10 Robotics Extracurriculars for High School Students

The future of robotics looks very promising and advancements in AI and cloud computing have opened up avenues for research into even more complex domains. If you are a high school student wanting to explore all that robotics has to offer and gain something apart from classroom knowledge, keep reading this blog!

We have compiled a list of 10 robotic extracurriculars aimed specifically at high school students that are open to all, no matter your experience in robotics. 

1. Join or create a robotics club

Joining a club that encourages collaborative thinking and focuses on hands-on experience in robotics at your school can be a rewarding and fun experience. Nowadays, schools themselves actively promote computer science, AI, and robotics clubs, so if there’s an existing club, great news! If not, why not take the initiative together with like-minded students to get the ball rolling?

You can take inspiration from some of the well-established high-school clubs that even come out on top in various robotics competitions. Here are some of the clubs that you can look up for inspiration: Spartan Robotics, a robotics club at Mountain View High School, Cheesy Poofs, the robotics team at Bellarmine College Preparatory, and MadTown Robotics, which consists of students from Madera High School.

Being part of a club or a team will help you engage actively in discussions and practical applications of robotics. You get to learn everything from the software and coding to the fabrication of the final robot parts. 

2. Join one of the many Robotics camps

There are some super accessible robotics camps and programs, including Veritas AI, that you can join. Camps are a great way to build foundational knowledge if you are a beginner in the field of robotics but also have something to offer someone with a little bit of experience. 

One of the biggest benefits of joining a camp is the availability of making valuable connections with mentors and instructors who are experts in the field and can provide you with suitable guidance on how to begin your journey as a young robotics enthusiast! 

Some camps might have the option of working on a real-time project but given the short duration of such programs, the course will mostly deal with theoretical knowledge and discussions. You can look at these camps to get a better idea of how robotics camps work: Robotics & Autonomous Systems, National Robotics Week (RoboWeek), and Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy.

3. Participate in Robotics Competition

If you have a slightly advanced level of knowledge in coding and robotics, you might want to try your luck at participating in one of the many robotics competitions. Unlike coding competitions, group participation is required in these competitions because of the amount of work required in building a functional robot. 

Usually, you can participate as a team from your high school or if you are part of a robotics club. Building robots as part of a team and competing on a local, state, or national level will be a very enriching experience for you and help you develop good teamwork skills. 

Most of the competitions revolve around an annual theme and groups build their robots to fit the theme. Some of the competitions, like the VEX competitions, the FIRST Robotics Competition, and the Science Olympiad Robot Tour, are very competitive and give you a glimpse of what is possible in the field of robotics.

Participating in competitions helps you work on a real-time project, deal with problems as they arise, and also develop communication and leadership skills. You get the opportunity to see the works of other groups, which can help you get curious about some technical details, which are not your strong points. 

4. Apply for Research Project Programs 

If you are interested in research in the field of robotics, you should consider working on a project of your own through available organizations and institutions. Research projects are a great way to build a solid foundation in robotics, as you might get to work on real-life projects and collect data that will be used for the betterment of society. 

The easiest way to get started on your research project is to apply to programs like Lumiere Education and Veritas AI, where you can work 1-1 with a PhD researcher to explore your chosen topic. Projects like these allow you to go deep into specific areas of interest and explore advanced concepts, theories, and technologies that you would not learn through your regular school curriculum. This in-depth learning experience nudges you to be curious, think about relevant questions, and boost your passion for robotics. 

NYU Tandon's Summer Program for Automation Robotics and Coding (SPARC) is a great program that brings together components of academic learning, research, and hands-on experience in building robots. The Maryland Robotics Center offers undergraduate and high school students an opportunity to participate in the MRC Pathways program to support robotics research internships with MRC faculty. 

5. Pursue a robotics internship

Internships can be a rewarding yet challenging experience for high school students. The opportunity to work on real-life projects and receive guidance from experienced mentors in the field is something that everyone interested in robotics should aim for. 

Robotics internships can vary from getting to work on robot maintenance, back-end programming for controlling the functionality of the robots and testing various simulations in which the robot is expected to carry out its functions. 

