C3 Junior Competition introduces Mississippi fourth graders to robotics and AI

Monique Ealey, director of education and experiences at the museum, said the competition brought fourth-grade teams together to explore robotics, AI, and technology while learning how to use those tools responsibly.

The students worked through challenges involving clues, teamwork and programming robots to navigate mazes.

“This is about workforce development,” Ealey said. “This is about preparing our children to be successful, to be competitive, to be able to really keep up in this 21st century world that we live in.”

The competition is presented by C Spire and has been held for nine years. The Mississippi Science Festival is in its 11th year, according to Ealey. The C3 Junior Challenge was also held at the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Meridian.

Jim Richmond, executive director of the C Spire Foundation, said the foundation focuses on STEAM education and developing critical-thinking skills that can create opportunities for students later in life.

The foundation brings fourth graders into the competition because organizers determined younger students should have opportunities to develop those skills earlier.

“We needed to start younger and so we determined that the fourth grade level is just an ideal level to get started with these types of activities focused again on critical thinking skills,” Richmond said.

During the competition, students worked in teams and programmed small robots to move through mazes. Jeff Cook, who is in charge of device planning for C Spire, said the activities also challenged students to distinguish between useful and misleading clues and to consider problems from different perspectives.

He said the goal was to help students understand that difficult problems can be broken down into smaller steps.

For fourth grader Pahal Ingle, the competition was challenging but enjoyable. Ingle said solving clues was a favorite part of the event, while programming the robot was difficult.

“The program is really hard but you should try it because it's challenging and I love challenges,” Ingle said.

Teachers also participated in professional development during the event. Shelly Hollis, director of the Center for Cyber Education at Mississippi State University, said teachers worked on computer science lesson plans and learned how artificial intelligence could be incorporated into classroom activities.

Teachers used Google Gemini to create interactive escape-room activities that could be used for reviewing lessons or for assessments.

Hollis said educators need to become comfortable with emerging technology because students are already using artificial intelligence tools.

“We really need to make sure those students are prepared to interact with this technology in a safe and efficient way,” Hollis said.

The competition also gave students an opportunity to see possibilities beyond their immediate communities. Hollis encouraged schools and communities across Mississippi to create similar opportunities that expose students to STEM and technology.

The Mississippi Science Festival continued through the weekend, with hands-on STEM activities available at museums in the LaFleur Museum District.