Senator Stewart-Cousins' Intern Teaches Robotics, Coding at Yonkers Riverfront Library

Yonkers, NY - Edgemont Junior-Senior High School student Ananya Gurumurthy, an intern for Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, will teach young adults how to program computers and build robots at the Yonkers Riverfront Library on the 9th, 16th, and 23rd of August.

Gurumurthy will lead three classes: “Robotics and littleBits” on August 9th and the two-part “Introduction to Coding” on August 16th and 23rd. During “Robotics and littleBits,” students will work with littleBits modeling kits to connect wheels, axels, and various electronic pieces together to create simple robots with multiple functions unique to each child’s vision.

In “Introduction to Coding,” kids will receive a crash course in Java, a robust programming language used exclusively on the Internet. Participants will learn the basics of Java, which can be used to make calculators, draw shapes, run various analyses, and simplify a number of tedious tasks.

Fourteen-year-old Gurumurthy has worked in tandem with the Yonkers Riverfront Library to target these classes to young pre-teenagers and teenaged kids like herself. She will teach the courses as the Co-Chair of her school’s Robotics Club, which she formed after an interest meeting that attracted forty-one other students.

“I got into coding because I like the idea that you can write programs to make your life more convenient,” Gurumurthy said. “A big component of the Robotics Club is helping the community and working with kids to encourage them to pursue STEM. I’m teaching these classes to show kids that science is cool.”

“The average person spends eleven hours a day interfacing with electronic devices,” said Senator Stewart-Cousins. “It’s important to expose kids to these sciences at an early age, so they know they can help shape the future.”

 “We’ve been working on programs for teens since the Tech Center opened in May,” said Christine Bittetti, Technology Information Coordinator at the Yonkers Public Library. “This is the first time we’re doing a littleBits demo and we’re very excited about it.”

Gurumurthy will teach “Robotics and littleBits” on August 9th at 2 P.M., “Introduction to Coding: Part 1” on August 16th at 2 P.M., and “Introduction to Coding: Part 2” on August 23rd at 2 P.M. on the third floor of the Yonkers Riverfront Library. For more information, please contact the library at 914-337-1500.