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Frank Ohl students learn to control ‘Rockin’ Robots’
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fourth-grader Zoe Bailey (left) enjoyed learning programming basics with an electronic car during a visit from Carnegie Science Center to Frank Ohl to May 3.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Frank Ohl student McKenzie Connors (front) was blindfolded during a Carnegie Science Center activity on May 3 where friend Destiny Miller had to direct her with audio clues. The activity was meant to show students how robots travel blindly and must listen to directions to know where they are going.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .A group of happy Frank Ohl fourth-graders smiled on May 3 as they explored a Carnegie Science Center activity station about perception.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Frank Ohl fourth-grader Sean Griffiths (left) learned about the challenges that robots face with everyday tasks that humans can complete easily with their hands. Griffiths tried to tie a pair of shoes using a pair of plastic pinchers.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Frank Ohl students Josh Yeager (left) and Vinny Stille learned how to write their birthdays in binary code at a Carnegie Science Center activity station on May 3.
By SARAH FOOR
The students at Frank Ohl met some “Rockin’ Robots” thanks to a visit from the Carnegie Science Museum on May 3.
The day of science fun began with a presentation by Michaela Williams and Quasi, an animatronic puppet hybrid robot, who teamed up to teach the students about different robots that explore land, sea and space.
Williams said she fit the presentation for the fourth- and fifth-grade students at the school.
“At this age, it’s all about bringing them on the journey as we learn. The students at Frank Ohl have a great basis of scientific knowledge, so we don’t give them every answer — we help them connect the dots on their own,” Williams explained.
The presentation was followed by a day of hands-on activities that each grade level explored. At the stations, the students learned about building circuits, how to write in binary code, listening to cues to follow directions and perception.
While half of each class explored the stations, Carnegie official Beth Colbert worked with the remaining students on programming basics with electronic toy cars.
Fourth-grader Zoe Bailey caught on fast, programming her car to reverse and then right itself to make an L shape.
“It’s pretty easy once you get started, and really cool how it all works,” Bailey said of the process.
Frank Ohl science teacher Kristine Mazzella was happy to see the students working on advanced theories in her subject of choice.
“It’s a beneficial activity for all the students today. For fifth-graders, they’re expanding their knowledge of subjects like simple machines, and my fourth-graders are getting a great basis for some of the work they’ll be doing in science next year,” Mazzella said.