Jesse Johnson, the Armored Hokie, coming to Kids' Tech University!

Jesse Johnson, an undergraduate VT student majoring in Art, has constructed an Armored Hokie! Its a big site around the VT campus and we are excited to have him come to Kids' Tech University during the exhibitors event on Saturday afternoon! After walking around in the suite Jesse will be showing the kids how he made the suite...

Check out the video on Youtube about how me made the Armored Hokie-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iII0o-8X0ks

This video shows Jesse walking around the campus- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XxU3KhN7YY

Design, Build Fly Team will be exhibiting at KTU on Feb. 28th!

The Virginia Tech Design, Build Fly (DBF) Team is an all volunteer multidisiplinary team that must redesign a radio controlled aircraft each year to achieve new missions and rules. The VT chapter of AIAA serves as our parent organization since the competition is sponsored by AIAA. Every year they construct a new radio controlled model aircraft to complete a given set of missions, which are usually posted in late July. 

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Ware Lab
Virginia Tech is widely recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the nation, producing engineers that not only know the theory but have hands-on engineering experience. The Ware Lab is the focal point for hands-on projects in the College of Engineering and is the best place on campus to view many projects developed by our undergraduate students. From autonomous underwater vehicles to radio controlled aircraft, engineering students, at all levels, are encouraged to become part of a design team that expands their view of what an engineer can accomplish before and after graduation. Companies frequently visit the lab and meet with students to discuss potential opportunities for internship, co-op or full time employment. The “hands-on, minds-on” philosophy of the Ware Lab promotes real-life experience with engineering concepts before students step out into the working world.

Ware Lab is exhibiting at KTU on Feb. 28th!

The education of engineering students at Virginia Tech is a dynamic process adapting to meet the demands of the industry. Engineering students participate in basic problem solving and hands-on experiences representing the essence of the engineering profession. New engineering tools, a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of engineers to society and the environment, and an appreciation for the diverse and global nature of the workplace are continually incorporated into the engineering curriculum (Gilbert, 2003).

For incoming freshman in 2006, a Tablet PC computing initiative mandated the purchase of a Tablet rather than the previously required laptop. The initiative is supported by an alliance between Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation offering students higher levels of hardware and software purchasing power and support. A current technology, the Tablet PC incorporates the portability of the laptop with the flexibility of writing. In conventional notebook mode, the Tablet PC offers a keyboard for typing. When the screen is rotated it transforms into a tablet, and using a stylus students can make handwritten notes and drawings.

KTU T-shirt unveiled!

We are really excited about unveiling the first ever Kids' Tech University (KTU) t-shirt! We will have a pre-order for the shirts on Feb. 28th during the exhibiting hours (1:30-3 pm). A mock up of the t-shirt seen in this blog. The price will be 15 dollars; of which all the proceeds over the cost of the shirt will be going towards the operational costs of running the program such as the children's lunches and their lanyard supplies. The shirt will be available for pick up during the March 28th KTU hands-on activity.

Sigma Alpha will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th

Exhibitor activity- Genetically Modified Organisms; Recombinant DNA Activity

Objective: Visually teach students how DNA from one organism can combine with that from another species to form an enhanced organism using the recombinant DNA Theory.

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Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural sorority that promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship among its members. Sigma Alpha is a member of the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA), a national organization of professional Greek letter organizations and The Consortium of Collegiate Agricultural Organizations. Both Sigma Alpha Sorority and the Sigma Alpha Alumni Association are affiliates of American Agri-Women. We support Ag in the Classroom as our national service project. Virginia Tech has been home to the Pi Chapter since 1992. We are home to over 60 girls from many different backgrounds united in friendship and agriculture.

VT Amateur Radio Association will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

The Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association will be demonstrating how radios, and radio communication have advanced over time. There will be demonstrations of the most commonly used communication modes, such as morse code and voice, as well as some of the newer, more experimental types of radio communication.

The Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association (VTARA) was founded in 1913 as an organization to promote and further Amateur Radio on and around the Virginia Tech campus. VTARA now operates a full station from Squires student center on campus, and welcomes anyone interested in amateur radio to stop by and visit. VTARA membership is open to anyone interested, regardless of whether or not they are a student at Virginia Tech.

