Innovation Through Art

Through West Virginia University’s CREATE Lab “Arts and Bots” program fifth graders are learning about robotics, computer programming and engineering-themed concepts of design and production.

This innovative program provides the opportunity for students to combine crafts with robotic components to build and animate their own roboticcreations using custom visual programming software. Headed by Jeffrey Carver, associate professor of science education and director of STEM education initiatives in the College of Education and Human Services, “Arts and Bots” rely on a team of teachers and graduate assistants including Robyn Addie, Joy Kiehl, Marie Allen, Erica Skorlinski, Heidi Doty Patton, Jeff Garvin, Lawrence Mubwika and Mike Leshko. Groups of students design their projects based on guidelines set by Carver and the teachers. A recent classroom group focused on biomimicry, which involves creating an object that imitates a living organism. The students’ creations were designed to mimic a plant or animal using servos, motors and LED lights along with the programming to control the actions of their robot.