Twenty-eight students participated in the camp

Incoming Frazee-Vergas high school juniors Sam Stockstrom and Josh Boyer, members of the school’s Kaotic Robotics team, earned certificates of completion at a two-day programming camp at Bemidji State University.

The Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference (NMRC) in partnership with Bemidji State University (BSU) resumed a robotics programming camp for the first time in two years this past month after being shut down previously due to Covid-19.

This programming camp began back in the summer of 2018 after the collaboration of NMRC member teams identified programming skills as one of the top priorities for student growth.

These skills are not only necessary for teams to be successful on the field but needed in business and industry within communities in order for them to thrive as well.

This year 28 students from teams in the communities of Hatton-Northwood (ND), Warroad, Cass Lake, Nevis, Pine River-Backus, Perham, Frazee-Vergas, Becker, Big Fork, Babbitt, Stephen-Argyle, Crosby-Ironton, and Pillager descended onto Bemidji State University for this two-day event.

During this camp students participated in either the Level 1 or Level 2 programming course in which they wrote code, deployed code to robots, and tested the programs they wrote through a variety of hands-on activities.

In addition to the courses students participated in campus tours and received presentations on postsecondary opportunities at BSU. They also heard from industry experts at Paul Bunyan Communications about opportunities here in northern Minnesota in which their developing programming skills could be put to work in the future.

On behalf of all member teams and students the NMRC would like to thank Paul Bunyan

Communications, Bemidji State University, BSU’s Dept. of Technology, Art, & Design, the Minnesota Manufacturing Center of Excellence, and the NCVCC (North Country Vocational Cooperative Council) for their commitment to our students and their desire to help create opportunities for our kids. Without their logistical and financial assistance this camp would not have been possible.

To learn more about the NMRC and member teams visit NMRConference.org and read about teams under the “Members” tab. You can also learn how you or your organization can get involved to help kids from our region under the “Partners & Volunteers” tab.