After-School Programs
The Robotic Warriors Club is a yearlong (16 weeks) after-school program where middle school and high school students will receive hands-on experience in designing, developing, programming and constructing robots.
A primary goal for this club is to prepare student teams to enter one of their own robots in the annual National Robotics Challenge (NRC) in Marion, Ohio. Indiana Tech has supported teams in the NRC since 1995 and has a long history of winning at this competition. This year’s NRC will be April 17 through 20, 2024.
The program has two divisions—an introductory division for seventh- and eighth-graders to introduce them to the basics of robotics through Mazebots, and an advanced division for eighth- through 12th-graders that will guide them toward advance robotic design and programming. Students will receive two hours of instruction every other Wednesday from Indiana Tech engineering faculty and advisors who are experienced in robotics.
The cost per student for the Robotic Warriors Club is $375 for the full year. Students will receive hands-on instruction, a t-shirt and swag, and snacks during meetings. The club fee also covers entry fee and hotel cost for the NRC competition. Additionally, robotics kits, 3D printing and tools will be available to students throughout the program.
The Girls Tech Takeover is a 10-week after-school club for middle school ladies where they will explore and learn about technology, coding and new gadgets. Girls will learn new skills, build community and grow their confidence in computer science through hands-on exploration.
This semester’s Girls Tech Takeover is for Memorial Park Middle School students. Club meetings are held in Memorial Park’s library from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Future semesters will be held at other partner schools.
Middle School S.T.E.A.M. Club is a 10-week after-school program where students will explore career options in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Middle school-aged students will participate in hands-on activities and receive mentorship from highly qualified university faculty. Student will also receive session program materials, a program t-shirt and snacks. This program is set to launch in spring 2024. More details will be available soon about dates, times and locations.
These programs aim to introduce students to the world of robotics.
Elementary School: When formally launched, programming will include the use of basic robotic kits to introduce Fort Wayne elementary school students to the world of robotics. These little robots are brought to life by an electric motor and a kid’s imagination. The can be designed to to race, dance, scribble and color.
If you are interested in having this opportunity in your child’s elementary school, ask your principal to reach out to Caleb Hunter, Indiana Tech academic camp director, at 260.422.5561, ext. 2490, or crhunter@indianatech.edu.
Middle School: Indiana Tech offers this program in partnership with STARBASE Indiana-Fort Wayne, currently for Jefferson Middle School students. Students work with mBots, fully-programmable robots that are driven by an Arduino circuit board, which is a popular open-source electronics platform. In addition to learning how to program functionality for their robots, problem solve and navigate robotic challenges, students will learn how to make CAD designs of add-on features for their robots. It is possible students will be able to print their designs with a 3D printer and apply them to their robot.
If you are interested in having this opportunity in your child’s middle school, ask your principal to reach out to Caleb Hunter, Indiana Tech academic camp director, at 260.422.5561, ext. 2490, or crhunter@indianatech.edu.
High School: Hosted on Indiana Tech’s Fort Wayne campus for 10 weeks, high school students will experience hands-on learning in robotic design, 3D printing and prototyping to build a robot from scratch. This program is open to students in grades 9 through 12 and will be taught by Indiana Tech faculty who are experienced in robotics. The cost is $225 and covers program robotics materials, a program t-shirt and snacks.