Engineering Students Compete in Robotics Contest
Nash Community College EGR 150 Introduction to Engineering students participate each semester in a Boe-Bot contest. The spring 2019 event was held Tuesday, May 7 in the Science and Technology Building. Boe-Bot, or Board of Education robot, is the trade name of a robot kit that is used in junior high, high school and college robotics classes.
Under the direction of Engineering instructor John Eubanks, students built their own rolling robot with programmable features, exposed circuitry allowing for customization, and sensors for autonomous navigation.
During the contest, each student demonstrated their automated robot on a custom built course, while judges Shilo Lawrence, Coordinator of Associate in Engineering and Transfer, and Damariscotta Wynne, second-year NCC Engineering student, evaluated the work.
“As our engineering program advances, it gets more difficult to judge these contests because the students’ work is improving, and all of the submissions are really winners,” Lawrence said.
EGR 150 students learn the basics of robotics as they are provided an overview of the engineering profession. Topics of study include engineering careers, methods, applications and design.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Lawrence said, employment of engineers is projected to grow. “Our graduates who complete their four-year engineering degree can attain a starting salary well above that of most entry-level careers. Many people do not realize there are positions available, and we send engineers to work locally.”
Nash Community College Associate in Engineering students must maintain a grade of “C” or better in each course and an overall grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. They complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of credit toward a Bachelor of Engineering degree in order to competitively apply for transfer to programs at East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T, UNC-Charlotte, and Western Carolina University.
Pictured from left: John Eubanks, EGR 150 Instructor; Competition Winners: Camden Johnson, 1st Place; Adam Griffith, 3rd Place; Rachel White, 2nd Place; William Harding, 3rd Place; Judges: Damariscotta Wynne, second-year Associate in Engineering student and Shilo Lawrence, Coordinator of Associate in Engineering and Transfer
