Ruh Youth Sports Foundation Incentivized Robotics Strategies Courses & Exercises For Youth Students

With the goal of inspiring the science and technology workforce of tomorrow

, RUH Youth Sports Foundation seeks support of our proposed program, Incentivized Robotics Strategies Courses & Exercises for Youth Students, an opportunity for children and teens to learn about robotics in an environment that also encourages exercise and physical fitness. K-12 students in the Houston, Texas area will be invited to attend summer Science & Robotics camps to learn about robots and how they work using hands-on learning methodologies.

Camp participants who score the highest on their final exams in robotics will spend an additional week building robots for a competition to which all will be invited. Our robotics experiments, games and competitions will require participants to move and exercisefor example, motion sensor controls will be used on robots as opposed to traditional remote controls. We believe that this innovative learning approach will increase each students personal investment and involvement in the program and that the spirit of competition will inspire an abiding interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields as our participants continue in their education. Our marketing strategy will target African-American and Hispanic demographic groups which are underrepresented in STEM career fields.

In the light of the dire fact that the United States currently lags behind many other nations in math and science education, RUH Youth Sports Foundation recognizes the great need to implement new strategies that will inspire and encourage our youth to pursue studies and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. We strongly believe that informal, after-school programs such as ours must aid schools by taking on the task of providing innovative STEM educational opportunities if we are to succeed in this endeavor. To this end, RUH Youth Sports Foundation seeks funding over a period of two to three years to establish summer Science & Robotics camps for children and teens to learn about robotics in an environment that also encourages physical activity. The camp programs will culminate with robotics competitions.

Who we are: RUH Youth Sports Foundation is an accredited 501(C)3 nonprofit youth sports organization for boys and girls in the Houston, Texas area. Our mission is to inspire learning, teamwork and sportsmanship in a safe, fun environment while nurturing youth to become well-rounded, contributing members of society. For the past eleven years, our primary focus has been on establishing three-on-three youth basket ball leagues with teams coached by students and alumni of Rice University and the University of Houston. RUH Youth Sports has enjoyed remarkable success. From the beginning, our teams have won at least one tournament each year-- a total of fifteen championships including three national championships. Last year was very special for us as both our girls and boys teams were ranked number one in the nation.

Participants in RUH Youth Sports learn a great deal more than how to excel on the basketball court. Our program is tailored to build character and self-confidence by teaching children how to communicate effectively both on and off the court. Our participants are given life-coaching support in verbal skills, body language, public speaking and overcoming personal obstacles. Coaching staff also conduct report card checks to ensure that participants are performing well in school and tutor youths on improved study habits. We believe it is imperative to ensure that each player becomes physically fit, realizes his or her academic potential and has the tools necessary to become a well-rounded, contributing member of society. The creation of Science & Robotics summer camp programs to educate and inspire children and teens in STEM fields is very much in keeping with our overarching goals and vision. Our youth sports programs goals and the STEM research project objectives possess synergistic qualities that help to ensure a youths mental and physical development to maturity.

Our proposed program: Since 1992 when the FIRST Robotics Competition was held, educators have increasingly turned to robotics as a means of turning kids on to science and engineering. The LEGO Mindstorms RCX Robotics Invention System, for example, is commonly being used in many classrooms and after-school robotics programs across the nation, including Houston. In learning about robotics, students draw upon the knowledge fields of science, computers, engineering and math.

As part of our Science & Robotics camps, children and teens will become junior robotics scientists. On the most basic level, they will learn the scientific method and how to tackle complex problem solving and analysisjust as professional scientists and engineers do. For example, robotics engineers must develop, implement and manipulate complex algorithms and conduct experiments through trial and error. To get robots to move in patterns, scientists must learn the formulas that make them move in those patterns and how to modify the algorithms to change the robots movements. Our junior robotics scientists will learn basic algorithms and how to integrate them in scientific formulas. They will also have the opportunity to learn how to use robotics software and design and augment robots using CAD, computer-aided drafting. The curriculum will be tailored to children at each grade level, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. We are confident that after our participants achieve success in our program they will be inspired to pursue further studies in STEM fields and envision themselves in long-term STEM careers into adulthood.

The goals of RUH Youth Sports Foundations Incentivized Robotics Strategies Courses & Exercises for Youth Students are two-fold; to inspire youth to pursue careers in STEM fields of the future and to motivate them to become more active and physically fit. Our program will be unique and innovative among other youth robotics programs in pairing physical activities and exercise with the study of robotics.

