Robotics: Sea, Land and Air
Are you the kind of person that likes to take things apart and put them back together? When you’re bored, do you draw doodles of drones or write about robots? Do you text your friends about gear ratios? When you see steampunk art do you trace out the mechanisms to see if they would actually work? If this is you (or you wish it were you) then this is your module. If you have mechanical or programming experience already, come grow your knowledge. If you have never dabbled in robotics but suspect it might be in your blood, come find out!
We are going to design, build, program, and operate robots, and lots of them -- every day a new one. We are going to build robots that operate underwater, robots that run on land and do complex tasks, and robots that fly in the air through an obstacle course. You will get to use kits, supplies and 3D printers to build standard robots and custom robots that now live only in your mind. Some of your creations will be glorious. Some of them will be … not so good. But we will teach you and help you to gain robotics and engineering skills and explore the maker inside you.
Instructor: Jeremy Nicoll
I’m Jeremy Nicoll – Coach Nicoll to you! The photo shows me with my robotics team at the Alaska State Qualifying competition for the FIRST Tech Challenge in 2010. I have coached or sponsored robotics teams and classes in robotics since the team above went to State. I have helped students build and program robots (on land), drones (in the air), and tethered ROVs (in the water). At my day job I work at a NASA-sponsored satellite downlink facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. NASA also has sponsored me to teach chemistry, physics, computer programming, and physical science to high school and middle school students. I love being a geek and helping students find out they do too.
Instructor: Tim Illguth
Hello, my name is Tim Illguth. I have taught High School robotics and principles of technology for two years. I currently work at a NASA-sponsored facility as a satellite telemetry tech and systems administrator. I grew up in Alaska and go to school right here at UAF. I major in electrical engineering and minor in mathematics. I have a great love for physics and economics, and I like to build race cars in my spare time. You can see here in the picture above my first attempt at building a rocket-powered pinewood derby car, which did not turn out as well as expected.