Member Spotlight: Rhodes Barnette and His Dedication to Learning
Rhodes teaches students how to think critically and to learn essential problem-solving skills, from programming to building, he says he wants his students to have a complete understanding of the robots they create.
CO:bots Students Invited to Smithsonian & Google Competitions
Every Thursday night CO:bots students meet in the event space of theCO to practice building and operating their VEX Robots. At a glance, one might never know that the kids quietly tinkering and constructing in the back of the building are actually engineering some of the finest robots in the area and offer some fierce competition for other VEX students.
CO:bots At Brentwood Tournament
Anyone who stays late at theCO on Thursday nights knows all about the stream of kids carrying robotics equipment to the event space. These students are a part of the CO:bots Meetup hosted by theCO, in partnership with Vex Robotics, and come to practice their skills.
Summertime Learning at theCO
When school lets out at the end of May, most kids head to the pool, play outside, and visit the beach with their families. But some parents may want more educational activities for their kids during the summer. Luckily for the Jackson community, theCO offers workshops and summer camps for kids with technological abilities to develop their skills and learn about robotics, microcomputers, and more.
Summer at theCO
Staying in Jackson this summer? West Tennessee may not have a place to lay your beach towel and enjoy the seabreeze, but theCO is offering a variety activities to keep you busy and entertained in the upcoming months.
Two Students Representing Jackson in International Robot Competition
Of the 1,500 students from all across the world who will be descending on Louisville, Kentucky, for an international robotics competition later this month, two young robot-makers will be representing Jackson, Tennessee.
Ben McCarver, a homeschool freshman, and Joshua Bernheisel, a seventh grader from a Northeast Middle School, managed to beat approximately 170 students in Tennessee to take the robots they designed in CO:bots to compete with some of the best student roboticists from all of the world, from the Middle East to Australia to South America.
2017: Another Great Year in the Books!
Every December I write this article reflecting on the moments, milestones, and amazing people that made 2017 a year to remember. From announcing another Best in the West business competition winner to accepting a state-funded grant in which we have been tasked with turning forty-foot motorhomes into rolling innovation labs, it’s been an extremely busy year for theCO.
However, overlooking the mistakes, the loses, and the setbacks for the year would be naive of us as an entrepreneur development center. Some of the greatest achievements and growth can be traced back to times of failure, and that’s perfectly okay! We’ve seen great ideas and potential businesses put on the back burner this year and understand that life gets in the way sometimes. Just know that theCO is here to help. Ask us questions, and tell us about your struggles. We want nothing more than to see you grow personally and help your business grow as well.
Ben McCarver’s VEX Competition Experience
Ben McCarver found love at first sight after attending a robotics meetup at theCO last October.
Kabao McCarver, mother of Ben McCarver, took note of Ben’s interest in engineering from an early age.
“Ben was inclined to all things engineering from an early age. Before he could walk, he was trying to figure out how things fit together, mostly by first tearing them apart,” Kabao explained. “His involvement in robotics gave him the ability to express his interests in a new way.
“He kept the name, Ben the Destroyer, until a few years ago when it seemed like overnight he went from ‘breaking’ everything, and all of the sudden he was the one we called on to fix everything.”
Soon, after only days of robotics experience, Ben entered the VEX Robotics State Championship Competition held in Brentwood, Tennessee, against his mother’s wishes.