Robotics program

The Science Faculty has taken its Robotics program to a new level through continuous innovation. A robotics engineering thread runs through Kilvington’s Science curriculum. Students use LEGO Mindstorms to design, program and control fully-functional robotic models. They use software to plan, test and modify sequences of instructions for a variety of lifelike robotic behaviours, and collect and analyse data from sensors using data-logging software. In 2010, a Robotics Club was established at Kilvington. The Club’s main aim is to encourage students’ interest in robotics and to help prepare them for competitions. The Junior Team, consisting of Year 6 students, used a ‘Stayin’ Alive’ theme as the soundtrack to their robot’s dance routine. They participated in the RoboCup Junior Dance Competitions at the Victorian State Finals. The Intermediate Team of girls from Years 7 to 9 were awarded 1st place in the RoboCup Victorian State Finals. Lucy Thompson from Year 7, a member of the Intermediate Team, said: ‘At the start it was challenging because we hadn’t done a lot of robotics before, but the Year 9s were really helpful. The programming part was pretty hard, but our teacher Mr Ram gave us lots of advice and tips. We chose the Egyptian theme because we were studying Egypt in Geography and History. I got to know the other Year 7 girls in the Team really well, which was good.’

The Senior Team of students from Years 10 and 11 constructed three robots and were declared the overall winners in the Victorian State Finals. This result qualified them to compete in the RoboCup National Finals in Canberra, where they received the Encouragement Award. Deborah King and her husband Peter travelled to Canberra with their daughter Lana, who is in Year 11, to support the girls. Deborah said: ‘The competition was an excellent learning experience for the girls. They worked very well together as a team. The support from the teachers was wonderful and we appreciated their efforts and the fact they were doing it in their own time.’

In the next few years, the Robotics curriculum will be a foundation unit of Kilvington’s Year 3 – 12 Science curriculum. This will encourage the students to take an interest in scientific and technological fields, cultivate their interest through Robotics competitions and hands-on creation, and help them expand their social, intellectual and problem-solving skills. Rajnesh Ram, who teaches Physics, Mathematics and Science at Kilvington, said: ‘I look forward to developing the Robotics program further and encouraging the girls to continue with their success in 2011.’