November 07, 2025 -- More than 60 seventh graders from Wedgewood and Woodward Park Middle Schools spent a day building robots at Columbus State Community College during the Kids Robotics Workshop: Dive Into STEM. Presented by the Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation and Google, the event made its Columbus debut this year.
The workshop aimed to spark students’ curiosity about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields through hands-on learning. Kelly Gunn, an administrative business partner at Google, said it’s about creating opportunities for every child to explore technology.
“We want to help close that gap within technology and STEM to ensure that all students and all kids are having this opportunity to learn something new,” Gunn said.
Teams of four worked together to assemble a remote-controlled robot featuring a drivetrain, four wheels, two motors, and an arm with a claw. One group focused on building the base, while the other constructed the top. The team whose robot used its claws to collect the most items claimed victory.
Throughout the day, volunteers from Google and the REC Foundation offered guidance alongside high school mentors from North Union High School competitive robotics team. Patrick Price, regional support manager for the REC Foundation, said having the high school students there both motivated the middle school participants and gave the older students valuable experience working together and communicating effectively.
“Workforce development is looking for students who can be hands on, who can problem solve, who can learn those soft skills and communicate and strategize with people they don’t know,” Price said. “It’s important for students to participate in these community-building events so they can learn those soft skills our job creators are looking for.”
For Gunn, the event also underscored how quickly technology is changing and how naturally students adapt.
“Technology will just continue to grow, and kids are the ones who are learning it the fastest and using it on a daily basis,” Gunn said. “If [students] can take those skills and hone in on something beneficial like STEM and robotics, it will take them so far throughout high school and whatever they decide to do after.”
Students said they appreciated the balance of fun and learning.
“We’re learning about more than nuts and bolts,” said Woodward Park seventh grader Chris Oliver. “We get to learn about working with each other. It’s been very fun and entertaining.”
In regard to his classroom, Wedgewood Career Technology Education Teacher Phil Maxwell said the experience not only expanded his students skillset, it lit a spark among his students.
“It’s really cool that they get to see where [robotics] can take them,” Maxwell said. “When we have the high school students who have been doing this for years and they are able to say ‘okay, that could be me in a few years’ while meeting people from Google, they see how these technology classes can turn into a career.”
What began as a day of gears and motors became an introduction to real-world STEM pathways. With support from Google, Columbus State, and the REC Foundation, students gained hands-on experience that sparked curiosity, built confidence, and opened their eyes to future careers in technology and innovation.