Lack of physical exercise is clearly a contributing factor to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States, a problem that is especially prevalent in the state of Texas. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that a quarter of children in the United States participate in zero physical activity outside of school. In line with First Lady Michelle Obamas Lets Move program, we seek to offer Houston youth an opportunity to experience unique and exciting new ways of getting exercise. For example, besides using motion activation controls on the robots, camp participants will play active games with robots such as relay races and capture-the-flag. While getting children and teens to engage in physical exercise is a worthy goal in itself, scientific studies have demonstrated that it will also encourage more personal investment in the robotics program and lead to increased learning retention.

Recent studies indicate that exercise boosts brain development in children which increases memory and reasoning abilities. In 2010, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted experiments in which fourth and fifth graders ran on treadmills, performed cognitive challenges and underwent MRI scans of their brains. The study revealed that fit children had significantly larger basal gangliathe part of the brain that aids in the ability to focus and coordinate thoughts and actions. The researchers latest study involved a second group of children who completed complex memory tests along with physical exercise. Memory tasks are associated with the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobes of the brain. Once again, the children who were more physically fit had more fully developed hippocampi. The Illinois researchs results strongly suggests that if exercise is responsible for increasing the size of these regions of the brain, then being fit will enhance neurocognition in young people.

Past studies from the same team of researchers have shown that just twenty minutes of walking beforehand improves test scores, even for children who are out of shape. Another study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden showed correlations between aerobic exercise and specific growth factors and proteins that stimulate the brain and raise IQ. (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/phys-ed-can-exercise-make-kids-smarter/)

The ability to analyze complex information and retain knowledge is essential to the successful pursuit of more advanced STEM coursework and careers. By combining physical exercises with hands-on learning activities, RUH Youth Sports Foundation seeks to not only give children and teens a basic understanding of robotics but to boost their ability to absorb that information and think creatively to apply what they learn in their own experiments.

Program specifics: The principal investigator for our Science & Robotics summer camps will be Jebadiah Moulton, a member of the Atlanta Hobby Robot Club (AHRC) and a full-time automation/robotic manipulation engineer. Mr. Moulton holds bachelor degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Computer Engineering Technology and will create the learning curriculum for each age group in addition to training instructors and staff and contributing needed hardware. RUH Youth Sports will also consult with SHARP (Society for Houston Area Robotics Projects) for assistance with project implementation and staff recruitment.

The RUH Youth Sports Foundation Science & Robotics summer camp programs will utilize the iRobot Create platform which is accessible to younger children and can also offer older camp participants an introduction to robot programming. The fundamentals of the platform are designed for the education community. The robot will have an onboard computer for vision tracking and a high-definition camera.

We will also utilize Roborealm, a software package that is designed for machine vision applications and used extensively in the robotic community. This software is configurable to object and color tracking along with many more user-definable filters and functions. The robot would be modified for high speed motion comparable to a jogging speed. The robot comes with a variety of object avoidance sensors and many other types of sensors including light, motion and sound.

In addition to the Roborealm software, we would also use a form of C+++ as another programming option. Because this software is free, camp participants who have access to personal computers at home could work with it on their own time. Additionally, all camp participants without internet connectivity at their residence can gain access to this programming method for free with the use of internet access at their local library. This would be ideal for contestants in the robotics competition. Google Sketch-Up, which is also free, would be used to design 3D models of robots. This software would allow the students to take the model file and edit it using CAD (computer aided drafting) if they wished, for example, to put horns or a plow on the robot. Some sort of CAD software is utilized in most technology manufacturing environments. Through this program, our camp participants would gain hands-on experience working with software used in the real working world of STEM.

Again, our Science & Robotics camps will not just be about using software and learning the basics of robotics. A major component of our program will be about getting student participants to move and exerciseand have fun! To that end, we shall develop various games to be played with the robots our participants build as events for our robotics competitions taking place at the end of each camps session. The iRobot Create package offers many game options that may be played on a flat floor surface. Some examples of active games that will be played within our robotics competitions include:

Capture the flag: The robot will chase players around the gymnasium towards a colored flag. The players would wear a specific color or hold a specially shaped object for the robot to autonomously chase the player. Once within the range of the flag, a player could activate a Wiimote to accurately drive the robot to the flag. Attaching Velcro strips to the robot could aid in the robot in picking up the flag or ball. The robot could then return to object tracking mode to chase the player back to the goal.

