By Gary Ogle
gogle@wbcowqel.com
Thomas Edison once said “Genius is one percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.”
Brad Ruffener has his own guideline when it comes to the Buckeye Robotics Club. “You have to meet interest with opportunity.”
Ruffener is a teacher at Hilliard Memorial, but is the advisor for the club which he founded three years ago with the help of a generous grant from the Community Foundation for Crawford County. The inspiration for the Buckeye Robotics club actually came from one of Ruffener’s daughters and her friends.
Explaining what types of things he taught and did with students at Hilliard, the local youngsters had a question for Rufferner: “Why can’t we have that around here?”
That’s where the perspiration came in.
“We went to all the area principals,” said Ruffener, who explained that from its inception the idea was that the Buckeye Robotics Club would be open to all interested students in Crawford County regardless of where they went to school. “Jake (Colonel Crawford Principal Jake Bruner) really ran with it.”
Aided with funding from the local grant, Ruffener began with a camp. He was able to get additional support of all kinds from several sources including places like Mennel Milling. Others who have contributed in one way or another to the club are The Timken Company Charitable and Educational Fund, C & D Jury Farms and Trucking, American Eagle Hardwoods, Don Miller and Nick Vasil.
Now not only is there a camp, there are also sessions most Sunday afternoons at Colonel Crawford where club members get instruction and work on their own projects.
“There are a couple of kids that are really talented,” Ruffener said. “They just haven’t had the opportunity.”
The club’s numbers are currently running about 15 to 20 and has members from multiple school districts. Ruffener would like to see others from all over the county take advantage of the opportunity.
Bruner said for students in the Colonel Crawford district the opportunity includes earning flex credit for their efforts and study in the club. Students will work during the week on a concept or principle introduced by Ruffner at a weekend club meeting. They communicate with Ruffener online with questions or issues that arise.
“I like the freedom of being able to build what I want, without limitations,” said club member Nicholas Motter.
Right now the club members are working on various robotic machines that pull a miniature sled with a weight transferring component such as those on a larger scale used in tractor pulls.
“The best thing about being a part of the club is the hands-on experience to apply a lot of the things they learn in the classroom,” Ruffener said. “It’s the opportunity to see that what their teachers tell them that someday they might use in the real world. They can actually take just their hands and build things, and create an experience where they actually see the implications of math and science applied to the real world.”
Rufferner said current plans are for the club to have a summer camp at a minimal cost to interested students. Tentative plans for camps are for June 22-26 at Colonel Crawford and July 13-17 at Colonel Crawford. The second camp will focus on creating projects that will be on display at the Crawford County Fair. That display at the fair will also include demonstrations.
The club is open to all students in Crawford County and meets at Colonel Crawford on Sunday afternoons. Contact Ruffener by email at buckeyerobotics@gmail.com for additional information.