Outreaches
CAD Classes
Computer-Aided Design is used to create, modify, and optimize designs in 3D. It is used in many places, from the automotive industry to architects and construction managers. From the very prototypes of our design to its finalized version, we need to think through a design to make it more accurate, decrease errors, and increase its simplicity. It also allows for every team member to make contributions to the design.
Our team spent time learning CAD, so we wanted to teach other teams the basics of how to use it. We started with simple sketches such as rectangles, circles, etc. But used extrude to form an object where we could create filets, chamfer, shells, etc. This was an 8-week course, and every 4 weeks there would be a quiz on the material learned. Sharing and teaching other teams gave us confidence and helped reinforce engineering skills development.
Adopt A Road
“Adopt A Road” is a non-profit program whose goal is to “Have unsightly litter removed from roadsides from reaching local streams or clogs that can potentially harm waterways such as rivers and water supply. Every piece of litter can be problematic to the water quality and disrupt the natural environment”. This provides a chance to show that robotics isn’t just benefiting our team and making it grow, but also helping the community as a whole.
The reason behind why we participate in outreaches such as this is because It helps recruit mentors, sponsors, and supporters for our team. But more importantly, it helps raise awareness and support of FIRST programs, which inspires other teams to participate! This encourages the potential for future career leads. Not only does this help our society, but as a community service, helps our team cooperate with each other better, and enhances speaking and interview skills.
Genentech R&D Outreach
Genentech is a Research & Development organization that shapes the future of medicine by discovering and developing life-changing therapies. They pioneer science in the areas of oncology, immunology, ophthalmology, neuroscience, and infectious disease. We showed the functions of our robot to a scientist at a protein engineer department. He showed us various robots including TIM, a robot with multiple elbows (a complex functionality) that places different chemicals for analysis. Other robots are used for forming chemicals into drugs and medicines, which can process information over 100 times faster than any human could. These robots are programmed using Python/Java and are used in the health care and auto industries. Overall, this outreach provided a detailed understanding of how robots are used today in pharmaceutics.
FRC Team Meet
This outreach was with a team from Iowa, which a coach on our team knew. From a few different members in that team, we were able to learn certain things about coding with different languages using Android Studio. From this outreach, we were able to learn more about Java and Android Studio, which most of us had little to no experience with. We also were able to connect with and learn from a team that lives far away from us. This outreach gave us both experience and understanding of a new programming language and software, and a chance to connect with and learn from a more experienced team than us.
FLL Team Meet
Our most recent outreach was a meeting with an FLL rookie team, they showed us how their robot works, and how they programmed it using blockly. The team had less experience since it was their first year, and had no mentor or teams to coach them. We showed them our robot functions, including its design, drivetrain, shooter, and intake. We explained the steps we took in the 5 step engineering process. We also talked about how we included everyone's ideas to improve our robot. We taught the power of working together and being organized. This helped the team in improving their documentation, engineering notebook, and overall presentation of their team. But most of all, we gave them a new motive; to learn what FIRST robotics is really about, and how they can pursue their future in robotics while demonstrating gracious professionalism.
Boulan Park Middle School Outreach
We visited Boulan’s Park Middle School’s VEX robotics club to share our FTC experiences. We taught 6th & 7th graders about FIRST’s core values such as gracious professionalism, game instructions/rules, and what role our team plays. We shared a presentation about our robot's different functions, such as the arm, claw, and wheels. Using our robot we picked up stones and objects and displayed ourselves driving around. Since VEX robotics only used plastic parts, they were fascinated by the complexity and intricacy of our robot. We enjoyed sharing and helping others out, and hope that it inspired them to create amazing things.
Schroeder & Bemis Elementary School Outreach
We visited robotics students in Schroder & Bemis Elementary School to share our FTC experiences. Since we were dealing with younger members, we presented our robot in a fun and engaging way. We gave real-life examples of how robots can be used in healthcare, agricultural, and manufacturing fields. They participated in hands-on activities to see how our robot works! We enjoyed sharing and helping others out, and hope that it inspired them to create amazing things.