Assistive Technologies at VT is exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

The Assistive Technologies department is proud to be demonstrating the benefits of assistive technologies (AT) for enhancing, maintaining, or increasing a person’s abilities by using computers for learning, teaching, working, recreation, and maintaining independence. With a focus on tools for people with disabilities, the AT department will explore:

• Using computers and special-purpose video magnifiers for visual magnification, color filtering, and contrast enhancements for people with visual difficulties,

• Assistive reading and literacy tools that use text-to-speech capabilities for people with learning, visual, or print disabilities,

• Voice recognition, touch screen, tablet pc, and/or adaptive input devices to assist people with difficulties in writing due to physical or learning disabilities, and

• Note taking aides and organizational tools for anyone in the classroom.

Besides looking at specialized AT applications, the AT department will be demonstrating existing accessibility options already built-in to computer operating systems and available to everyone.

Virginia Tech Motorsports, Formula Society of Automotive Engineers will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

Exhibit- VT Motorsports, Formula SAE car

Abstract- The VT Motorsports, Formula SAE mission is to conceive, design, and fabricate a high-performance formula-style racecar to win an annual international competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The car will be making a debut at the Kids’ Tech University “technology” day! Team members will be answering questions and talking about the team, vehicle and the competition.
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Ware Lab
Virginia Tech is widely recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the nation, producing engineers that not only know the theory but have hands-on engineering experience. The Ware Lab is the focal point for hands-on projects in the College of Engineering and is the best place on campus to view many projects developed by our undergraduate students. From autonomous underwater vehicles to radio controlled aircraft, engineering students, at all levels, are encouraged to become part of a design team that expands their view of what an engineer can accomplish before and after graduation. Companies frequently visit the lab and meet with students to discuss potential opportunities for internship, co-op or full time employment. The “hands-on, minds-on” philosophy of the Ware Lab promotes real-life experience with engineering concepts before students step out into the working world.

Baja SAE car Team will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

Exhibit- Baja SAE car

Abstract- Our team's mission is to design and construct a single-seat off-road vehicle to meet the rules set forth by Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). After thorough testing of a prototype vehicle, a production vehicle will be fabricated and subsequently entered for international SAE sanctioned competition. This year, Virginia Tech Baja SAE will be participating in the East Regional Competition as well as Winter Baja in Michigan. The car will be making a debut at the Kids’ Tech University “technology” day! Team members will be answering questions and talking about the team, vehicle and the competition.

Ware Lab
Virginia Tech is widely recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the nation, producing engineers that not only know the theory but have hands-on engineering experience. The Ware Lab is the focal point for hands-on projects in the College of Engineering and is the best place on campus to view many projects developed by our undergraduate students. From autonomous underwater vehicles to radio controlled aircraft, engineering students, at all levels, are encouraged to become part of a design team that expands their view of what an engineer can accomplish before and after graduation. Companies frequently visit the lab and meet with students to discuss potential opportunities for internship, co-op or full time employment. The “hands-on, minds-on” philosophy of the Ware Lab promotes real-life experience with engineering concepts before students step out into the working world.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team (AUVT)

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team is exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

Exhibit title- The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

Abstract- Every year the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team (AUVT) designs, fabricates and competes a submarine capable of navigating an underwater course without any human input. The vehicle will be making a debut at the Kids’ Tech University “technology” day! Team members will be answering questions and talking about the team, vehicle and the competition.
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Ware Lab
Virginia Tech is widely recognized as one of the top engineering schools in the nation, producing engineers that not only know the theory but have hands-on engineering experience. The Ware Lab is the focal point for hands-on projects in the College of Engineering and is the best place on campus to view many projects developed by our undergraduate students. From autonomous underwater vehicles to radio controlled aircraft, engineering students, at all levels, are encouraged to become part of a design team that expands their view of what an engineer can accomplish before and after graduation. Companies frequently visit the lab and meet with students to discuss potential opportunities for internship, co-op or full time employment. The “hands-on, minds-on” philosophy of the Ware Lab promotes real-life experience with engineering concepts before students step out into the working world.