Object-tracking robot croquet: The robot will track different colored arches or wickets around a track. Either automatically or through the use of a Wiimote, the robot could go through the arches. Meanwhile the student players would have to alternately leapfrog two of these arches around the track while staying in front of the robot. The more arches the robot passed through in the shortest amount of time would determine the winner.

Marco Polo: A robot outfitted with sound locating sensors, a voice recognition module and a laser tag gun will chase student players wearing targets. The robot would use the voice recognition module and the sound or sonar localization array to look in the direction of the student and then the Roborealm vision system would also continuously look for the students using a facial recognition feature.

Relay races: A robot could be used as one of the relay runners for the last leg of the race to ensure that children had to operate the robot to the finish while in a fatigued state.

In the day to day classes of our Science & Robotics camps, we would balance warm-up aerobic and stretching exercises along with lectures on robotics, hands-on learning activities and games to create variety and a stimulating learning environment.

Our plan is for the Science & Robotics camps to start in April and run through September. Our goal is to enroll up to three hundred students per four-week session. The classes will meet twice weekly for three hour sessions, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. This time was found to be most optimal for working mothers that we surveyed. Each group of students will take the science and robotics classes for four weeks which will culminate in a final exam. For the final two weeks of the camps, students will be occupied with fundraising, preparing their robots for competition and the competitions themselves.

Target demographic: A 2008 report from the national Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) reveals that the number of minority students pursuing STEM degrees and careers has flattened or declined. For example, African-Americans, Latinos and Native Americans receive only about twelve percent of college degrees in engineering ( http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/05/02/report-stem-gap-widens-for-underrepresented-minorities.aspx) At the same time, as the Massachusetts-based Center for Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math asserts, the STEM job market is growing and recruitment for the nations future technical workforce will have to focus on traditionally underrepresented population groups if the United States is to remain globally competitive. Educational outreach strategies to inspire minority youth to take up advanced studies and careers in science and technology fields are greatly needed.

RUH Youth Sports Foundation strongly believes that all efforts to inspire K-12 students to pursue education and careers in STEM fields must also work towards creating a more diverse and competitive future workforce. We will actively encourage the enrollment of minority students in our Science & Robotics program through a targeted marketing campaign. The issue of building a diverse STEM workforce is particularly resonant in Houston where the total population was estimated at 2,208,180 in 2007 with 24.1% identifying as African-American and 41.9% as Hispanic. We will market our Science & Robotics camps to these large segments of our population via community mass media and local churches and schools that serve African-American and Hispanic communities. We shall also conduct television and radio ads in addition to the grass roots marketing methods discussed.

Funding needs: Grant dollars will be used to cover the cost of purchasing a training facility and office space, providing for instructor and principal investigator salaries, robotics supplies, administrative costs, and the purchase of two vans to transport students to and from the summer camp. We wish to underline the fact that the purchase of these vans, which would seat up to fifteen students each, would serve to ensure the success of the program. Many lower income and minority families have only one vehicle or rely upon Metro bus service. By providing reliable transportation, RUH Youth Sports Foundation would ensure consistent attendance and commitment to our robotics program.

Goals and Objectives:

To create an opportunity for youth to gain knowledge about science and

robotics while also engaging in physical activities to stay fit and healthy. Our robotics experiments, games and competitions will require participants to move and exercise which in turn increases their retention of STEM course studies.

To teach youth about robotics using hands-on learning techniques and competitions that will inspire creativity, enjoyment and self-actualization.

To encourage participants to achieve success to inspire them to pursue further studies in STEM fields and envision themselves in STEM careers.

Guiding Principles:

To promote informal science and technology education outside a formal school setting.

To encourage K-12 students, particularly minorities, to develop an interest in and be prepared for careers in the science and technology workforce of the future.

To inspire youth participants to be physically active, fit and healthy.

To promote public technical literacy.

Project Description/Timeline:

Fall 2011 April 2012: RUH Youth Sports Foundation will begin the Science & Robotics camp program set-up process. Our building space will be renovated and classroom and office spaces will be furnished. Computer equipment will be installed. Robotics instructors will be hired and trained while the curriculum is established and fine-tuned.

February April 2012: Marketing plan for the program will commence including website, television and print advertising in community media outlets as well as flyers in schools and churches.

Mid-March 2012: Begin pre-registration for the Science & Robotics camps. Pre-Surveys will be conducted as part of registration process to determine youths initial prejudgments and level of interest in a future STEM career. (If pre-registrations fill up the first camp sess

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