The Kings Bay Library beat 15 other local libraries to take home the top prize in the Brooklyn Public Library’s robotics championship on Feb. 3.
The robotics championship works in partnership with NYC First — an organization that works to make STEM education more accessible — to provide children ages nine through 17 an opportunity to get hands-on experience with STEM-related projects like coding, programming and building robots.
Since last November, teams of young people have been collaborating and working in partnership with their local BPL branches to create a robotic masterpiece in honor of this year’s championship theme, “Masterpiece.”
By working together, participants in the BPL robotics championship gained valuable and applicable experience in communication, critical thinking and problem solving.
“They learned to code, they learned to work as a team, they learned to give guidance to the other side, and I noticed the teams that we had helped the other teams,” coach Mary Scarlato told News12 Brooklyn at the event.
The championship, which was held at BPL’s Central Library, saw more than 100 participants team up and collaborate, with the top three winners — Kings Bay, Cortelyou Library and New Lots Library — heading to a citywide competition semi-final on March 3.
Participants created a robot using Legos which could complete tasks such as placing and moving artwork safely in a museum or coding a robot to move a camera to shoot a movie. Contestants in the championship were judged not just on their ability to code and construct a robot to complete a task, but also on their professionalism and communication skills.
“It basically teaches me teamwork, inspiration and more importantly just friendship,” Connor from the Kings Bay Library team said during the championship.
The event served as a learning opportunity for young people interested in STEM and also marked an exciting experience where participants could observe other teams and their creations and learn more about what makes a project successful.
“The BKLYN Robotics League championship tournament is one of the loudest and liveliest days at Central Library and we look forward to it every year,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “Friends and families gather to cheer on their favorite teams and see the culmination of young patrons’ hard work building and programming robots. Congratulations to Kings Bay Library and all of this year’s participants, and thank you to the volunteers, parents, caregivers and librarians who supported them.”
The Brooklyn Robotics League is just one of several technologically-focused programs that BPL offers to patrons of all ages. Other programs include Teen Techies as well as free courses in basic computer skills like coding, Photoshop, 3-D printing and more.
To learn more about BPL’s STEM projects visit bklynlibrary.org
