KY EPSCOR: FY21: NASA Space Grant Project: Kentucky Organization of Robotics and Automation (KORA) - Match for 3200003095

The prospect of journeying to the moon and Mars captures the fascination of many students, especially some of those pursuing careers in science and engineering. Exploring new frontiers and working on the cutting edge of space exploration fascinates college level and younger students alike. Students at the University of Kentucky have worked together under previous support from NASA KY awards to create the Kentucky Organization of Robotics and Automation, or KORA. The student run organization creates an environment for undergraduate and graduate students to work together on multiple projects, including robots for the 2021 NASA Lunabotics Competition and 2021 Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC). Aligning with NASA’s STEM engagement efforts, KORA is building an educational robotics platform to demonstrate high level robotics concepts to younger individuals and students. Concepts such as remote navigation, telemetry monitoring, and obstacle avoidance are similar to those that would be found in a NASA environment. Using NASA’s Lunar Exploration Themes [1], the Mars Rover 2020 plan [2] and NASA’s Mars Exploration Plan [3] as inspiration, club members will plan, build, organize and contribute to our nation’s science literacy through hands-on experience with robotics. KORA will help build a diverse future generation workforce by educating and informing university and high school students about robotics and NASA STEM objectives