University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

NEWS RELEASE

CSUN to Host "Fall Workshop Day" for High School Students to Explore Robotics

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Oct. 27, 2006) -- Hundreds of high school students will converge on Cal State Northridge on Saturday, Nov. 4, delving into science, technology, engineering and robotics in the university’s annual "Fall Workshop Day."

The workshop will take place from 8 to 5 p.m. in more than 30 rooms in Jacaranda Hall, located on the north side of campus at 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

"Fall Workshop Day" introduces students to the process of building robots in anticipation of the annual competition headed by the non-profit organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). FIRST operates the FIRST Robotics Competition in which teams of high school students -- sponsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers -- design, assemble and test a robot capable of performing a specified task.

"There is a growing deficit of engineers and scientists in the United States," said Tarek Shraibati, a professor in the Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management and the event’s coordinator. "This workshop is part of an effort to get kids to study science, technology and engineering in college."

A variety of topics will be discussed at the workshop including: computer design, computer animation, designing of electronic systems, drive systems and pneumatic systems, writing programs, project management, organizing teams and for adults, team mentorship. The competition organizers hope to show the students the many opportunities available in technological fields and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering and invention are exciting and interesting, Shraibati said.

The workshop also teams high school students with working engineers, providing them with valuable insight regarding their future careers.

"Mentorship is very important," Shraibati said. "We’re in one of those professions where a lot of people don’t know what we do. There needs to be a mechanism that will expose this to them and that comes in the form of mentorship."

Shraibati also stressed the importance of "gracious professionalism," a key part of the competition.

"Winning at all costs is not the name of the game," he said. "It is not uncommon for members of one team to stop and wait as opposing team members fix parts of their robot."

For more information, contact Shraibati at (818) 677- 4547.