In the News

In the News

• Cerro Coso Holds Even for Local Fifth Graders (Coyote Howler, June 2007) [pdf]
  Cerro Coso hosted an "I'm Going to College" even for local fifth graders on Monday May 7th. Students from Richmond, Los Flores, Inyokern, and Immanuel Christian Elementary schools were on campus to learn about the opportunities that away them at CCCC ... The fifth graders enjoyed three different demonstrations given by Dick Benson, Professor of Art; Melinda Fogle-Oliver, Associate Professor of Drama; and Debby Kilburn, Professor of Computer Information Systems.
  Rotary Supports "I'm Going to College" even at CCCC
  ...At the conclusion of the tour, the 5th graders participated in several different hands-on demonstrations provided by the Art Department, Computer Science "Robotics" program, and the Drama students...
  
  
• Nerd Herd World Tour (Coyote Howler, May 2007) [pdf]
  Students in a 15 passenger van and a car or two in the caravan traveled about 700 miles total, visited two University of California Campuses, and were about to see inside a supercomputer, eat in a campus dining commons, and attend a FIRST Robotics competition in San Diego...
  
  
  
• Young Women Explore Science-based Careers (Tulare Country Department of Education newsletter, April 2007) [pdf]
  The young women entering Debby Kilburn's seminar "They Play with LEGOs in College" had to walk by an enticing sea of the colorful plastic blocks spread on the floor of a College of the Sequoias classroom. Once seated, the girls listened as Kilburn explained that students do play with LEGOs in college - at least if they're enrolled in her robotics class at Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest. Through a video, Kilburn showed the girls amazing motorized robots built from LEGOs by her students...
  
  
  
• Lego Robotics - Fun, Challenging, and Educational (Coyote Howler, February 2007) [pdf]
  Do you like to discover new things? Enjoy challenges? Have fun with puzzles? Are you constantly learning? Easily adaptable? Ready to be on the cutting edge of technology? Then come and join the Cerro Coso Community College Robotics class! ...
  
  
  
• Robotics class at Cerro Coso solves problems with Legos (KV Sun, January 10, 2007)
  It was a rescue scene at the Kern River Valley campus of Cerro Coso College last weekend as heavy equipment moved away some boulders to make way for a temporary bridge to allow rescue personnel to remove a fallen tree from a victim pinned underneath. However, the vehicle used to remove the tree repeatedly dropped the tree trunk back onto the victim. Fortunately, this was all in miniature. It was a scene created by robotics professor Debby Kilburn during a three-day workshop at the college. No humans or animals were harmed in the process - just a three-inch-high character from a Legos robotic kit, known affectionately by the students as “Lego man.” [more | permalink]
  
  
• Cerro Coso Students take tour at NAWS (China Lake NAWS Rocketeer, December 21, 2006)
  Cerro Coso Community College students in Professor Debby Kilburn’s Introduction to Lego Robotics class had an opportunity to see real-life applications of the things they are learning in the classroom when they spent half a day Friday, December 8 touring the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the robotics laboratory of the Weapons Division. [more]
  
  
• CSCI 101 Robotics Project (Coyote Howler, December 2006) [pdf]
  It's that time again! Students worked two weeks on a robotics unti that gave them hands-on experience creating, programming, troubleshooting, and problem solving working robots...
  Technology Club Fundraiser
  Tickets are on sale for the Students Intriguesd by Technology (S.I.T.) fundraiser, the Random Lotto-bot. If you've ever seen Cow Patty Bingo, you'll know what this was all about...
  S.I.T. Club has Guest Speaker
  Dr. Steven Kurti, research physicist from China Lake Naval Air Warfare Station (NAWS) gave a talk titled "What will HAL think?" ... Science fiction seems obsessed with futuristic computers but what will computers look like in 10, 20, or even 30 years?...
  
  
  
• Cerro Coso Features Robots at the Fair! (Coyote Howler, November 2006) [pdf]
  Come one, come all... Cerro Coso students went nuts with ROBOTS at the fair... fair-goers were entertained by students working on tough challenges that involved herding golf balls into a hole and others that are working on making a walking robot...
  
  
  
• Lego robotics — learning through ‘hard fun’ and ‘purposeful play’ (Ridgecrest News Review, Nov 8, 2006)
  Though the term “Lego Robotics” may conjure up visions of a 10-year-old boy’s hobby, Computer Science Instructor Debby Kilburn is using it as a vehicle to teach her students cutting-edge technology in a hands-on fashion. The newly added course at Cerro Coso Community College offers a broad spectrum of lessons — from basic and complex scientific principles to teamwork, creative thinking, problem solving and trouble shooting. [more]
  
  

What are people saying about Cerro Coso Robotics?

• "I've never really tried any sort of programming before, so even the basic style of programming that we did for the lego Bricks was interesting and fun to do. After a few tries it became really easy. Kinda makes me want to try out more complicated computer programming...I loved how hands-on this class was." (Sean, KRV Robotics, Winter 07)
  
  
• "One of the best parts of the class session was that there was not a lot of paper. The hands on experience was tops. We learn more from actually doing than from being told how to do and then producing a copy/mirror image af what has already been accomplished. As you said "the devil is in the details". The actual build went rather smoothly, the intricities were in the programming and the trial runs, where the bugs were worked out." (Jim, KRV Robotics, Winter 07)
  
  
• "As I sit here and reflect on what has been going on this weekend and what our objective was I discovered that I can still use my creative side. It thought that it was gone, but to be able to use it and learn something new and see that it still exists. This class was very exciting and fun." (Ruth, KRV Robotics, Winter 07)
  
  
• "I was very pleased and after this short introduction to robotics "Via lego no less". I think I am hooked. I will definitely be pursuing more knowledge in this area, Thank you one and all for introducing me to this form of robotic experimentation, programming and design. The Light bulb has been turned on." (Robert, CSCI 101 FA06)
  
  
• "All in all, this project has been a great learning experience for me. I can take what (my teammates) have shown me about mechanics into a lot of things I may do in the future and working with the programming aspect- even though only minorly successful- has really gotten me curious about programming in general... and I really want to play with an NXT now!!" (Rachel, CSCI 101, FA06)
  
  
• “Teamwork is everywhere in science, but I feel like I’ve really gotten a grasp on it here. I’ve worked in interdependent environments before, but not in so much of a technical frame.” (Dominick, Robotics I, FA06)
  
  
• “Being able to do things hands-on makes it easier to learn.” (Caleb, Robotics I, FA06)
  
  
• “My major is criminal justice, but now I am thinking of switching to computer science. This is a really great course. I would recommend it to anyone.” (Joey M., Robotics I, FA06)
  
  
• "This project applies to other areas in life. This helps you to think out side of the box, to not only think by yourself but pulling other ideas from other." (Michelle, CSCI 101/Robotics, FA06)
  
  
• “Professor Kilburn is doing a wonderful job educating the creative leaders of the future.” (Jane Harmon, Cerro Coso Interim Vice President of Student Learning)
  
  
• “The collaborative learning environment fosters learning in all ages as students engage in designing, building and programming robots. The students are so excited about the robotics classes that they can’t wait to get to class, and we have to make them leave.” (Valerie Karnes, Interim Dean of Occupational Education and Workforce Development)