Murphy – Murphy Middle School has received a $5,000 award through the Tennessee Valley Authority to use toward robotics programs.
TVA has awarded $655,000 to 179 schools and nonprofits that will support Youth Robotics Programs. The awards are only available to official robotics programs and help cover the costs associated with robotics teams as well as competitions.
The instructors of the robotics program at Murphy Middle are David Decker and Brian Gatti. The school’s robotics program is limited to 10 students, who must apply.
This year, they’re expecting about half of their program to be made up of girls, even though other robotics programs are largely dominated by boys. The average age of students in the school’s program is 11-14, Gatti said.
“We are thrilled to be awarded and receive these funds. Our kids have worked so hard throughout our past season and we’re excited for these funds to be used to help improve our program,” he said.
“It will help us to upgrade our coding computers and allow the kids to code and work with the robots better.”
The robots that the students are working with are basic and made of Legos. The program itself is Lego based.
To get the Lego robots to move, students must create a code with instructions for the robot to follow. Then from the computer they send the code to the robot and tap “go.”
“Once students send the code and it starts, they can’t touch it. It has to do the stuff it needs to do and return back to the home base before it can run another program,” Gatti said.
The computers are vital in creating the codes and operating the robots. Some of the awarded money will be used for new laptops. The funds will also help pay for team registration and purchasing the kit.
“We’re going to take the kids out into the field and take them to visit a science museum in Atlanta. We’re also planning on taking them to a computer science museum in Roswell, Ga.,” Gatti said.
Early exposure to programs such as robotics helps students with critical thinking, which is vital when seeking employment in fields like engineering, computer programming, instructional and safety work.
The award provides an opportunity to bring cutting-edge technology and hands-on learning to schools and robotics programs outside of the classroom, according to the TVA. That’s why TVA, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc., a TVA retiree organization, are investing in youth through the new TVA Robotics Award Program, in addition to the TVA STEM classroom awards program that began in 2015.
Involving kids in programs such as robotics promotes creativity, encourages new ideas and allows youth to develop problem-solving skills. By encouraging children to engage in these types of creative programs, it helps them develop a sense of teamwork.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power supplier, delivering energy to more than 10 million people.
Details: Visit tva.com/robotics.