All about the ‘droids’

The Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) is continuing to shape young minds in the area of science and technology through its annual fun and exciting camp where children are taught how to build robots.

Interim Executive Director of CSF Professor Cardinal Warde said the Barbados Junior Robotics Camp (BJRC) has grown significantly since it started five years ago because of the tremendous benefits children who participate in the programme have reaped.

Professor Warde delivered remarks at the launch of the 2019 edition of the summer enrichment programme for young Barbadian students interested in robotics, at the LT1 Roy Marshall Complex, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, this morning.

He said BJRC started with a small group and the camp is now oversubscribed. Sixty-six students between ages ten and 18 will participate in the camp which runs from July 16 to August 16.

“We started out in 2015 with just one level. Those who came for those two weeks in 2015 decided that they wanted to come back in 2016… Now, we have levels one, two, three and four.

“We are trying to serve as large a constituency of students in Barbados as we possibly can. Our resources, of course, are very meagre, and UWI Cave Hill Campus has been really great to us. We are not formally a part of UWI, but our headquarters are on the UWI campus,” Professor Warde said.

Professor Warde pointed out that the objective of the programme was to introduce basic technology and engineering concepts to children. He indicated that students admitted to the camp were usually curious about how things work in their environment and interested and eager to acquire knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The campers usually perform consistently well at school in science and mathematics subjects and enjoy hands-on work.

On August 15, the students will receive the opportunity to show their parents, friends and sponsors of the camp, the robots they created under the guidance of their trained coaches. (AH)