In early August 2024, Next Engineers welcomed a new site for the Global Engineering Discovery program in Queretaro, Mexico. Being the first Latin American city to host the program, Queretaro kicked off its Global Engineering Discovery Program with a series of exciting events: Its official launch in August, followed by their first Engineering Discovery activity in October.
The kickoff of the Global Engineering Discovery program in Queretaro took place on August 6th, 2024, with support from the Hispanic and Latino Alliance—including Team Leader Jetzabel Perez, as well as Global Leaders Miriam Alvarez, Daniel Caratini, Jorge Perez, and Horacio Repetto.
Members of the local Next Engineers team were also present at the kickoff—including Next Engineers representative Gerardo Contreras, Site Leaders Andres Soler and Gabriel Arreola, and Chief Diversity Officer Germaine Hunter.
Robot Mechanics: Queretaro’s first Engineering Discovery Activity
A few months after Queretaro’s successful Global Engineering Discovery program kickoff, 20 Junior High School students aged 13-15 participated in the first Discovery activity with support from 5 GE volunteers as well as a local educator. The activity consisted of a series of interesting experiments where students had the opportunity to learn about the fundamental components of a robot—including motors and controllers.
During the activity, students used a simple programmable actuator to create a robot capable of drawing a circle. The activity gave students a chance to work on mechanical assembly and understand basic programming concepts through a fun, hands-on activity. Aside from building and programming the robot, students were required to test the robot’s functionality by following and analyzing its movements, helping them to understand the relationship between mechanical adjustments and programming logic.
The activity concluded with a discussion and reflection session, where students were encouraged to share what they learned and think creatively about how they can apply the same concepts to other shapes and patterns.
Overall, the activity was a great way for students to develop a deeper understanding of both, the mechanical and programming aspects of Robotics while improving their problem-solving skills as they tested and refined their robot's performance.
