After two years in the making, due to COVID-19, the inaugural Brazos County Robotics Roundup and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Expo was held on April 9, 2022, at the county extension office. The goal of the expo is to expose youth to college and career opportunities in STEM and stay abreast of cutting-edge technology related to agriculture. Brazos, Grimes, Waller, Lee, and Leon counties were invited to participate, and eight teams ranging from juniors, intermediates, and seniors participated in the challenge. This was a “blind” competition meaning that the mission was not revealed until the morning of the event. The teams had two and half hours to program, build, and test their robots. The competition consisted of four 3-minute rounds with various tasks.
We would like to acknowledge the Byrd Academy, an African American owned technology education firm, for sponsoring awards. In addition, we want to thank the judges, volunteers, and visiting agents (Russell Ford of Waller County and Carla Hayes of Grimes County). There were over 56 spectators in attendance. This event will be held annually and with the expectation that an increased number of counties will participate. It took a lot of planning, committed volunteers, and sponsors for this event to be a success.
Hendrix Broussard
Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development
hjbroussard@pvamu.edu
(979) 823-0129