Patrick Stakem

Enviro-Bots for Stem Patrick Stakem

This book is targeted to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) educators and administrators. It is intended to show how robots in particular, and engineering projects in general can be applied to their STEM program. It is a train-the-trainer document, pointing out sources of information and support to the teaching professional who knows how to present the material at the appropriate level. This book covers the topic of small mobile sensor platforms for environmental data collection. They are ideally suited for STEM programs, and get the students involved in many issues of science. We can stare at computers all day, but the project that gets up off the workbench and walks out of the room gets your attention. Kids are interested in things that move. Let's use those to stimulate their imaginations. This book cover things that fly, float, sink, and travel on land, and serve as science sensor platforms. All of the hardware is available commercially. Some complete assemblies are available. Some platforms can operate in various environments, such as amphibious units, and co-operating units, such as a bot with an associated drone are also possible. Drones can serve as communication relays for robots on the ground, and in the water. What do these platforms do? That I can't tell you. Use your imagination, and let the students use theirs. This activity is not to build robots, or drones, or boats. It is to develop sensor platforms that return real data, that can provide answers to real questions. Actually, the scope is extremely broad, and I have limited it to projects for planet Earth. I have another book on STEM-Sats in orbit that can do the same thing from a better vantage point, and yet another that shows how to implement the same type of missions to other planets.