Workshops for kids focus on technology

Four-State youngsters who like technology will have two new summer workshops to stretch their minds and occupy their hands this summer. In addition to the two very popular Adventures in Robotics workshops, the Pittsburg State University College of Technology will also offer Construct Your Future, a workshop on building, and Plastic is Fantastic, a workshop on plastics. The workshops, for children 9-14 years of age, will be taught by PSU College of Technology faculty in the Kansas Technology Center at Ford and Rouse Streets on the Pittsburg State University campus.

Adventures in Robotics I
Two sessions of this workshop will be taught. The first will run from 9 a.m. until noon and the second will run from 1-4 p.m. July 23-27. Topics to be covered include teamwork, construction techniques, programming, robotic basics, brainstorming and electro-mechanics.

Adventures in Robotics II
To participate in this workshop, students must have completed Adventures in Robotics I or be familiar with the LEGO system. One session will be taught from 9 a.m. until noon July 30-Aug. 3. This is a continuation of Adventures in Robotics I in which students will explore robotic concepts in greater depth.

Construct Your Future
This workshop gives students an opportunity to explore the professional aspects of the construction industry, including 3D modeling and computer estimating and scheduling. Activities will be related to a professional construction management career. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. until noon July 16-20.

Plastic is Fantastic
The Plastic is Fantastic workshop will be a fast-paced look at the materials, processes and design methods involved in the plastics industry. Students will receive hands-on experience in material classification and usage, plastic processing including injection molding, extrusion, composite structure and testing. Students will get to take the parts they make home.

The fee for each of the workshops is $90. For more information, call Rita Hardesty in the Department of Engineering Technology at 620-235-4345. For information on the Robotics workshops, call Hardesty or visit the Robotics home page at http://www.pittstate.edu/air/

---Pitt State---