On behalf of Gracie Fowler and the 2010 Marketing Team, we present our 2010 Chairman’s Award Essay.
In April of 2009, 4-H and FIRST formed an alliance. As a 4-H FIRST robotics team, we aim to show the world exactly what that alliance can do. Although our team is comprised of students from seven different schools (plus home-schooled students) and limited monetary resources, we come together to use our heads, hands, hearts and health to spread the message of FIRST in our community. Our projects aim to spark interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in young students, as well as in groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers. Other projects appeal to members of the community, showing them how innovation in technology can be an important resource in our society.
The Huntington City Police Department approached our team a year ago, asking if they could use one of our old robots for a moving target. We said no, but we did them one better–we built them their own robot specifically for the purpose of target practice. After a few meetings with the police discussing specs, we put together a proposed budget of $2,300 and submitted for a grant offered by United REMC. The executive board requested to meet with us, and they unanimously approved funding for the project. We immediately got started on this student-led, summer project, with two underclassmen leading the way. After three months of brainstorming, designing, building, and programming, we produced a finished robot capable of withstanding its duty as a moving pistol target.
This project allowed us to use building techniques, materials, and design processes that we don’t normally have the chance to employ (like using steel and run-flat tires!). It also built leadership in the students that would become our 2010 season officers, not to mention the fact that it allowed us to give back to the community in a truly innovative way. “Fred” as the police named the robot, is designed to be easy to use, easy to charge, and to hold up to the rigor of being a target. Its movements mimic those of a real person, and will help the police improve their reaction times in the field. To celebrate Fred’s creation, we held an open house for the police and the community. This open house attracted the attention of three newspapers, both of our local news stations, and our city’s mayor. United REMC featured an article on our team in their newsletter, and because our project came in under-budget, they allowed us to use the leftover money for our build season. All of that being said, none of the media coverage meant as much as the recognition we received from the community. Because our team is rather small and frequently overshadowed by athletics, this project made Huntington County 4-H Robotics recognizable in our area.
The National 4-H Council noticed our work: they recognized us in their national newsletter, as well as featuring articles on us on various 4-H websites. This recognition has allowed us to confer with influential officials in 4-H, and in turn encourage investment in FIRST. It also allowed us to win the JC Penny/National 4-H Council grant for FIRST teams, and enabled us to work with 4-H officials to make more resources for 4-H teams more easily available. The following fall, our team started the first 4-H FLL team in our area: team 3669. This team, mentored by our adult and student presidents, was comprised of students from all over the county, including students from 2 middle schools, home schooled students, and four girls recruited from our Girl Scout Technology Nights. They won the Best Robot Design at the Hammond qualifier and advanced to the state competition where they won 2nd place in Teamwork (due to the fact that although they are not from the same school, they really came together as a team). This season even inspired two local middle school teachers to incorporate robotics into their science curriculum. We plan to expand our FLL program to at least all three county middle schools by next season, with our students being the key mentors. Our hope is that expanding the number of FLL teams will expand the number of students who stay in FIRST throughout high school and increase the number of students who go on to college.
As mentioned above, four of our FLL team members were recruited from our Girl Scout Technology Night. Our partnership with Girl Scouts is an important aspect of our team spreading the message of FIRST. So important that in the last year we have created the position of Girl Scout Liaison to communicate with our local service unit and Girl Scout Council in order to increase engineering opportunities. Three of our team members and one of our mentors are Girl Scouts, and we believe it is crucial to increase the number of girls going into technology careers. In the past two years we have hosted multiple Girl Scout Technology Nights. We ask a local troop to come to Huntington University, and the girls on our team help them earn a technology related badge. Most girls walk away from the experience no longer afraid of technology. In addition to the Tech Nights, we also represented FRC at the National Girl Scout Convention. There we talked with Girl Scout officials and leaders about how important STEM is and implementing technology into their troops. We have also joined forces with UsFIRSTGirls, and organization designed to increase the number of girls in FIRST. Our goal is to further develop this relationship in the coming year through more Tech Nights, a girls-only FLL team, and workshops for troop leaders on easy ways to implement science and technology into their meetings.
In the last few years we have presented our robot and our team at various events, including festivals, parades, and 4-H events, but one of the most powerful was the Family Fun Fest. This event is put on by local businesses for low income families and their children. The best way to conquer poverty is education, and FIRST has been shown to improve the chances of students going to a 4 year university. Hopefully by showing the children how fun the robots are, they will be more likely to become involved in either FLL or FRC in the future, and can improve their standard of living.
Every year during our build season, members of our team go down to the Indiana Statehouse to promote STEM. We present our robots to members of the state Congress and Indiana Workforce Development (IWD). After our team president explained FIRST, our team, and our Police Robot project to Keith Chandler, Career and Technical Education Program Director of IWD, stated that he was sure that he did the right thing by investing in FIRST. We also talk to our representatives and senators and encourage them to support STEM initiatives. Many of the people we talk to in the Statehouse are amazed by the fact that these robots are built by high school students, not to mention that they were “finished” in six weeks.
Our team also works with team 1720 out of Muncie to host the Muncie Scrimmage on the last Sunday of the build season. Teams from all over Indiana and Kentucky show up with their robots to play mock rounds before their robot must be shipped. This event allows teams to have a real feel about how their robot will perform at an event and a chance to find any problems they may have missed, this is especially crucial for teams who cannot build their own field. At the 2008 Muncie Scrimmage, each team had the opportunity to play 16 rounds each in only four hours.
In 2009 the Purdue FIRST program hosted the Indiana Forums for all of the Indiana teams, and invited teams to give workshops on the things they know. We jumped right in and offered presentations on Imagery and Team Communication. After making a special effort to win the 2009 Boilermaker Imagery Award, our marketing team presented with Team 1024 on how to improve team image. Chris Elston, our team leader and Indiana FIRST President, showed how to utilize the project management software and email/text blasting system that we use on our team.
However, we don’t only spread the FIRST message; the FIRST message has affected us. 9 out of our 10 graduates in 2008 and 2009 went on to major in the STEM field (including engineering, chemistry and physics), and 4 out of 5 of this year’s seniors are planning to major in STEM areas. Our 2009 student president, Luke Pike, received a $1,000 scholarship from each BAE, 4-H, and AndyMark to study computer engineering. Because of his experience in FIRST, he was hired by Russ-Moore Transmission to completely program (in LabView) what is essentially a Dynometer for transmissions. Two of our underclassmen have science and technology internships planned for the next year.
This success can be attributed to two things: Our almost 1:1 student-mentor ratio (27 students, 22 mentors) and our close connection with our sponsors. The mentors are both our teachers and our friends; it’s not unusual to see a mentor and a student playing tennis at the park in the off-season, or talking about the new AutoDesk program. We maintain a tight connection with our sponsors via on-site demonstrations, handwritten thank-you notes, DVDs, and communication about our progress throughout the season. They in turn provide sponsorships in the forms of mentors and money, scholarships, and internships or job opportunities.
Our team is built on a model of growth. We have consistently added not only team members, but team programs. In 2008, we added an intensive safety program that won the UL Industrial Safety Award. In 2009 we added a marketing team that won the Boilermaker Imagery Award, and this year we have added a website team and an animation team. We have increased from 15 active students in 2007 to 24 active students in 2010. Also, as mentioned in the above paragraphs, we have augmented our community involvement.
In conclusion, we strive to spread the FIRST message by doing what we do best–by being active in our community, sharing our knowledge, and growing as a team.
