Casper College plans to offer degree in robotics

Students in the program will be able to earn an associate of applied science in what college officials say is a growing technical field.Students will take classes in drafting, welding and machine tools, C++ programming and motion control, according to Megan Graham, an electronics instructor at Casper College and one of the school's coordinators for the US FIRST Robotics competition."We'll be forming an advisory committee with industry partners to help guide the program," Graham said. .

Young robot designers garner praise from city

It started with a kit of parts — a battery, some electronics, sensors and a chassis — and a desire to build a robot.

With the help of a NASA grant, a few engineers and a lot of will power, 60 students from San Leandro High and Chinese Christian schools participated in a six-week regional engineering project that for most of them was an eye-opening experience.

"When we started, they didn't know the difference between a slot and a Phillips head (screwdriver)," said Joni Carlson, adviser to the Chinese Christian School robotics team. "And those kids built this robot."

The robotics teams from both schools recently came back from participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual challenge designed to help high school students discover the world of engineering.