BIDDEFORD — Sixth-graders usually have other things on their minds than pondering what it would be like to navigate on the surface of another planet, but that’s exactly what a class of robotics students at Biddeford Middle School were working on Thursday afternoon.

Undertaking a mission to Mars from a robotics standpoint is a lesson offered to students by Meredith Swartzendruber, BMS Robotics teacher and is intended to promote student interest in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) studies.

Using a donation from the Biddeford Educational Foundation to purchase “ozobots,” a kind of introductory robotic technology, students made their own tracks and wrote their own coding to program their robots to traverse makeshift Martian landscapes.

The lesson offered by Swartzendruber attempted to help students understand the underlying strategies of interplanetary exploration rovers; to practice logic-based programming to maneuver robots; to experience roles within a team under time constraints; to plan out routes using a live aerial video feed simulating science imagery; and to caluculate the risk of mission failure with the simulated reward of scientific discovery.  

BMS students were using the same basic steps and methods employed by NASA engineers who explored the actual surface of Mars while operating the robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

William Atwater, 11, said he finds Swartzendruber’s Robotics class fascinating and one of the best experiences in school that he’s ever had.

“I like programming and driving the robots,” Atwater said. “Even though it’s a lot of fun, we are learning a lot about math and technology and it’s pretty challenging.”

Cadence Goulet, 12, served as the official timer for the mini-missions to Mars said the class taught by Swartzendruber is fun and a wonderful learning experience.

“I like working with the robots because they are so interesting to program,” she said. “Today was especially fun to do this with a limited time frame while trying to get the robots to make it into a specific circle.”

For the mission to Mars lesson, Swartzendruber dressed the part for students Thursday by wearing an authentic NASA Space Camp jumpsuit.

This is her first year teaching at Biddeford Middle School after moving here from Delaware earlier this year.

“I was a traditional middle school science teacher in Delaware, but when I heard that Biddeford Middle School was looking for a robotics teacher, I loved it and applied for the job.”

The BMS program is part of a series of robotics classes and is a precursor to the school district’s robotics classes offered at Biddeford High School.

“We start out here by going over the basics of robotics and then inrtoduce block programming and coding,” Swartzendruber said. 

Her class is a 50-50 mix of boys and girls and they will eventually progress to using LEGO Mind Storm kits later in the year. Those kits will give the students hands-on experience in building, programming and commanding their own LEGO robots using LEGO bricks, motors and sensors.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at [email protected]