The NICBotCamps are returning for 2017. The camps allow students, aged 9 to 12, to build, program and remotely control Lego robots while learning vital science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.
“Last year’s camps were so popular we wanted to bring them back this year,” said Naomi Tabata, manager of NIC’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI). “It’s a unique opportunity for students to work closely with robotics instructors to build their own creations and learn how to code. It was inspiring to see what the students created and how interested they were in learning.”
Eight one-week camps will run across the region, including:
- Comox Valley (two camps), July 4 - 7 & July 10 - 14
- Port Alberni, July 17 - 21
- Campbell River (two camps), July 24 - 28 & July 31 - Aug 4
- Tofino and Ucluelet Aug 8 - 11
- Port Hardy, Aug 14 -18
Robotics experience is not necessary.
The camps begin step-by-step, teaching students how to build before they design their own creations. It also gives students the chance to meet peers who share the same interests and make friends. Every child who registers and completes the camp also has a chance to win a Coder MiP robot.
“We know skills in science, technology, engineering and math will be in high demand in the future,” said Tabata. “We hope to inspire and encourage students to continue to build those skills and look at them as possible career choices down the road.”
For Pat Whalen, the 2016 camps were a chance to see his daughter develop new passions.
“Every day, my daughter came home excited about what she created in camp,” he said. “It was like it flipped a light switch on in my little girl’s mind where she suddenly realized she could be anything she dreamed.”
The camps are offered in partnership with Navigate NIDES, the North Island Distance Education School.
For more information on NIC’s robotics summer camps last year, or to watch a video, visit bit.ly/2pUPU5g.
To register, visit any NIC registration office or register online using the course code CAMP-LEGO at www.nic.bc.ca/continuingeducation.
Media Contact
Christiana Wiens
Media Liaison, North Island College
O. 250-334-5280 | M. 250-218-4097
christiana.wiens@nic.bc.ca
