D-block is not even five minutes old, but there are already 16 students hovered over an intriguing-looking robot figure placed on one of the tables. The students are shooting ideas back and forth, challenging each other, and brimming with excitement. It’s clear that whatever project they’re working on is a passion that will demand long hours, a strong commitment, and keen problem solving.  These students seem more than up for the task-at-hand.

 

Blending Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) principles, students in the ‘Tech Challenge Robotics Team’ D-block class are currently preparing for the FIRST Robotics Competition’s 2014 high school game, ‘FIRST Aerial Assist.’ Held to strict rules, limited resources, and tight time limits, their goal is to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and eventually build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.

 

FIRST, which stands for ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,’ is a non-profit organization devoted to helping young people discover and develop a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). There are four different FIRST Challenge Leagues, each catered towards a different age group and educational level. Dubbed a varsity “Sport for the Mind,” the FIRST Robotics Competition, or FRC, is the highest league and combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. This is the competition that CSW’s Robotics students will compete in.

 

The CSW Robotics Team is currently in its fourth year. Past members of the team have gone on to graduate from CSW and carry their love of engineering, math, and science to college. Many refer to their time with the CSW Robotics Team as when they discovered their passion for engineering. 

 

This year, four-year Robotics veteran Tino Christelis ‘14 leads the team. “Taking part in robotics has truly been life changing,” says Tino. “There are lots of things I've gained from my experience on the CSW team; from nailing down what it is I want to study in college (robotic engineering), to learning how to communicate effectively and efficiently with fellow team members. My experience has overall been a fantastic one.”

 

Tino and fifteen other students commit their D-blocks, after school hours, free weekend time, and any free moment in between to working on the FRC project. All their hard work is in preparation for two upcoming FRC regional meets in March, where they will compete against teams of students from New England in a game called ‘FIRST Aerial Assist.’

 

Each year, the FRC introduces a new challenging game to the student teams that will test their design skills, their innovation prowess, and their engineering abilities. The goal of this year’s game is to have your team’s robot work alongside two other robots to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two-minute and 30-second match against an opposing side of robots. Additional points are earned by robots working together to score goals, and by throwing and catching balls over a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor as they move the ball down the field. Robots can also play defense and block opponents’ balls from the goals – this is the primary responsibility of CSW’s robot. As one could imagine, there is a lot to plan for and a lot to strategize. This is the where the team mentors come into play.

 

Each student team is paired with one or two adult volunteer mentors who help with project design. Mentors are often professional engineers or professors who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. This year, CSW Science teacher Karen Bruker, who has overseen the Robotics team since its inception, has brought in mechanical engineer Tim Moore and FIRST Regional Team Mentor Rick Peralta. Additionally, CSW alumnus and Robotics Team founder Travis Law ’11 has volunteered his time to assist his former teammates. When asked about having Travis back as a young mentor, Karen could not be more excited. "It's great to see former CSW students who were involved in Robotics come back and support the team. So many of them discovered their love for science and engineering during their time on this team and have gone on to major in related fields in college."  

 

After the game is revealed, each student team taking part in the FRC competition receives a Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – and only limited instructions. One of the tasks placed upon teams, including the CSW Robotics Team, is to raise money to purchase additional parts for the construction of the robot.

 

Upon receiving the Kit of Parts, students and their mentors have six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge. Once these young inventors build a robot, their team participates in one or more of the 98 Regional and District competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of the students.

 

CSW’s team is currently in full steam ahead construction mode as they only have one day left before they must cease work on their robot. They have broken up in small groups to make sure all their bases are covered. There is a programming group, a building group, and an entrepreneurial group, all assigned different tasks in order to speed up the completion of the project. Students check their emails daily for progress updates, schedule changes, and new tasks.

Everyone is on board and enthusiasm is running high. The competition is coming up in just a few weeks and CSW’s robot is almost ready!

Watch a short video about the CSW Robotics Team and see their robot in action below!