High school students program mobile robots during Summer Transportation Institute

Dr. Ellis Lawrence
August 19, 2015

Three area high school students claimed top awards during the 2015 National Summer Transportation Institute at Elizabeth City State University. Connor Winfield of CamTech High School received the first place award, Joselyn Hathaway of Gates County High received the second place award and Angel Tate of CamTech High School received the third place award. They were three out of 15 local high school students who attended the Summer Transportation Institute (STI) in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Golden Leaf Foundation. Students from Camden, Gates and Pasquotank counties attended the program which focused on math, physics, flight theory, computer-aided-design (CAD), microcontroller programming, avionics, and simulation tools. Through hands-on activities, the students designed and constructed alternate fuel vehicle prototypes (land) and learned ship/boat design (water). The students also participated in interactive activities, collaborative assignments, recreational activities, and oral presentations. The institute also included 40 hours of aviation career education (ACE) which was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The applied research area required students to use the theoretical knowledge they gained to develop fully functional prototypes. Students received stipends of $500 for their participation and the top 3 achievers received special awards. Dr. Ellis Lawrence and Dr. Kuldeep Rawat, professors in the Technology Department at ECSU, coordinated the Summer Transportation Institute.