There are a lot of options for high school students seeking internships in robotics and the Evodyne Robotics Internship Program in California is one such program. The only condition is that the institute asks students to enroll in a paid program called the Genesis Track before the internship to ensure an enhanced experience. 

Highly competitive and selective internships are also offered by the Yale Social Robotics Lab, which is free and unpaid. The General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania also has a summer internship program, which engages high school students in real-life projects under the guidance of faculty members. 

6. Attend virtual or in-person Robotics seminars

Seminars can be a great learning experience for someone just getting started in the field of robotics. The ones hosted by eminent institutes invite accomplished scholars and experts in the field to share their knowledge on the current challenges that the industry faces. Seminars are also a great place for you to learn the basics and interact with other like-minded people. What’s more, is that most of them are free and can be attended virtually!

Cornell University's Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science is conducting a series of seminars on robotics in 2024, which can be attended via Zoom. Topics usually revolve around robotics ethics and human-robot interactions. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has somewhat of an annual tradition of conducting a series of seminars and in 2024, they will conduct their robotics seminar between February and May. 

The University of Maryland hosts the Maryland Robotics Center Robotics Seminar Series and a similar seminar series is hosted by the Illinois Robotics Group at the University of Illinois’ Coordinated Science Laboratory.

7. Learn programming languages

Programming is a fundamental skill in robotics. Learning different coding languages equips students with the tools to control and program their robots. Understanding these languages will come in handy going forward, as AI and advanced coding algorithms are set to play a crucial role in the future of robotics. 

Python: High school students can learn Python, a versatile and beginner-friendly programming language, through online resources like Codecademy or Python.org. Python is commonly used in robotics for its simplicity and readability.

C++: For those looking to delve deeper into programming for robotics, learning C++ can be valuable. Resources like cplusplus.com and LearnCpp.com offer comprehensive C++ tutorials.

Arduino Programming: To program Arduino-based robots, students can explore the official Arduino website and various online tutorials that cover programming in the Arduino IDE using C/C++.

Raspberry Pi: It is similar to Arduino and brings the capabilities of a Linux-based system to robotics projects, offering a wide range of applications beyond traditional microcontroller-based designs. It possesses powerful computation abilities, and networking capabilities, and is useful for advanced applications like AI or image processing.

8. Get involved with online communities

Nowadays, online communities are a great source of help for millions of people. Joining an online community will be a rewarding experience for you and a source of inspiration, whether you are a beginner seeking advice or an advanced player, who can help others. 

One of the best platforms online for seeking advice from like-minded people is Reddit. The r/robotics subreddit is a vibrant online community where students can ask questions, share projects, and engage in discussions related to robotics and AI. The Robotics Stack Exchange is a Q&A platform where you can ask specific questions about robotics and receive answers from experts and enthusiasts. The Robotics pages on Kaggle and GitHub might also be useful, but they are very project-specific and good for brushing up your coding skills. 

9. Brush up on your skills with a pre-college program

For a high school student looking to begin exploring the field of robotics, undertaking a pre-college course, either in person during the summer or virtually after school hours, is one of the best ways to get started. Some institutes offer college-level courses in a short span and provide a strong foundation for pursuing a career in robotics. 

There are a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to pre-college courses and the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies' Robotics with JavaScript for High Schoolers is one of them. It is a virtual nine-month program and can be done at your own pace. 

For a more hands-on experience, you can look at the Academy for Robotics at the University of Texas Computer Science division, which offers a week-long immersive course on campus. For a comprehensive course with a balance of theory and hands-on experience, Robotics Engineering at the University of Connecticut Pre-College Summer is a great option. 

Pre-college programs are not only highly educational but they also look good on your college applications!

10. Engage your peers and the community with an initiative

Nothing fits the definition of an extra-curricular activity better than doing something positive after school hours. If you are interested in robotics and want to seek out like-minded people, engaging them regularly in discussions and activities, you might consider taking an initiative like hosting a podcast. You can even start your own YouTube channel where you can invite other guests and have a free-for-all discussion. 

One of the ideas for weekly discussions could be when you ask guests to work on a research paper and then each participant shares their learning from the same. You can buy DIY kits and help other school children try their luck building robots. 

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