Seven Subaru Telescope and NAOJ TMT project staff members contributed to the 2022 Hawai`i VEX IQ Elementary School State Championship as judges. They interviewed participating teams, reviewed their engineering notebooks, and selected award winners.
VEX IQ is a worldwide educational robotics program and competition that promotes the value of STEM education for elementary and intermediate school children. VEX IQ is one component of the VEX robotics competitions that span the entire educational range, from prekindergarten to university-level robotics. Students participating in VEX programs and competitions learn the value of creativity, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving. Regional competitions are held in the Fall and the best teams advance to the state championship that is usually held in late Winter. The best teams in each state or country advance to the World Championships, which are held late in the school year.
The elementary school state championship was held over the course of two days: an online interview on February 27, 2022, and an in-person tournament at the gymnasium of the University of Hawai`i at Hilo on March 5, 2022. Twenty teams from 10 schools and organizations on the Big Island of Hawai`i and Oahu Island participated in the statewide championship. Each team consists of 2-4 students who are between 8 and 11 years old.
During the online interviews, the judges conducted a 15-minute discussion with each team. They asked questions like, "What is your game strategy?" "What part of your robot are you most proud of?" and "Did you write an autonomous program?" to check their understanding of the robot and their enthusiasm for the activities.
During the in-person tournament, the judges carefully examined each team’s engineering notebook to see if they had written their strategy and progress reports. "Creating a log is a fundamental routine that enables youngsters to think critically and set a strategy. They are essential skills to be an engineer or a scientist," say Rene and Art Kimura, retired educators of the Hawai`i Space Grant Consortium, who initiated the statewide robotics program in Hawai`i. Judges focused more on how authentic the notebook was rather than on earning a high score at the tournament when they selected award-winning teams.
Figure 1: During a game, two teams worked together. Each team directed its robot to earn points by letting the robot throw a ball into the basket, go under the bars, and perform other actions. (Credit: NAOJ)
Figure 2: In the judging room next to the gym, the judges reviewed the engineering notebooks of all the teams. (Credit: NAOJ)
Today in Hawai`i, there are many active robotics clubs at elementary, middle, and high schools. More than 20 years have passed since Art and Rene Kimura got the first budget and shared it with schools to initiate robotics programs. Russell Kackley, a software engineer at Subaru Telescope, has contributed to the program for almost 20 years since he was working at the Joint Astronomy Center (now the East Asian Observatory), the next-door neighbor to the Subaru Telescope Hilo Base Facility. “When I started being involved in the program in 2004, teachers did not know how to teach students the necessary skills. I started helping them at Waiakea Intermediate School and Honoka`a High and Intermediate School. Even after I moved to Subaru Telescope, I kept contributing. This year, I am thrilled because many Subaru Telescope staff members contacted me and joined the judging team," says Kackley. "A robotics program is an excellent gateway to STEM careers. The event must have had a big impact on local youngsters. I observed a student who opened his eyes wider when he entered the gym and was hooked on the tournament. I hope many professionals from Maunakea Observatories keep participating in robotics events," says Gayle Kamei, a math teacher at Waiakea Intermediate School and a leader of the organizers for this event.
From Subaru Telescope and the NAOJ TMT Project, Russell Kackley, Julien Rousselle, Sadman Ali, Vincent Deo, Andrew Neugarten, Kumiko Usuda-Sato, and Saeko Hayashi participated as judges. Many judges were inspired by the youngsters’ excitement and impressed by the well-organized competition and want to keep contributing to STEM education for the local community.
Figure 3: Five judges from Subaru Telescope at the in-person tournament. From left to right: Kumiko Usuda-Sato, Julien Rousselle, Russell Kackley, Andrew Neugarten, and Vincent Deo. Other judges participated online. (Credit: NAOJ)
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