Students learn about robotics in Arduino summer camp

Tristan Vahalik, left, and Jacob Kinnison, both 13, race their robots Aug. 5 during the University of Houston-Victoria’s Arduino Summer Camp. The camp allowed five area middle school students to learn how to use Arduino circuit boards to build robots that could complete various tasks, including follow a line, solve a maze and even receive directions from a mobile app. The camp was run by UHV lecturer Mai Shakra, and the camp was financed by a grant from Alcoa Foundation.

The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.