Carpooling service available

At the last KTU event it was suggested that we should incorporate a way for the parents of the children involved with Kids' Tech University to carpool if desired. We are launching this networking capability on the blog. If you would like your county and email posted as a possible contact please let me (Kristy DiVittorio, kdivitto@vbi.vt.edu) know!

So far, these people are interested in carpooling to the event-

Montgomery County, LauraAC@aol.com
Buckingham County, duggan@kinex.net
Danville, bhpmd2004@yahoo.com


I just wanted to draw your attention to this- Although, I can screen for posting people who have asked me to post them on the blog, this blog is open for anyone to view...so when a "parent" emails you about carpooling please be careful... you can contact me if there are any questions...

CS Squared student group is exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

Exhibitor Title- "Why does the internet help us explore the world?"

Abstract- The internet has brought us so many advances in recent years that allow us to now do things we never thought possible. We continue to become more closely connected to the rest of the world, and one program that helps us do this is Google Earth. By using Google Earth, you can explore other places around the globe, see sites, and learn exciting information about these places. It also lets you unleash your imagination by building your own 3D structures and putting them on the map. This activity will give you an overview of Google Earth and show you how you can make your own buildings and 3D objects.


Computer Science Community Service (CS Squared for short, http://www.cs2.org.vt.edu/) is a student-run, volunteer organization dedicated to teaching computer skills in the community, often focusing on bridging the ever-widening digital divide.

CS Squared provides a great opportunity for computer science students to use their knowledge obtained in the classroom and from outside work experience to improve their local communities. The organization does everything from building and administering computer labs for youth and technology centers to creating computer clubs in local elementary schools to teach children computer skills. The members are dedicated to the cause of bettering their surrounding, and because of this, CS Squared continues to grow each semester.

Sally Farrell with Craig County 4H will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th

Exhibit Title: Using RockSim software to design rockets and simulate flights.

Exhibit Abstract: The RockSim computer program is used to design rockets and then simulate its flight. Craig County 4-H uses the software to design rockets to be used in the Team America Rocketry Challenge. The aim of the challenge is to build a rocket that will fly to a height of 750 feet for 45 seconds and carry a hen's egg as payload. The egg must be launched in the rocket and return without being broken in flight.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent Info: My name is Sally Farrell and I have been the 4-H Agent in Craig County for 3 years. I provide in-school science SOL programming for all students in grades 4th - 8th grade. Craig County 4-H has a commitment to science and technology and has a Robotics Team and Rocketry Team. Craig County 4-H also has a Teen 4-H Club, 4-H Pet Club, 4-H Shooting Club, and 4-H Horse Club.

VT-STEM will be an exhibitor on Feb. 28th!

Title of exhibit- Why is VT engaged in K-12 education?

Abstract- VT-STEM tabletop exhibit only. Members of VT-STEM will be leading activities at different stations.
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VT-STEM K-12, or Virginia Tech's Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics K-12 Outreach Initiative, is an interdisciplinary group of people and programs that share research and resources among the university community, K-12 education, and other partners to contribute to Virginia's leadership in K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

VT-STEM K-12 programs and opportunities are aimed at diverse K-12 student, teacher, and university audiences, including classroom resources, teacher professional development, outreach consulting, education scholarship and K-12 formal and informal outreach.

Lecture seating in the auditorium...

One of the comments that we had after the last KTU event was that some of the kids who were sat in the back of the auditorium would like to be moved to the front. We do plan on moving the kids around to have them in different seating arrangements at the lecture hall...this way the kids will get to see the lectures from different perspectives... 

Joonsuk Lee will be exhibiting on Feb. 28th

Exhibit title- Why should we play computer games alone when it is much more fun to play them with friends?

Abstract- We are planning on introducing distributed multi-player puzzle games that kids can play with their friends. Those games include Sudoku and Crossword Puzzle.
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Joonsuk Lee is a third year Ph.D student in computer science department and a member of POET lab. People in the POET lab carries out various research works under the supervision of Dr. Deborah Tatar in the field of HCI (human computer interaction), CSCW (computer-supported cooperative work) and CSCL (computer-supported cooperative learning).

Virginia Tech Collegiate 4-H Club is exhibiting on Feb. 28th!

