FARMINGTON, Mo. – Missouri youth and adults can learn about drones, 3-D printers, fab labs, maker groups and hacker spaces during the Missouri Educational Robotics Conference, Sept. 13 in Farmington.

University of Missouri Extension 4-H specialist Lynna Lawson said the one-day conference is packed with information on the latest trends in robotics. She said robotics supports 4-H’s effort to encourage young people to become involved in activities that lead to careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The event includes hands-on workshops, demonstrations, traditional presentations and panel discussion. There also will be robotics competitions.

Jackie Moore, Learning Innovation Fellow at the Chicago Incubator for Innovation, is keynote luncheon speaker. She developed a robotics program for her children before expanding to an after-school program. She moved the program to a Chicago mall where youth socialize.

Other speakers include Sherry and Mitch Comer of Camdenton R-III district. Sherry Comer is director of after-school services and her husband has been the technology education instructor there for 18 years. Their robotics groups have grown to 240 of the district’s 4,200 students and earned national recognition.

Other speakers include:

– Daniel Green, a sales consultant for Oracle Corp. and a volunteer teacher and coach for a Kansas youth computer club and Lego robotics league.

– Bob Smith, longtime 4-H robotics educator in Illinois. He leads workshops and helps with competitions on the University of Illinois campus.

– Amanda Meek, who works with STEM projects and after-school programming as a 4-H youth development specialist in St. Louis. She is the lead on the 4-H TechXcite project, an after-school engineering curriculum for middle-school students.

University of Missouri Extension 4-H and the Missouri AfterSchool Network, with support from MFA Foundation and JCPenney Afterschool, sponsor the event.

To learn more about keynote luncheon speaker, Jackie Moore, go to http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/06/level-up or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5MP2YrhNbQ.

Go to http://4h.missouri.edu/events/robotcon for more information on the conference.

Read more http://extension.missouri.edu/news/DisplayStory.aspx?N=2299

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