Education

UF partnership puts robotic fish in Florida elementary classrooms

A collaboration between UF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Thompson Earth Systems Institute is bringing robotic fish kits into Florida elementary school classrooms to teach students the scientific method through hands-on experimentation. The roughly 12-inch robotic swimmers allow students to manipulate variables like tail speed and fin shape, then observe how those changes affect performance in classroom tanks. Teachers from across Florida participated in professional development workshops to help translate the university’s bio-inspired robotics research into classroom curriculum.

Sources: UF News