WaterBotics

Teaching Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Concepts Using LEGOTM

Underwater Robots

Jason SayresThe Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Eduction

Stevens Institute of Technologyz

What is WaterBotics?• LEGOTM MINDSTORMS robotics in underwater

environment• Approximately 20-hour curriculum aimed at middle and high

school classes as well as summer camps and after-school activities

• Primarily funded by NSF Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program– Award #0929674: Build IT Underwater Robotics Scale-Up for STEM

Learning and Workforce Development (BISU)

Partners• Stevens Institute of Technology

– Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE)– Development of curriculum– Primary training and support

• League for Innovation in the Community College– Selection and support of community college partners to target formal educational

environments (i.e. schools)– Year one selection: Sinclair Community College

• National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP)– Selection and support of informal education programs, especially those aiming to engage

girls– Year one selection: Texas Girls Collaborative Project

• International Technology and Engineering Education Association (ITEEA)– Development and dissemination of a hybrid professional development program built around

WaterBotics curriculum

Why Underwater Robotics?

• Presents unique, complex design challenges (e.g., buoyancy, control in 3-D)

• Exposure to concepts like propulsion, drag, buoyancy and stability, gearing, torque, speed, and thrust

• Awareness of careers that involve the types of skills developed in the project

Why LEGOs?

• Familiarity (in some cases)• Ease of use and durability• Variety of pieces• Rapid prototyping, testing, redesign

– “Tweak friendly”• Fewer components required to create start-

up kit

Project Challenge

Using LEGO and related components, create an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) that will be able to

pick up weighted wiffle balls and deposit them in a bin.

Task 1 – Straight Line Challenge

• Use a single motor to build a vehicle that can travel the diameter of the pool on the surface as quickly as possible.

• Optimize gearing to achieve best propeller speed.

Task 2 – Figure Eight Challenge

• Use a second motor to enable steering.

• Maneuver on surface to complete a slalom course around two buoys in shortest time.

Task 3 – Vertical Challenge

• Use a third motor and other materials to control the vehicle's buoyancy in order to descend and rise vertically in water.

• Maneuver through the same slalom course as in the previous challenge, except this time underwater.

Task 4 – Final Challenge

• Produce a vehicle which can retrieve the greatest number of objects from the bottom of the pool within a specified period.

• Objects must be deposited in bins at various depths in the water to score points.

• A fourth motor may be used to come up with some way to grab and release the balls.

The NXT and Programming

Key Concepts, SkillsBuoyancy Density

Newton’s Laws Momentum

Gear Ratios Energy

Torque Forces

Volume Mass-Weight Distribution

Simple Machines Programming

Iterative Design Teaming

Training Model

Educator Support• Hub site staff

– Visits to schools– Email and phone availability– Optional follow-up professional development

• Website– Course management– Interactive FAQs– Curriculum updates

• Optional Webcasts

Research Questions – Study 1

Professional Development Fidelity• Is the program delivered with equal fidelity in different

environments?• If not, what are the differences between trainers and also

between formal and informal teachers/staff and what accounts for them?

• If the curriculum is altered, what is altered and why?• Are there critical components of either the PD or the

curriculum without which the intended outcomes cannot be achieved?

Research Questions – Study 2

Student Impact• Is the curriculum as effective in a wider range of settings

as in the setting in which it was originally tested?• Are student outcomes similar regardless of the teaching

environment (formal vs. informal)?• If they differ, what are the differences and what accounts

for them?

Research Questions – Study 3

Scale-Up and Sustainability• To what extent does/did each hub partner implement the

Build IT model?• What is the correlation between the levels of success of

hub partners in meeting the project’s overarching goal and their fidelity to the BISU model?

• What adaptations, adoptions, partnerships, and/or collaborations resulted from implementation of the project?

Research Questions – Study 3

Scale-Up and Sustainability (cont.)• To what extent did hub sites become self-sustaining by

their fourth year in the project?• How and to what extent did hubs develop a local funding

base? • What capacity-building activities occurred to enable

project sustainability?• To what extent did hub sites scale up or expand the Build

IT program?

