Submitted PhotoHahira Elementary School fifth graders Kaedyn Fiveash, Ryan Bellflowers and Lee Brunston participate in a robotics competition. 

HAHIRA — Students in the fifth-grade Discovery program at Hahira Elementary School recently completed a robotics module through a Project Lead the Way grant.

Project Lead the Way is a non-profit organization that works to provide students with challenging, real-world situations in the pathways of computer science, engineering and biomedical science that engage the students to think critically and creatively to solve problems, according to school officials.

HES fifth graders were tasked with a robotics problem. Students researched robotic history and learned about particular types of robots used in the real world, including those developed to complete tasks too dangerous for humans, according to organizers.

Students gained an understanding of a variety of input and output devices, including a motor, bumper switch, touch LED, color sensor and a controller through hands-on experiences. They worked collaboratively with a partner using engineering skills to design, sketch and build a model of a toy using VEX IQ components.

For their final, culminating project, students designed, modeled and tested a remotely operated robot that could remove hazardous materials from a disaster site.

Throughout the module, students learned engineers and designers create new products and technology to address human needs or wants that meet specific criteria for success, including constraints on materials, time and cost, according to school officials.

They learned to collaborate and communicate as they generated and compared multiple possible solutions to problems based on real-world issues.