TML, Muharram 1431 | January 8 - February 4th, 2010
6 | COMMUNITY NEWS
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Al-Rahmah Starts After School Robotics Program
By Salman Sheikh
Muslim Link Contributing Writer Robots are running over Al-Rahmah school! Okay, they are only running in one of the classrooms every other week for about an hour. This year Al-Rahmah started offering middle school students the opportunity to participate in an after school robotics class. It all began when one of the parents of three students at Al-Rahmah wanted more enrichment opportunities at the school. As her son was a real “handson” type of learner, she was looking to fill a gap in the children’s development. After inquiring around the community, she found information about the 4H, a non-profit group dedicated to development of youth. She visited the 4-H office and looked at curriculum books in various areas and inquired
whether any grants were available to start a program at the school. She also spoke with one of Al-Rahmah’s science teachers who mentioned Robotics. The parent spoke with a 4-H representative who helped her apply for a grant from the 4-H Program in cooperation with University of Maryland Cooperative Extension service. Alhamdulillah, AlRahmah School received a $1000 grant to begin a robotics class. Robotics is an excellent way to introduce students to science, engineering, technology and mathematics. Students learn about careers in these fields as well as experience activities professionals use to solve real-world problems. Both boys and girls participate in the Robotics program, each with their own team. The robots come in kits known as the Lego Mindstorm NXT System. Each kit
consists of a controller, which is a brickshaped box or “brains” of the robot along with a few hundred parts that snap together to make various types of robots along with sensors that allow the robot to measure sound, light, motion and touch. The robots are programmed to do various tasks through a reiterative process known as an algorithm (a word attributed to 9th century Persian astronomer and mathematician Al-Khwarizimi), a method to solve a problem though a sequence of instructions. A Graphical User Interface computer program is used to develop the programs for the robots. The program – or “instruction set” -- can then be downloaded and tested out on the robot. This is a reiterative process that involves developing an algorithm and testing it. The first year of the program is only for
the middle school grades. The classes meet once every two weeks for one to two hours after school. With the grant money, Al-Rahmah purchased three robotics kits; the Al-Rahmah PTSA pitched in for a fourth kit. Each student team uses one kit and is mentored by a teacher or adult volunteer. There are many opportunities for youth to compete in robotics tournaments. One is the First Lego League, which is an international competition for elementary and middle school students. Each year the contest focuses on a different realworld topic related to the sciences. The robotics part of the competition revolves around designing and programming Lego robots to complete tasks. The students work out solutions to the various problems they are given and then meet for regional tournaments to share their knowledge, compare ideas, and display their robots. Next year, Al-Rahmah plans to begin a robotics program for younger children between the ages of 6 to 9 with the Lego WeDo systems. Program organizers are hopeful next year’s Robotics tournaments will see entries from AlRahmah students.
Left, Salman Sheikh works on a robotics project as five Al-Rahmah students look on. Right, an Al-Rahmah student intently configures her robot. Photo courtesy of the author.
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