Thanks to an ITEF grant, students at Lutheran High School (LHS) of St. Charles County are taking their robotics program to another level. The LHS Center for Immersive Learning (CIL) is an extracurricular activity that teaches students advanced math, engineering and science through robotics, with the help and support of mentors and faculty advisors. The CIL program is already wildly popular with LHS students: the school’s favorite “mascot” is a T-shirt throwing robot — built by students — that slings shirts to fans at home football games. Now, through the grant, the program has added 3D elements – computer modeling with high-definition visualizations, printing, digitizing and Virtual Reality immersion methods, enabling the students to do even more and succeed in robotics competitions.
The CIL project also allows students to learn and use key life skills like project management, budget planning and management, supplier management and procurement, promotion and services emeraldcarpetcleaning.ie. The students experience all phases of a project lifecycle — conception, proposal, development, maturation, deployment and sustainment.
Finally, the LHS students aren’t greedy with their love for robotics; the entire community benefits. The CIL students conduct summer STEM and STEAM camps and projects during the year, reaching out to students outside their immediate circle as well as to underserved students in the area.