The School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI served as host to the 2014 Indiana VEX IQ Robotics State Championship February 22nd at the Informatics and Communications Technology Complex on the IUPUI campus.
The VEX IQ Challenge, presented by the Office of Education Innovation, and Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is a competition to spur science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities at elementary and middle schools. The Indiana VEX IQ State Championship, held at the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI and organized by Cornerstone Robotics was host to 26 school teams from across the state. Award winners can move on to the 2014 VEX Robotics World Championship.
Students and staff from the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI showcased how Informatics plays a role in making technology more human-centered. At the event, Polly Baker, professor of Media Arts and Science in the department of Human-Centered Computing, demonstrated an innovative strategy for using hand movements and gestures to direct the motion of a small robot.
“Today, Informatics plays a key role in many different industries. Robotics is an example of a field where students can engage by making and designing information technology to serve people and augment our abilities to operate in the world. This is where Informatics comes into the picture, and it’s amazing to see how many high-school students are already interested in getting involved in this exciting area of study,“ said Davide Bolchini interim department chair of Human-Centered Computing and professor of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at the School of Informatics and Computing.
The Robotics Education and Competition Foundation is committed to promoting technology and related student and professional advancement so that one day these programs become accessible to all students and all schools in all communities. Their goal is to provide these programs with services, solutions, and a community that allows them to flourish in a way that fosters the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for students to succeed in the 21st Century.
For more information:
Photo gallery
VEX Robotics Competition
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
317-278-9208