Last school year, WNY P-TECH students participated in a pilot project to introduce robotic cells to the Automation Club, part of the Shift 2.0 Robotics program through Buffalo Manufacturing Works. Club members are pictured with WNY P-TECH instructor Nick Anson.
Students who helped pilot the automation program at WNY P-TECH in Dunkirk had a lot to say about this first-time partnership.
Starting this year, third-graders have been learning to program and operate several robotic cells during their Automation Club class, which meets every Friday. Instructor Nick Anson is leading the pilot project, which is part of the Shift 2.0 Robotics program through Buffalo Manufacturing Works.
“When we first started, like any typical course, some of the students didn’t know what to expect,” Anson said. “Once the practical portion started, they started scratching at the door to get in here.”
Last year, students were tasked with completing tasks using a robotic arm. Such tasks required precise programming and allowed club members to learn practical applications of workforce automation.
“Once we started running it was great, the kids were really into it,” Anson said.
Scott Flick of Silver Creek Central School is pictured with one of the robotic cells.Through the pilot project, Flick and other third-graders in the Automation Club earned their Educational Robotics Training – CORE certification.
“Every week we were ready to take the next step.”
Susan Witt, industrial training manager for the Buffalo Manufacturing Works, said the city recognized a “critical need” to recruit and train people in manufacturing. She said the Buffalo Manufacturing Works, with help from Empire State Development and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, created an automation program for high school students.
Last school year, WNY P-TECH students participated in a pilot project to bring robotic cells to the Automation Club. The pilot project is part of the Shift 2.0 Robotics program through Buffalo Manufacturing Works. Club members are pictured with WNY P-TECH instructor Nick Anson. Scott Flick, of Silver Creek Central School, is pictured with one of the robotic cells. Through the pilot project, Flick and other third-graders in the Automation Club earned their Educational Robotics Training – Core certification.
“We are grateful to have worked diligently with P-TECH through the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES to launch this exciting, first-of-its-kind opportunity for students to earn an industry-standard certificate in Dunkirk,” Witt said. “The hands-on learning our students received will advance their automation careers, and we look forward to building on their success with our new class of students next school year.”
Once familiar with the equipment, students were able to use the robotic arm for a variety of purposes.
“I’ve learned different ways to move it,” said Jared Seck of Dunkirk Central School, “There are different movements and we’re trying to make it the most efficient while still keeping it safe.”
Seamus Matwijow of Gowanda Central School and Nicholas Williams of Holland Central School used the program to dismantle and then reassemble a home built with Lincoln logs.
“This has been a great project and a lot of fun,” Williams said at a recent Automation Club meeting.
Anson said another student was able to program one arm to play Monopoly on his cell phone.
“It was interesting to see how they were taking it and how they were going to use it,” Anson said. “It’s very similar to how it’s used in industry.”
Scott Flick of Silver Creek Central School and Felix Manzella of Fredonia Central School were the first two WNY P-TECH students to earn their certification in Educational Robotics Training – CORE.
By the end of the school year, all third-graders who participated in the program received their certificates.
Anson noted that industry-standard collaborative robot certification would help students move on to higher education or the workplace.
That will certainly be the case with Flick.
“I think it’s really fun because you get to play with robots,” he said of the Shift 2.0 Robotics program. “It’s all hands-on and you can make the robots do just about anything. Knowing how to read code is also really important, so it will help you in the future in this field.”
WNY P-TECH STEM College & Career Academy provides a project-based, differentiated learning structure with expert educators working in partnership with higher education institutions, business partners and public school districts. Students pursue NYS Regents Diplomas and AAS degrees in Welding Technology, Mechanical Technology with a specialization in CADD or Machine Tool, or Mechatronics at Jamestown Community College.
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