Putting a basketball through a hoop took students in Ballston Spa High School just six weeks.
Granted, this team did things a bit differently than the school’s basketball team might.The BallstonSpa High School Robotics Team took a basket of parts and made a robot, instead. Now, members in this growing program are finding their hard work, team commitment and support from teachers and parents can carry them further than a competition.
The team has been building its robot since early January, when the team started this year’s challenge, “Rebound Rumble.” They’ll head off to the Finger Lakes FIRST Robotics Regional Competition at Rochester Institute of Technology from March 8 to 10. The competition will involve several 10-minute matches in which robots built by student teams will have to demonstrate certain abilities.
Costs for the trip will amount to approximately $3,500, according to parent volunteer Sara Torrey. They have local sponsors helping to defray that cost, and are always looking for more.
The FIRST Robotics Team 3044, also known as 0xBE4 (the hexadecimal translation), is part of a district initiative to expose students to various technologies and science. FIRST stands for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The team has only been in existence for a few years, and it reforms each year as seniors graduate and new members come in. Many on Team 3044 leave high school with plans to pursue engineering and mechanical careers.
Team member and a senior Jeff Carminati has been on the team for three years. He enjoys the hands-on opportunities of building a robot and said, “I plan on going to HVCC for mechanical engineering next year. In the first year of being on the team I learned on the machines and realized what I wanted to do.”
Teacher of principles in engineering production and design, Greg Roberts serves as advisor to the team. He has been teaching for 27 years and has been involved with the team for four years.
Part of the competition involves the team being able to build alliances with two other teams, and their robot will have to perform many two-part maneuvers.
“First, it will have to pick up basketballs off the floor and put them through two hoops, then drive over and suck up the balls in the tube. Secondly, it will have to turn a corner and be able to balance on a bridge. One point is given for the robot, two for balancing on the bridge for a total of three points (in a match),” said Roberts.
Dennis Mooney, a sophomore, reported that the robot they’ve built can move approximately 13 feet per second, and there are 10 or 12 sensors on the robot. Mooney’s skills in programming and wiring the robot have inspired him greatly and will likely play a part in his future.
“I plan on going to RIT for electrical engineering. As far as a specific career, I’m not quite sure, but maybe in programming or IT,” he said.
Torrey has been involved with the team for the past year. Her son Jake was on the team as a senior last year, and helps out when he visits home from Cornell, where he is studying engineering and technology.
“There’s a holistic element to it all. The kids learn a business plan, about funding and so much more. … I’ve seen a lot of growth in the kids, especially the ones who are now juniors. They’re all required to speak to people and that really builds self esteem and interpersonal skills,” said Torrey.
Deb Carminati serves as the team co-advisor. She said she enjoys working with the kids and is readily accessible for them since she also works as a secretary at the school. She says the robot is not necessarily the main focus. Just being on the team teaches the kids a lot, she said, like how to ber espectful of others. One of the core values in FIRST is “gracious professionalism.” That value also goes with their mantra, which is that you can do anything in life.
With such a large team (about 20 students, parents and volunteers) things can get busy. Gail Howard is the team’s coordinator of the non-engineering mentors and chief liaison between advisors and team members and parents, and mentors.
“When they (parents) find out there are so many ways to help, even making a snack ordinner for a late meeting or carpooling … everyone and everything is so appreciated. If it wasn’t for the volunteering mentors and families, the team just could not run as well. The six-week build time could be more stressful but the help from mentors and volunteers takes the full load off the advisors,” she said. “The team always finds time to have fun and laughs. To see them realize their idea mattered and was appreciated by others and worked is priceless,” shesaid.
Greg Mohr is in his second year of mentoring the team. He was originally trained as an experimental physicist, and now works as a research engineer at Knolls Atomic Lab and supplies a great deal of technical knowledge for the team.
“I try to help the team a bit in many technical areas, including mechanical, electrical and programming, as well as in the problem-solving process. I think all of the students develop an appreciation for the difficulty of designing something that works, but they also see the fun of turning something from their imaginations into an actual physical creation,” he said.
Rewards are many for students and adults who are involved with the team. Mohr sums this up by saying, “I stay involved for the satisfaction of seeingthe ‘ah-ha’ moments — those happen when one of the students really internalizes an important concept, or successfully applies their new critical thinking skills, or invents a truly creative or elegant solution for their robot.”
