Oregon has multiple robotics organizations and leagues supporting authentic STEM learning. In no particular order:

• Oregon Robotics Tournament and Outreach Program runs the tournament circuits for FIRST(tm) robotics. FIRST is an international organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, spearheaded by the inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen.
  • Junior FIRST LEGO League, ages 6-9, moving parts.
  • FIRST LEGO League, ages 9-14, small robots on a 4’x8′ tabletop with LEGO models, running missions under autonomous program control.
  • FIRST Tech Challenge, 7th – 12th grade, larger robots that can still be lifted onto a table, running on a small walled field, using an Android controller, some autonomous action, some driver-controlled.
  • of course, one need not compete to benefit from the kind of open-ended, motivated learning that combining kids and robots can make happen. Want more? Register at Wilsonville SuperQuest now and watch for classes to be confirmed at Pendleton and Newport.
• The big robots that need a gym to compete in? Those teams run under the auspices of OregonFIRST.
• Marine Advanced Technology Education Remotely Operated Vehicles (MATE-ROV) — underwater robots! In competition!
  • Linn-Benton Community College
  • Oregon Coast STEM Hub
  • One of my favorite blog posts of all time, from the Oregon Coast STEM Hub, features students doing real citizen science, teacher sacrifice, student persuasion, lost instrumentation, spectacular rescue by well-functioning remotely operated vehicle constructed by students.
  • Want more? Watch for a class to be confirmed at Newport.
• VEX Robotics is the platform used by the Project Lead the Way engineering curriculum, and has enough teams in Oregon to enable league play. Greg Smith at West Salem High is the Commissioner for Oregon. VEX robots are larger, but still mostly can be lifted onto a table, but compete on the floor. Want more, told by someone who knows much more than I? Sign up for SuperQuest West Salem.
• Pretty new on the scene, NASA’s Zero Robotics centers on the ISS, and in Oregon is brought to you in cooperation with OregonASK, the statewide afterschool network.
• Not much interested in locomotion, navigation, manipulation but only want control? Arduino microcontrollers can be programmed to control lights, circuits, signals, motors, … Locally, 4-H provides lots of resources, and Oregon MESA and PSU have collaborated on a curriculum keyed to an informal environment. The Newport SuperQuest has a confirmed Arduino course.

Respectfully submitted,
Jo Oshiro
jo@oregoncsta.org

Update: featured image