Robotics team checks the temperature

Robotics+team+checks+the+temperature

The Advanced Robotics class has taken a pause on the space missions and is now moving over to a more scientific side of STEM.

“We are going to do experiments to see which type of insulation holds temperature the best,” robotics teacher Jill Whitacre said. “We are going to use the EV3 brick as a data collection piece.”

The class is exploring other ways the EV3 brick can be used.

“We are expanding the EV3 to use it as an experiment device so we can collect data with it,” Whitacre said.

The students built a new stand to hold the temperature probe in place.

“We will be running experiments and collecting data with the temperature sensor because we rebuilt it and there are no motors,” Bonnie R. (8) said. “Just the sensor connected to the brick.”

The EV3 brick can take different kinds of measurements and graph them in different ways. The class is hoping to learn more about this.

“We put the probe in [a substance] to take the temperature and [the EV3 brick] is going to record how hot it is and how long it stays that hot,” Whitacre said. “It takes data over however long you want. All the ways excel can represent data, you can do that with the data you collect from [the EV3].”

Although this is a new way of using the EV3 brick, students feel that they are well prepared to learn how to use it.

“I feel pretty comfortable with this even though it is very different from what we have been doing this past year,” Bonnie said. “Mrs. Whitacre always makes sure that we have the basics before we head into a new topic. She makes sure we are ready before challenges. If we weren’t ready, she wouldn’t have assigned it.”

By Abby Hedrick

Editor’s Note: Brevard Public Schools policy prohibits the inclusion of middle-schoolers’ last names on district-sponsored websites.