Robotics Challenge

The Alma Robotics Challenge is an invitational robotics tournament using the Lego MindStorms Robotics Platform.  Teams construct a robotic bird that tries to collect as many eggs as it can and return them to its nest. To make things interesting, it has an opponent which is trying to do the same thing. Interested?  Check out the Robotics Challenge Video, available in high quality (61.1 MB) or lower quality (13.1 MB).

This year's challenge will be held on Thursday, March 27, 2008. Contact Dr. Myles McNally for information on how your high school could participate in this free event. Alma College will even provide the robot kits for your school!

There will be a teacher-coach workshop at Alma College this December.  Teachers new to the contest are encouraged to attend, and veterans can attend to brush up on their programming skills.  Contact Dr. McNally for details.

Competitors in previous Robotics Challenges include teams from the following schools:

Alma High School
Breckenridge High School
Birch Run High School
Carson City - Crystal High School
Chelsea High School

Cranbrook Academy
Montabella High School
St. Louis High School
Thornapple Kellogg High School
Vestaburg High School


The image below shows the basic contest setup. The contest presentation has all the details on this year's contest, and also has an introduction to Lego robotics programming using NQC.

Contest photographs from previous years are available in a web album, and the contest presentation is also available in PowerPoint format.

 

 

Alma College's New Media Studies major, which debuts in 2011-12, prepares students for work in emerging forms of media digital information and technology—from audio and visual arts to social media to gaming and simulation to e-text, design and Web publication. New Media Studies majors are required to complete an internship, gaining hands-on experience in the field.

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Graduate Profile

Chad Jenkins

Chad Jenkins
Graduation: 1994
Major: Computer Science and Mathematics

Don’t take that URL at the top of the screen for granted! In 1994, alumnus Chad Jenkins had to work from scratch to create Alma College’s first official website.

“Jim Blumm and I worked together to establish it,” he says. “While it was exciting, I’ll admit our website was a bit less aesthetically pleasing than the current one.”

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