On Thursday, November 7th, MS Robotics students and student mentors from the HS Robotics team attended a field trip to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. The theme for this year's MS Robotics season is "Submerged," and students are challenged to dive into a problem faced by people who explore the world's oceans. As such, for their Innovation Project, students need to identify & research a problem related to exploring the oceans, design a solution to that problem, and present their findings to a panel of judges. Visiting the aquarium helped students gain important context for their project!
When students first arrived at the aquarium, they participated in an Animal Engineering class in which they were tasked with solving a true animal injury case that veterinarians & biologists had to solve for an animal in need. Afterwards, they went on a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium where they learned about animal care and different careers in this field. While exploring the aquarium itself, students learned about marine life, coral reef conservation, and how to be good stewards of our environment.
Throughout the day, students modeled FIRST Lego League's Core Values, which are emphasized during each Robotics meeting & practice: Fun, Innovation, Discovery, Impact, Teamwork, & Inclusion. Overall, it was a great day full of hands-on learning experiences, and students now feel inspired to take a deeper "dive" into their Innovation Project!