April 18, 2006

SIUC to host summer robotics camps

by Carmen Bell

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale will give young students an opportunity to design and build robots this summer.

The electronic systems technologies department in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at SIUC offers the camp. Students will learn the basic principles of robotics including basic electronics, sensors, motor and servo control, programming and control techniques. The high school camp will look at mechanical, drive and pneumatic systems. Participants will work in teams and use high-level mechanical systems to design and build complex robots.

The program director is Martin Hebel, an SIUC assistant professor. Hebel co-authored a text on the use of microcontrollers in industrial applications and developed interface software used around the world.

Session I is for campers ages 12-16. It is set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 26-29. The fee for participation is $250 and enrollment is limited to 15 participants.

Session II is for high school students and is set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 10-14. Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. There is a $325 fee for participation.

Camps will be held at the College of Applied Sciences and Arts on the SIUC campus.

For more information or to register, contact the SIUC Division of Continuing Education at 618/536-7751 or register online at www.dce.siu.edu.

Offering education and training activities for a variety of pre-adult age groups is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.