Alveda King wants the world to remember her uncle, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., not only as an accomplished leader but also as a great family man.It wasn’t hard to tell what time of year it was in Vern Ceder’s computer programming class Wednesday. Canterbury students were busy programming robots, and two of three belonging to junior Ginger Hoade were playing “Carol of the Bells.” Over and over again. At slightly different octaves. At slightly different times.
“At first I thought it would be easy,” Hoade said as she stared at her laptop. “But it’s hard to get all three of them to play at the same time.”
Hoade is one of about 10 sophomores, juniors and seniors learning a computer language called Python. The language, used by Google and NASA, is one of the more accessible computer languages, Ceder said.
In the project-based class, students use the language to program robots – small blue machines equipped with cameras and wheels. Ceder, who taught Latin before switching to computer programming, bought the gadgets from Georgia Tech.
Junior Ethan Gerardot programmed his robot, R2D2, to move toward anything blue. After hitting a key on his laptop Wednesday, his robot snapped a picture and moved toward a blue trash can.
“There are a lot of complications and challenges,” he explained, but “it’s fun to translate what you’ve learned and to be able to make the robot do certain things.”
Events
•IPFW mathematics professor Adam Coffman will lead “Soap Bubbles and Geometry” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Science Central, 1950 N. Clinton St. The program is open to the public for $16 a person; $10 for Science Central members. Lunch is included.
Registration
•The University of Saint Francis School of Creative Arts will offer a course by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and filmmaker David Turnley when spring semester opens Jan. 17. Documentary storytelling will concentrate on documentary photography and film with an emphasis on storytelling. The class will meet Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 8:45 p.m., and SOCA instructors Jane Martin and Cara Wade will team with Turnley on the content. For more information on the course, contact SCA at 399-7700, ext. 8004.
Recognitions
•University of Saint Francis students Danny Dellinger, Michael Scher and Bret Arthur won $7,000 in the fourth annual Keith E. Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership student business plan competition.
•John C. Pritchard, Karen Clelland, Denice Beights, Mark Franke,
Greta McKinney, Karen Ramsey Mielke have won IPFW Alumni Association Awards.
