Julie Spino instructs two Sale Creek students on how to use the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Challenger STEM Learning Center’s new robots.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosted students from Sale Creek Middle High School at the Challenger STEM Learning Center to showcase a new fleet of robots.
Tennessee Valley Robotics (TNVR) donated 15 robots—supported by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Volkswagen—to the center. Hamilton County Schools also donated laptops for students to code their robots.
Julie Spino, Hamilton County lead teacher for the center, said that robots give students a chance to be introduced to different forms of technology at the Challenger Center.
“It aligns with our simulated space missions, where they have a chance to work with robotic arms and robots. This gives them more of a view of what they can do with robots,” Spino said. “Robotics gives them a chance to try out a new form of technology, a new language of coding. It helps them to be problem solvers.
“To persist through challenges and to try a new aspect that they might have never tried before gives them a different view of the world of STEM. It allows them to collaborate, become part of a team and accomplish a goal with their peers.”
TNVR Treasurer Charley Spencer expressed hope that students develop a new interest in robotics because “that’s the direction the world is heading.”
“The earlier we can get kids’ awareness and interest level in robotics—and now artificial intelligence—the better we’ll be as a community,” Spencer said. “I used to say that’s where the economy and industry were going, but it’s there now. If kids aren’t doing this, we’re failing them as supporters of our children’s generation.”
Five of the 15 robots that Tennessee Valley Robotics donated.
The program officially started on Oct. 24, and the Challenger Center has already introduced robotics to 450 students in the area.
Spino said the center hopes to introduce over 4,000 students to robotics in 2026.
“We start them here, but then they leave, and we can send them off to continue to code and learn about robotics and what we do here,” she said. “It’s neat to see the excitement of the kids just to see a whole new world of coding.”
Dr. Justin Robertson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, and Dr. Valerie Rutledge, dean of the UTC College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, both attended to show their support for the endeavor.
Challenger Center Exploration Specialist Rob Lein said days like this make the center memorable as a hub for learning and innovation.
“Our new robotics program represents a significant step in our program and what we’re doing,” Lein said. “TVA, Volkswagen, the school district, the University and TNVR, everybody coordinated to bring this robotics program in and that’s incredible.”
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UTC Challenger STEM Learning Center
