Junior-high aged Lego® maniacs will have a chance to develop their skills this summer at the RoboStorm camp hosted by Northwest Technical College. On June 19-20, kids entering the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades this fall can get an introduction to the world of robotics and engineering through hands-on activities with Lego® Mindstorm robots.

Campers will work in pairs and design, build and program their own robots.

The day camp will be held on the Northwest Tech campus, located at 905 Grant Ave SE in Bemidji. The camp begins and 9 a.m. and concludes between 4:45 and 5 p.m. both days. Registration is $75, which includes supplies, food, activity fees, a camp t-shirt and prizes. Registration fees may be paid via check; cash payments are not accepted. Registration and payment are required by Thursday, June 7. Early registration is encouraged, as the camp has a participation limit of 24; the 2011 camp sold out.

Each participant will receive an information packet via mail after NTC processes registration and payment.

Day 1 of the camp will feature robot- and team-building activities, an introduction to the Mindstorms® software, a design challenge and team competitions. The second day will include a campus tour and group photo, robot building activities, a second design challenge, and a team robot-battle competition that is open to the public.

Northwest Tech is offering the RoboStorm camp in partnership with the 360° Center of Excellence in Manufacturing and Applied Engineering and Northland Community and Technical College.

360° is a partnership of 10 colleges and universities in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, with Bemidji State University as its flagship. The organization has sponsored more than 40 technology-based events for K-12 students, including technology fairs, career fairs and camps. 360° reaches out to high school and middle school age levels to inform students about jobs in manufacturing and how 360° can help them obtain the skills they need to get those jobs. The center’s goal is to excite K-12 students about science, technology, engineering, and math, and to ensure Minnesota’s future engineers and manufacturers are receiving hands-on experience at an early age.

For more information on the RoboStorm camp, contact Gwen Oster, Northwest Technical College faculty, at (218) 333-6635.