At the Klein ISD 2019 Pathway Summit that took place Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Klein Multipurpose Center, the Klein Robotics team presented their newest robot to students interested in a STEM endorsement. STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and one way for students to get exposed to a STEM pathway is through Robotics.
Students, parents and Klein ISD staff were invited to attend a day of informative and innovative information to create prepared scholars and pathway explorers.
“The Pathway Summit is a chance for people to discover their interests and look at different careers,” junior Kimberly Wang said. “We are going to be there to showcase our STEM project and try to make people interested in STEM careers.”
The Robotics Team is made up of 40 members from all five of the Klein ISD high schools. The robot showcased at the Pathway Summit was built in exactly six weeks with the aid of computer aided design (CAD). The Team built it from scratch at Lone Star College Energy and Manufacturing Institute.
“We are doing this to promote STEM in our community,” senior Alea Nablan said. “STEM is important because science and technology is everything and as our world is advancing, we need students to advance their knowledge in STEM, so they can possibly contribute to the world.”
The Pathway Summit impacted many students of all grade levels and others as well. The summit was used to expose younger students to academic paths they could choose.
Younger students can get involved in robotics through middle school robotic teams or through summer camps for elementary school students. Adults can get involved by sponsoring the team or becoming a mentor.
“Lots of kids were interested in robotics and were already trying to join the team but a lot of them were like seven or in seventh grade,” senior Samantha Taylor said. “The Pathway Summit went really well. We met a potential sponsor and we were able to make connections with people in the district; we are thinking of starting new projects now.”
The Robotics Team will be competing at Channelview District with the Robot they are working on now Thurs. March 14 to Sat. March 16.
For more information about Klein ISD Robotics, visit their website at http://www.vortx3735.org/