Exhibit- Showcasing 4-H's Virtual Farm and Virtual Forest

Abstract- Virtual Farm and Virtual Forest are two educational software programs produced by Virginia 4-H. Using the 4-H Virtual Farm software students will discover why farming is part of their life even if they have never lived on a farm, never seen crops grow in a field, or never touched a cow. The 4-H Virtual Forest is an interactive web-based learning experience that introduces the concepts of forest management to young people.
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The Virginia Tech Collegiate 4-H Club is an organization that provides its members with a sense of identity on campus, enriches their lives through group projects and recreation, and develops confidence and leadership skills. Club members provide service and support to local and state 4-H programs, such as serving as judges and conducting training workshops. They are also a service and social group for campus students.

The Virginia Tech Collegiate 4-H Club is open to all college students who wish to support youth and Virginia 4-H. It is not necessary to have prior 4-H experience, only to have an interest in the 4-H ideals and in serving your community.

Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension will have a exhibit on Feb. 28th!

Title of Exhibit- Looking Down is Looking Up: Why do we work with aerial photography?

Abstract- Geospatial tools, which include geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing, provide us an understanding of the earth. In this activity, participants will be able to use GIS to identify changes on the the earth's surface. We will examine aerial photography from two different time periods, and students will explore, estimate, and measure general changes in land use during these two periods.

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Dr. John McGee represents the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The Geospatial Extension Program provides GPS, GIS, and remote sensing training to pre-college teachers and higher ed. Faculty. We also support the needs of local governments, state agencies, and federal partners working in Virginia through geospatial workshops, supporting community economic development initiatives, providing data to support community planning efforts, etc. One program that is specific to Virginia 4-H is the Virginia 4-H Geocoin Adventure. The Virginia 4-H Geocoin Adventure will be statewide starting in the Spring '09.

Virginia Tech Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Student Chapter- exhibitor for Feb. 28th (and April 18th)

Exhibit Title: Does technology work for everyone?

Users will compare between two computer paint applications (MS Paint and Adobe) and by drawing manually. After drawing, they have to “email” their images to us. The fastest user to do this wins!! At the end, pros and cons of each of these applications will be discussed to understand using the right technology for the right usage.

Virginia Tech Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Student Chapter
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s (HFES) mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds.

The Virginia Tech HFES student chapter has historically been one of the largest and most active student chapters of national HFES. The chapter has a diverse group of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral researchers from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE). As such, they make efforts to tailor our programs and events to represent a variety of research interests within the broad scope of human factors and ergonomics.

Virginia 4-H - Exhibits and helping to make KTU a reality

Virginia 4-H is a partner of Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and together they are working to make Kids' Tech University a reality. Virginia 4-H is the youth development education program of Virginia Cooperative Extension which is associated to Virginia Tech. The 4-H mission is, "4-H is committed to assisting youth, and those adults working with them, in acquiring the knowledge, life skills, and attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, contributing, and productive members of society." The central theme of 4-H education is "learn by doing". Multiple hands-on activities in the technology, science and engineering hands-on day events for Kids' Tech University are lead and developed by Virginia 4-H extension agents from all around the state.

Virginia 4-H also has a very informative website that explains their mission, goals, history and program. Follow this link to visit the site- http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/

Also, I am volunteering to help anyone interested in Virginia 4-H get the information they need. Please email me (Kristy DiVittorio; kdivitto@vbi.vt.edu) if you would like my help...

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's (VTTI) exhibit at Feb. 28th hands-on event

Title: Demonstration of a Vehicle-Based Data Acquisition System.

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's (VTTI) data acquisition system, or DAS, will be demonstrated through interactive activities with users during the Technology Showcase for the Kids' Tech University on February 28, 2009.

A game console like those typically used with racing video games is employed to interactively demonstrate the type of data that is collected in transportation safety research activities. Users will see, first hand, the video and driving performance data that is collected as they operate the game console.

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VTTI, a top-three transportation research center in the United States, employing over 200 faculty, staff and students, focuses on solving major transportation problems through the use of technology to improve transportation safety, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce infrastructure costs. VTTI is dedicated to saving lives, saving time and saving money in the transportation field by developing and using state-of-the-art tools, techniques, and technologies to solve transportation challenges on the nation’s roadways.

