The first-ever 4H STEM Expo in Franklin County was a success, according to 4H Extension agent Janet Lovelady.

The Expo began at 9 a.m. March 8 in the A.W. Todd Centre in Russellville and lasted until 2 p.m., culminating in the presentation of bronze, silver and gold medals to the participants. The only part of the day’s activities that were scored were the two robot challenges.

“The students were competing for their own best scores rather than against each other,” Lovelady explained.

The “Clean up After Poochy” Robot Challenge required each team’s robot to be able to push cups off of the green square and “fill in” the hole (black dot) by spinning in a circle over it. For the “In Search of Banana” Robot Challenge, each team’s robot had travel a prescribed route from start to finish on a mat while following specific guidelines for the way it could move.

“They had an idea of what the mats would look like before the expo, but they didn’t know the measurements, so that was their main challenge,” Lovelady said.

A number of other STEM based activities gave the dozens of students a chance to flex their math and science muscles.

“Junk Drawer” challenges required the students to build robots, using items they were given, that could perform specific tasks. For the “Es-Car-Go” challenge, students had to build a rover that could ascend a ramp as slowly as possible using a set of gears or a drive train. For the “Can Can” challenge, students were given a plastic cup and markers and had to make a robot that could draw.

“The students were very well engaged and enjoyed the different activities throughout the day,” Lovelady said.

Out of 121 people who registered, 111 participated, and two teen leaders assisted.