Portland St. Patrick Catholic School

Sign up to join the Rockbots

The Robotics League was brought to St. Patrick's in an effort to fill an extra-curricular need at the elementary level. The team is known as the ROCKBOTS – ie, Shamrock Robotics. The Rockbot season runs from September to December. It is coached by parents. It is self-funded through parents and private donations.

Elementary and middle-school students get to:
   Design, build and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
   Apply real-world math and science concepts
   Research challenges facing today’s scientists
   Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills

What teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.

The competitions are through the “FIRST LEGO League (FLL)” which is an international program for students age 9-14. It combines a hands-on, interactive robotics program and a research presentation with a sports-like atmosphere. Teams consist of up to 10 members and focus on such things as team building, problem solving, creativity, and analytical thinking.

Every September, a new Challenge is announced, which is based on a real-world scientific topic. Each Challenge has two parts: the Robot Game and the Project. Teams of up to ten children, with one adult coach, participate in the Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game) and developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project).

Each year we focus on a research project based on specific scientific disciplines. The project consists of research, presentations and teaching others about the topic. The students make posters and models and may do power point presentations. One year we studied nano-technology. The students learned about the science of how molecular engineering is being used to improve the quality of every-day life. 

We also apply mathematics and science to constructing the robot and completing the research project. The students learn basic applications of math related to engineering principals such as speed and statics. The students will also learn basic physics such as friction, gear ratios, and their impact on velocity and movement.

The competition is a one day event where the team has three robotic competitions and three presentations. The presentations are technical (based on research), team work (based on how well the students work together), and a presentation where the students will have to demonstrate that they did the work.

Past Challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. By designing our Challenges around such topics, participants are exposed to potential career paths within a chosen Challenge topic, in addition to solidifying the STEM principles that naturally come from participating in a robotics program. Team members also learn valuable life and employment skills which will benefit them no matter which career path they choose.  

In past competitions, the Rockbots have gone as far as the regionals. 

If you are interested in becoming involved in the St. Patrick Rockbot program, contact Chris Pung at (517) 647-0092, cjpung@gmail.com or Don and Carol Gunderman at (517) 647-5383.