEM related educational programing in Western New York,” said Amy Kramer, executive director, External Affairs, AT&T. “We are also extremely proud to help enhance this already remarkable program that has grown each year by providing the support to introduce trained high school mentors this year to work with the participants. Mentoring plays an essential role in education, and by supporting the addition of the high school mentors this year aligns with our own companywide initiative to provide our passionate employees the resources they need to help students achieve success. In fact AT&T has set a goal to provide 1 million hours of student mentoring by our employees by the end of 2016.”
“As we see the innovative creations students put together during this week’s workshop, we’re reminded of just how important it is to encourage young minds to become engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Senator Kennedy. “Each of these fields is directly linked to the industries shaping Buffalo’s new economic frontier— life sciences and advanced manufacturing. The future of Western New York depends on our students to be prepared for the jobs that are here now, and for the thousands of jobs that will be available in the future.”