Project Leader:Antigone SharrisEngineering Technology Faculty

Fellow Trainer:Cullen NicholsonAstronomy & Physics Faculty

Assistant:Zack, Student Aide, Engineering

Technology

Volunteer Assistants:Brittani, Engineering Technology StudentMaurice, Engineering Technology StudentPetia, Engineering Technology Student

Coverage of Schools

Work to DateSummer 2011

Teacher Training Session (Week of July 11) at Triton College, River Grove, IL:

15 teachers attended representing (10) Chicagoland area schools

High School Age Youth Camp (Week of July 18), Triton College, River Grove, IL:

(10) females & (9) males

Fall 2011

Completed:Karen Amador, Physics ClassQueen of Peace High School for Girls

Running a program now:

Ann Kuenster, Physics ClassTrinity High School for Girls

Steve Titmas, After School ProgramSt. Patrick’s High School for Boys

- Karen Amador

Management & Staffing

Assets (the kits):Managed by a system involving inventory checklistmade “simple”. Tested out in the summer camp andnow in the classrooms and… so far… it works.

Staff (the people):Currently (2) full-time faculty from differentdepartments are funded under the grant to work withthis project. The student aide for EngineeringTechnology is being pulled for this project and volunteers, mostly those in the EngineeringTechnology program, are assisting with the logisticsof the program.

Successes:• (1) school done with students, parents, teacher, and school happy. • (2) schools in process, balance in the works• Contacted by (3) schools contacted us to be involved, because they heard

about work to date!

Challenges:• Off campus concerns (ex.: 7 motors failed at one school)• Scheduling kits out to schools on their preferred schedule• On campus concerns (ex.: asset management, scheduling)

Upcoming & Long Term

Upcoming & Long Term

Upcoming include:• Kit distribution to remaining (8) schools• Summer 2012 Summer Teacher Training Institute (focused on middle school

faculty)• Summer 2012 Summer WaterBotics Camp (for youth in 7th and 8th grade)• Have fun working with the teachers and youth!

Long term (already in WIP) include:• Work with area businesses on support for long term sustainability of program• Promoting the use of kits by current teachers for summer programs to increase

interest in STEM and possibly use as a funding vehicle to help supplement the purchase of their own kit, keeping the program going after this first year

• Planning out how the current round of teachers can mentor the next round of teachers, thereby seeding best practices

WaterboticsSinclair Community College

Sinclair Community College

• Main campus in downtown Dayton, Ohio• 5 satellite Learning centers

– Mason– Englewood– Huber Heights– Preble County– Wright-Patterson

Air Force Base

Sinclair Community College• 26,000 Students• The lowest tuition rate in the state • Credits easily transfer

WaterBotics 1st year• Summer 2010

– Summer camp for 20 students– Teacher Institute for 20 teachers

• School year 2010 – 2011– 6 school programs completed for a total of

220 students participating

WaterBotics 2nd year• Summer 2011

– Summer camp for 24 students– Teacher Institute for 9 teachers

• School year 2011 – 2012– 2 schools programs completed – 3 schools programs are in progress– 6 schools programs are scheduled

Waterbotics 2nd year• Revisit the Teacher Institute class of 2010

to set them up for 2011-2012 school year

• Stay in contact with all the teachers to provide support

Summer Camp in W.V.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3P

Convenience for teachers

• Material provided• Curriculum ready to go• Loads of support material• Technical support from Hub site

Challenges facing teachers

• Slotting time in a busy school year• 50 min. sessions are difficult• Space to keep a 12 ft. diameter pool

What’s next• Summer Camp 2012

– 20 students• Teachers Institute 2012

– Recruit 20 teachers

What’s next• Continue to solicit sponsors until the

program is fully funded• Recruit another person at Sinclair into

WaterBotics• Investigate Home School sector of

education

Successes• Vectren has agreed to be one of our

sponsors

Successes

• FUN

Successes

Challenges for Sinclair• Recruiting teachers is getting more difficult

– Like other States, Ohio is cutting back on school funding

– Ohio is changing it states teachers retirement plan• A large number of senior teachers are leaving now

before the plan changes.

Challenges for Sinclair• Finding new schools

– Recruit from schools farther away

• Finding and maintaining sponsorship to fund the project into the future

Thank you

For More Information

Jason Sayres

Jason.Sayres@stevens.edu

http://www.stevens.edu/ciese.org/waterbotics