Tesla's Toolbox Returns for School Year

“Invention is the most important product of man’s creative brain.”

                            – Nikola Tesla

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology reported that the U.S. will produce 1 million fewer STEM professionals over the next decade than will be required to fill jobs if the graduation rates keep to the status quo.

Parents can supplement their child’s STEM education through a monthly tinkering program offered at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., designed for anyone age 10 years or older.

Using creativity and imagination to solve problems are the key skills practiced in these monthly workshops. Children may work independently on the assigned project, or interact with others in the program to find the best solution. Each workshop includes a hands-on-technical project, that provides a do-it-yourself experience, designed to inspire creativity.

The project on Sept. 17 will be “Mars Rover Design Challenge.” Controlling a rover on another planetary object is only a small part of a robotics mission. Time, effort and science go into constructing and testing several robotics concepts. For this workshop, participants will take an existing LEGO® model Mars rover and modify it to accomplish a given task. All materials will be provided, and are included in the cost of Discovery Center admission.

Tesla’s Toolbox meets at the Discovery Center the third Saturday each month from 10:00 a.m. until noon, and is sponsored by Uwingu. Children may drop in for the program, or can reserve a space by registering in advance online here.

The Discovery Center is located at 4425 Arrowswest Drive in Colorado Springs, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. See admission fees and other information here.

 

This article is part of Space Watch: September 2016 (Volume: 15, Issue: 9).