Three WIE members visited Mathews Elementary on Monday, March 26th to provide an EWeek program for more than 200 students. The WIE representatives worked with 10 classes ranging from 3rd to 6th graders over the course of the morning. In each one-hour session, the presenters briefly introduced themselves and spoke about engineering and the importance of math and science classes. Then, they launched into interactive, hands on demonstrations of Lego Mindstorms robots and answered any questions the students had.

The presenters provided each teacher with an eWeek totebag full of useful classroom supplies. Each student also received an eWeek pencil, brain eraser, and bookmark. The kids had a great time and learned a lot about engineering as a career!

Additional Information

How to get LEGO Mindstorms NXT
The retail product is sold at Fry’s, Apple Stores, Target, Best Buy, and Circuit City. It is also available to purchase online directly from LEGO at http://shop.lego.com/Product/?p=8527. The retail price of the product is $250.

LEGO Education offers a version of the product for schools at http://www.legoeducation.com/

How to get teacher training to use LEGO Mindstorms NXT in the classroom
The UT College of Engineering has a program called DTEACh that offers training each summer for elementary, middle, and high school teachers who want to use LEGO Mindstorms in their classrooms. More information on DTEACh can be found at: http://www.engr.utexas.edu/dteach/

Are there Summer Camps for LEGO Mindstorms?
Yes, the Austin Children’s Museum conducts summer camps with LEGO Mindstorms. To learn more and sign up at: http://www.austinkids.org/Programs/campgeninfo07.htm

How can one form a FIRST LEGO League Robotics Team?
FIRST Lego League (FLL) is a robotics competition for children ages 9 – 14 that uses LEGO Mindstorms. The competition is held each year in the fall. Central Texas has a tournament hosted by UT’s College of Engineering. FLL is an excellent after-school program that inspires children in science and math, reinforces teamwork and gracious professionalism, and is great fun. More information on FLL can be found at:
http://www.usfirst.org/what/fll/default.aspx?id=390

National Engineers Week Information
National: http://www.eweek.org/
Central Texas: http://www.centexeweek.org/