Here at BYTE, visiting the Yukon’s rural communities is a regular part of what we do. But visiting communities with astronauts and robots…well, that’s a bit different!
On May 14, BYTE visited the Ghùch Tlâ Community School in Carcross with David Saint-Jacques, a Canadian astronaut who was visiting the Yukon. In partnership with the Department of Economic Development, BYTE introduced David to Carcross youth, then helped Ben Sanders from the Tech and Telecom Development Directorate deliver a workshop on robot-making to the grade 4, 5 and 6 class.
Like many other kids, David Saint-Jacques dreamed of being an astronaut when he was young. During his visit to Carcross, he talked to students from kindergarten to grade six about his dream to become an astronaut, the steps he had to take to get there, and the rigorous training and cool technology that his job involves.
With that in mind, BYTE and Ben Sanders delivered a workshop on robot-making to the grade 4,5,6 class. The idea was to get Carcross youth excited about science, innovation, and technology.
By the end of the day, we ended up with 10 remote control robots and 10 very happy students. The robots are a bit like remote control cars with a leash, and building them allows students to learn basic rules of electricity and design.
Once we got the robots going, we set up an obstacle course and had a big robot race in the gym.
“This was the best day at school ever!†one of the students proclaimed at the end of the day.
Awesome.
BYTE was so happy to be a part of this project. We got to reconnect with Carcross youth and had a lot of fun at the same time. We hope to come back for another visit soon!
