Hemlock (Mich.) school district opens a STEM Center for robotics teams

The Hemlock (Mich.) school district has opened a facility that will play host to robotics competitions in Saginaw County.

Michigan Live reports that the Lockwood STEM Center includes a regulation-sized area for robotics competitions, a machining lab, and storage space. It is available to students from the Merill, Swan Valley, St. Charles, Freeland and Hemlock school districts.

The building is 15 miles west of downtown Saginaw. It provides a practice field and a safe environment for local teams to get the hang of piloting their robots, said technology director Tom Lockwood, who runs the district’s STEM programs. The facility is named in his honor.

The district previously used a small room in Hemlock High School for its robotics practice, said Superintendent Don Killingbeck. 

The school says students will learn about STEM education skills such as coding, computer-aided design, 3D printing, and fabrication.