Incline Education Fund (IEF) has funded the IMS Robotics program via grants from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT), local chapters of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and both Incline Rotary groups. This support has allowed the program to expand, providing students with more opportunities to engage with STEM education and real-world problem solving.
Aligned with the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) for Computer Science, the program offers students a dynamic, hands-on learning experience and helps them develop critical skills in communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Students build and program robots and drones to navigate mazes, move objects, and use sonar for object identification. Projects enhance student coding and engineering skills while encouraging them to think creatively and solve real-world problems.
IMS Robotics isn’t just for students passionate about technology—it’s designed to engage all learners, including those who may not traditionally gravitate toward STEM subjects but enjoy hands-on, creative projects. One of the program’s first successful projects was a Holiday Light Show, synchronized to music and displayed outside a local restaurant. This project gave students the opportunity to see their work come to life and contribute to a community event. Other projects expand student understanding of drone technology. When conditions allow, students take to the beach to practice driving submersible drones, which support the Trash to Treasure program by helping clean up Lake Tahoe.
In line with IMS’s commitment to sustainability, the robotics program has recently introduced a 3D-printed award system. Thanks to a generous donation from the Haas Foundation, IMS acquired an FLSun V400 3D printer to replace paper-based awards with reusable 3D-printed currency, which can be used in the Student Store. This innovation not only promotes sustainability but also ensures the program’s long-term success.
Beyond robotics, IMS’s Computer Science curriculum prepares students for the digital world, offering lessons in the MS Office Suite, cybersecurity, and high-level programming languages such as Python and JavaScript. Students also gain practical experience in hardware and software troubleshooting by taking apart and reassembling both PC and Mac desktops and laptops.
The IMS Robotics program offers inclusive, hands-on learning opportunities that foster the development of engineering, coding, and problem-solving skills, shaping the next generation of engineers, coders, and innovators.
