Robotics At Ohlone College - More than just Robots
In the News
Students bring robots to life in Hyman Hall, Monitor, September 20, 2007 - "Move forward and stop. It’s a simple task for most of us, but for a robot, that simple task takes a lot of programming and even then there is no guarantee."
Program Overview
In Fall 2005, Ohlone College offerred for the first time a class in Introduction to Robotics which satisfies the Physical Science General Education requirements of the college. The class is set up to appeal to the widest audience and has no pre-requisites - all that is asked of students is that they have a curiosity for how the physical world works. The objective is to use robots to stimulate student's interest in technology.
Students enrolled in the class will use the LEGO Mindstorm Robot Invention System (RIS) to actually construct and “train” their own robots. ( For those who are not familiar with LEGO – just go to http://www. lego.com/and you will find that LEGO is much more than just a toy company. The roots of the Invention System can be traced back to MIT ! ) More about the Introduction to Robotics class can be found at Description of Introduction to Robotics.
The Introduction to Robotics General Education class is only the beginning of the development of what will ultimately be a Robotics Program which will find its home in the new Newark Health Sciences and Technology campus. The Robotics Program will include the following:
- General Education Physical Science Introduction to Robotics Class
- Certificate of Completion – A Certificate to recognize completion of a Robotics Curriculum
- Certificate of Achievement - Transfer to Four Year School
- Interdisciplinary Programs (PDF) (view with the free Adobe Reader software)
Outreach Plans
K-12 Math and Science Outreach
As important as these academic classes and programs are to the Instructional Environment of Ohlone College, the Robotics Program is actually a part of a much broader and ambitious goal of the college. Ohlone wants to serve a more diverse community of students – it wants to attract students who belong to groups currently under represented on campus. A major goal of the Robotics Program is to become part of a community outreach to attract and better serve students from all backgrounds. This outreach will be directed at the math and science programs of the local K-12 schools – Robotics has proven to be a powerful tool in attracting students from 5th grade to Junior High to become involved with technology . The Robotics K-12 Outreach program will used to help foster and nurture this interest beyond these early school years.
Learn more about K-12 Math and Science Outreach.
Industrial and Academic Outreach
The future of the local economy and the nation is tied to Technology and Ohlone has long been a place where students have access to training to obtain employment in Industries built upon Technology. This natural partnership between Industry and the Science, Technology, and Engineering Division of the college must be deepened and further developed as the Robotics Program grows. A second outreach program is developing between the local Industries and Ohlone. For example, Ohlone currently is working on developing curriculum using a model of the Mars Rover on loan from NASA Ames. This Industrial Outreach already taps into the local industries for guidance and support and is actively seeking to develop more and more Industrial Partnerships as the program matures. Also this outreach will seek to establish a transfer program between Ohlone's robotic's training and four year schools – a certificate of achievement which would be recognized by the Chancellor's office would make the robotics program much more attractive to student's wanting to continue their education beyond Ohlone.
The K-12 and Industrial Outreaches that Ohlone are establishing, I believe, will may ultimately evolve into a partnership between K-12, the college, Industry and other interested two and four year schools. A model for such a community partnership can be found in the San Diego Science Alliance.
Learn more about Industrial and Four Year Schools Outreach.
Contact Information
George Wong
gwong@ohlone.edu
