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Computer Science Class Shows Interest In Robotics
On March 3, 2018, Maranatha raised over $100,000 from its “Benefit Gala.” The money is supposedly used to fund Maranatha’s new Technology Integration lab. This lab, according to the Maranatha website, is a “state-of-the-art facility that will house robotics, 3D printing, VR modeling, advanced graphic design, two new computer labs, and more.”
On March 3, 2018, Maranatha raised over $100,000 from its “Benefit Gala.” The money is supposedly used to fund Maranatha’s new Technology Integration lab. This lab, according to the Maranatha website, is a “state-of-the-art facility that will house robotics, 3D printing, VR modeling, advanced graphic design, two new computer labs, and more.” With such a copious supply of cash, the question will be whether students are interested in registering for the upcoming robotics course Maranatha has to offer.
Samuel Morris, the new computer science teacher, explained that the robotics class will consist mainly on coding. “Coding is imperative because it relays information to the contraption so it can interact with its environment,” says Mr. Morris. Students will build the “contraptions” by utilizing legos and Great Ball Contraptions (GBC), a machine which receives information from one module to another. Mr. Morris stated, “Most of the money will be going into building the infrastructure of the tech lab cause we (robotics class) need high tech computers to manage them (robots).” Though Mr. Morris does not know how many prospective robotics students there will be, he has an abundance of talented individuals in his computer science classes who would make great additions to the program.
Many students have created marvelous inventions using the bare minimum. George Attar, a senior, created a drone out of styrofoam, creating a makeshift controller and wire to manually command it. The drone was successfully able to walk on flat ground by utilizing simple coding and styrofoam. Another example of fantastic applications is the pinball machine created by Aaron Coates, a senior. “I just used regular cardboard to create the starting lever and obstacles,” says Aaron. When asked if they would have taken the robotics course if they had another year in school, both Aaron and George said yes. “I like the class a lot because I’m actually interested in robotics,” says George. Students, such as Ethan Kita, a junior, taking the computer science class voiced the same opinion.
With still a bit of uncertainty whether or not there are definite students who will be engaging with the robotics course, speculations of using the lab for photography or graphic design is at play. Whether it be building drones or virtual reality simulations, the Technology Integration Lab is transporting Maranatha into a more tech-friendly environment.
