An innovative week-long robotics workshop for middle school students culminated with a robot parade on Friday, July 17, in Science Hall. The 2015 Art, Robotics and Technology for Youth (ARTY) Summer Workshop is a collaboration between Canisius, the University at Buffalo’s Techne Institute and AT&T.
The ARTY summer workshop, administered by Sarah Bay-Cheng, PhD, director of UB’s Techne Institute, and led by Debbie Burhans, PhD, 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. 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 week-long workshop mentor ARTY participants. Those high school students in turn are mentored by college and graduate students who are led by faculty.
New York State Senator Timothy M. Kennedy addressed the students as part of the workshop’s finale and presented each participant with a congratulatory certificate.
Watch highlights from the robot parade here.
Submitted by Marketing and Communication
