After two years, the Northern Nevada Science and Technology Festival is back in northern Nevada this week.
In partnership with the Desert Research Institute, the festival is free for all ages and runs through Saturday. They say it was a huge success in 2019, so they brought it back for 2022 and Robots Rock is one of the festival's signature events.
Patrick Turner, the Chief Advancement Officer for The Discovery tells us "We're able to present a whole bunch of different robotic activities that are appropriate for kids and adults of all ages all at one time all at one place." He mentions all of the robots are interactive, he says, "We have these devices called blue bots that are these really easy to use programmable robots, we have cubelets that are actually robotic building blocks that allows you to build you're own robot that does all these different functions."
The Nevada Robots Program made an appearance at the Robots Rock Event as well as a club called First Robotics.
Turner says "They build robots that fight each other or perform very specific tasks in competition which is really fun to see." He adds they like doing hands on events because it creates a greater impression "Learning about robotics and having that inspiration at a young age even at your middle age is important because that's where careers that's where technology that's where industry is headed."
If you missed the Robots Rock Event there are still others you can attend this week:
- Seeing the Stars at Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center is happening April 28, 2022. Discover the Sun, stars and galaxies. Try out NASA astronaut modules and look through the eyes of robotic telescopes to explore the universe!
- Join Sierra Nevada Journeys on April 29, for Families in Nature at Rancho San Rafael for a hands-on nature exploration. On your nature walk and scavenger hunt, learn about what animals need to survive as you explore their habitats.
- Science is Everywhere on Saturday April 30, where you can attend behind-the-scenes tours and demonstrations at some of the top science and technology companies in the region including: Animal Ark; Carson City Library; The River School and Great Basin Outdoor School; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Redwood Materials; Reno Food Systems; Truckee Meadows Water Authority; University of Nevada, Reno College of Engineering’s Epic Lab; and UNR Innovation Center.
