The Complex Language of Coding Decoded by Neal

The Complex Language of Coding Decoded by Neal - August 2018 Scholarship Essay

Our world is filled with complex machines completing complex tasks. The masterminds of these machines are engineers who speak a different language. They talk to machines in a sequence of codes and it is this “coding” that I would like to explore in order to educate and inspire the next generation. I am currently enrolled in my school’s robotics program and many kids in that class don’t know how to code a simple robot. I thought this would be a great idea for a podcast.
With Robotics becoming an increasingly larger area of competition among young teens I have found a need to bring coding into the lives of more students. Not all schools offer coding classes and robotics programs but there are many non-school sponsored organizations that students can become involved in. If I were able to provide a podcast, accessible to anyone, students could bridge the gap of any learning deficits.
During my podcast, I would teach kids the basics of coding. I would go into depth on things like how to make simple driving functions for a robot using programs like Robot C, C+, and even C++. I would also teach kids how to preform certain functions like, how to code a moveable arm for vertical movement, how to code a claw to open and close, and how to create complex coding sequences with sensors. For listeners with a more advanced knowledge of coding, I would talk about how to program an autonomous for the robot. With an autonomous function built into the code, the driver of the robot would be able to preform a set task at the beginning of each round with just a press of a button. This is just a small example of what could be covered during my podcasts.
To help me with my podcasts, I would invite experts in the fields of robotics and coding to guide listeners during more troublesome tasks with coding. They would also be able to talk about their background in coding and how they got started in the subject. We would also talk about the different career paths associated with coding and how coding can play a big part in different engineering fields. I truly feel this is an area with great potential to be a huge impact on our up and coming engineers. This podcast would be the first of its kind!