Registration open for robotics camp

EPHRATA - Children who want to learn more about robots and how to build them can register for a robotics camp sponsored by Grant-Adams Area Extension. Camp is scheduled for the week of July 15 through 19.

Camp sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day at St. Rose of Lima School, 520 Nat Washington Way, Ephrata. The camp is limited to about 40 kids, age 10 and older. Robotics Camp is sponsored by the 4-H program, but children do not have to be 4-H participants to attend, said organizer Diane Russo.

The campers build their own robots and add programming to allow the robot to do some tasks, Russo said, like self-propulsion and avoiding obstacles. "They (the robots) come literally in pieces," she said, and the campers take it from there. "We have fun," Russo said.

Community volunteers, and some student volunteers from the Umatilla (Oregon) School District, will be at camp to answer questions and offer assistance, Russo said. Organizers are looking for more volunteers, she said.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the extension office at the Grant County Courthouse, 509-754-2011, ext. 413.

Campers also will take geographical information, GPS data and GIS (geographic information system) technology and use it to make maps, Russo said.

"There's a lot of fun learning that goes on," she said.

Russo said robotics and programming are not her areas of expertise, but she's learning along with the campers. "That's the gift of 4-H," she said, encouraging people to expand their knowledge into areas they had not explored.

Registration for Robotics Camp is $100 before July 1 and $125 after July 1. Registration forms are available on the extension website, http://county.wsu.edu/grant-adams/Pages/default.aspx, or can be downloaded and mailed to the courthouse, PO Box 37, Ephrata, WA 98823.