Full 'STEAM' ahead: New Reno robotics center aims to produce local tech talent

Sixth-grader Rossie Copdo prepares to use a robot made of LEGO pieces at the new K-12 Robotics Center, which opened Aug. 6, 2021, inside the Southside Studio in downtown Reno. Photo by Kaleb Roedel

by Kaleb Roedel

Sixth-grader Rossie Copdo, wise beyond her years, is trying to find ways to stay off of her phone.

She’s in the right place.

Copdo is on the second floor of the Southside Studio in downtown Reno. Built in 1936, the historic redbrick building that used to house the Southside School is now home to a space where area students of all ages, from kindergartners to high school seniors, can develop the skills needed for the jobs of the future in Northern Nevada.

The space — known officially as the “K-12 Robotics Center | University of Nevada, Reno” — officially launched Friday, Aug. 6, and students like Copdo buzzed with excitement as they helped break in the new center.

“I think it’s really cool,” Copdo says with smiling eyes. “I recommend kids do this (robotics) because it keeps your mind active … and it keeps me away from my phone.”

Instead of scrolling and tapping an iPhone, Copdo is punching commands into a keyboard to bring a robot composed of LEGO pieces to life. Specifically, she is using aspects of automation, like vision systems and cameras, to maneuver the wheeled robot through a course mapped out on a raised surface, roughly the size of a pool table.

Read the entire article in the NNBW: https://www.nnbw.com/news/2021/aug/17/full-steam-ahead-newreno-robotics-center-aims-prod/