From code to drones: FSU PC STEM camp delivers robotics, AI and career ideas

Tyler Orsburn, Panama City News Herald
Updated ·2 min read

During the dog days of summer, Florida State University Panama City hosted three one-week STEM Mavericks summer camps at Rutherford High School. The aim of the program was to spark an interest in Department of Defense careers by showcasing real-world science, technology, engineering and math applications in defense and security.

Believe it or not, this summer activity required a notebook and a No. 2 pencil with a good eraser. And a smorgasbord of Papa Johns, Chick-fil-A, Cheez-It and Gatorade.

A total of 110 Bay County students explored the fundamentals of physics, electrical circuitry, software-defined radio waves, basic coding operations and artificial intelligence algorithms. But maybe the most rewarding part of their instruction was flying (and crashing) drones, driving (and crashing) small robots, and shooting small soccer balls out of (booming) miniature canons.

Bay County students fly a drone through a STEM Mavericks’ robotics obstacle course at Rutherford High School July 25, 2024. The three one-week sessions were hosted by Florida State University Panama City’s engineering program with funding from Trenchant Analytics, and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office in the Department of Defense. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald)

Knightly Georgiadis, a homeschool 9th grader, said he (finally) learned the importance of the Pythagorean theorem.

“Me and my friend wanted to learn how to code together,” the aspiring U.S. Air Force pilot said. “So now I’ll know how to code; he’ll know how to code; and we’re thinking about creating a video game together.”

But military life (and maybe gaming) isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Violet Fernandez, a 9th grader at North Bay Haven Charter Academy, said she’d prefer to use STEM breakthroughs in the graphic design world.

Bay County students attend STEM Mavericks’ technology camp at Rutherford High School July 16, 2024. The three one-week sessions were hosted by Florida State University Panama City’s engineering program with funding from Trenchant Analytics, and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office in the Department of Defense. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald)

“I could invent something that helps me map out my drawings, so I can get proportions right.”

And then there’s the athletic orthopedic surgeon.

“(I could invent) a scan type thing that would show the probability of making an incision on a patient; (showing) the downfalls of making such an incision,” Nick Brantley, a 10th grader at The Collegiate School, said.\

Danny Georgiadis, director of systems engineering at FSU Panama City, said there are a wide array of software and hardware careers students can take once they embark on their STEM journey. Aerospace, medical, marine and offshore industries just to name a few.

“But if you don't want to work for the DoD, there's lots of contractors that do support the DoD like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, L3 Harris,” Georgiadis said.

Trenchant Analytics and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office in the Department of Defense supported this summer initiative.

Cole Stanford, senior at Covenant Christian School, participates in STEM Mavericks at Rutherford High in Panama City July 16, 2024. The three one-week sessions were hosted by Florida State University Panama City’s engineering program with funding from Trenchant Analytics, and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office in the Department of Defense. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald)

For more information about the next FSU Panama City STEM camp, contact professor Danny Georgiadis at (850) 770-2289.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: FSU PC introduces Bay County students to STEM innovations, careers