The Institute has unique and extensive research facilities that are being actively used to address these problems. One such facility is the Virginia Smart Road, which has been open for testing since the spring of 2000. The Smart Road’s unique features include the largest weather generation facility in North America and a “live” roadway lighting laboratory used to study traction and visibility improvements on our roads.

VTTI conducts test track and on-road studies to develop countermeasure applications that address safety such as driver monitoring, feedback, and training, as well as the development of state-of-the art crash warning systems. VTTI has become a leader in naturalistic, real-world driving research. The Institute has conducted the 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, the largest naturalistic driving study of its kind to date; is now poised to garner the largest naturalistic transportation study ever attempted; has conducted naturalistic long-haul truck driving studies, the results of which were used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to change the long-haul drivers’ hours of service regulations; and is conducting various teen driving studies to close the gap in our knowledge of why teens pose a much higher crash risk when compared to other drivers.

VTTI is uniquely qualified and positioned to answer the Commonwealth of Virginia’s call, as well as the nation’s call for safer and more efficient transportation. We have 9 leading research centers within VTTI; 181 years of combined VTTI center directors’ experience in transportation research; a 2.2-mile Smart Road for safe, closed-track test-bed research; over 10,119 hours of logged Smart Road research with over $60 million in awarded research since opening in 2000; over 51,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and garage facilities; and our research has been chronicled in most major national and many international outlets as being the leader in conducting transportation research to save lives.

Dr. Lou Guillette's abstract posted on the KTU homesite!

Dr. Lou Guillette will be giving a talk to the kids on March 28th about, "Why are plastics bottles bad for alligators?" We just posted his updated abstract on the website and thought we would highlight it- 

"Why are plastic bottles bad for alligators?" by Dr. Lou Guillette

We live in a modern world of plastics. These plastics are used for everything from bike safety helmets to baby bottles. We see how these items help us in our everyday life and we believe they are safe and even make us safer. For example, we believe a plastic bottle is safer than a glass one, as we can get cut on a broken glass bottle. But…..are all these plastics really good for us and the environment? Do we need to learn about the potential dangers of some plastics that are used to store our food? And, why in the world would we think about baby alligators and plastics at the same time? Our program will explore the world of pollution and the many ways plastics can help us, but also potentially hurt the environment, including the health of alligators and us. We will learn which plastics might create problems and what people from around the world are doing to make a safer and cleaner environment for themselves and the animals that live around them.

KTU in the Collegiate Times!

Hi all,

Yesterday the Collegiate Times article by Justin Graves about Kids' Tech University. Check it out!

There was 2 things I wanted to comment on though-

1. Virginia Bioinformatics Institute has formed a partnership with both Virginia 4H and New City Media to bring about Kids' Tech University.

2. Maria Laubenbacher is the volunteer organizer for the program.

Jan. 31, 2009 event was a huge hit!

Well, the Jan. 31, 2009 event was a huge hit! We were well organized and got started only about 10 min. late...which is pretty good considering the event included 400 children! Dr. Keith Devlin gave a great talk to the kids (and parents) answering the question, "Why are there animals with spotted bodies and striped tails, but no animal with a striped body and a spotted tail?" The kids loved the Hokiebird...who called during the opening of the lecture and showed up at the back of the lecture hall to say, "Hi!" to the kids. I think the Hokiebird had a great time and just may come back to another KTU event! We also wanted to give a big thanks to all the volunteer EMT's and VT police department members who came out to our event to make sure we were all safe. 

The Kids' Tech University program was featured in the Sunday Roanoke Times article by Greg Esposito- check it out!

The extra lunches left over from the event were given to a local food bank, with the extra water and chips being saved for the next event. 

We will be publishing a schedule for the next event within the next week or so. The lecture will start about 30 min to an hour later and will be at the Hay Market Theatre in Squires on the VT campus. The hands-on activities will include exhibits from departments, centers and student groups around VT campus and the community. Parents will be escorting their children through the exhibits whih will be housed in the Skelton Conference Center on the VT campus. Stay tuned for more information on the Feb. 28th Kids' Tech University event and for information about the many exhibits that well be available to the kids and the parents!