Team Update: May 25, 2010

Tonight we discussed the different drive train ideas to try out for next year possibly. The one we decided to test out was Christian's idea of using Swerve Drive. That involves four wheels being on the same motor. We would have the ability to rotate all four wheels at the same time in the same direction.

We also discussed the combined 50 ideas of fundraising that Christian and Mat came up with over the past week. After writing them all on the board, each student was to vote for five different options. The top five were: Coin Drop, Car Wash, Big Sponsors (grants), Movie Nights, and Sport Tournament. We would incorporate the other choices, such as Jelly Bean Counts, Raffles, and Concession Stands, into the bigger options as well.

Of those five ideas, two students were assigned to each to come up with dates, materials needed, if we can incorporate other fundraising ideas in with them, and timing for each step of planning (when each step should be completed by). The following explains the specific requirements for each of the top five ideas and who is assigned to them:

Coin Drop (Mat and Christian)
- choose date(s)
- prepare materials
- Christian is going to confirm the date(s)

Car Wash (Sammy and Ally)
- choose date(s)
- contact Mr. Fordham with when we would like to do the car wash
- pre-sale tickets (including cost)
- make up flyers about program
- possible raffle?

Sports Tournament (Collin and Mikey)

Big Sponsors (grants) (Ally and Rachel)

Movie Night (Sammy and Shannon)
- SCC Date
- Advertisements
- concessions
- raffle

For the assigned tasks above, the requirements listed earlier are needed by next Tuesday.
Following is a list of upcoming dates to keep in mind:

Thursday May 27: the Math Showcase at SCC from 9 am until 2 pm. We will not have robotics that night.
Tuesday, June 1: our next meeting
Thursday, June 3: The End of Year party at Mr. Hinde's house at 6:30 pm
Friday, June 4: Hot Dog/Movie Night at Oldmans

Hope everybody has a fun week ahead of them! Enjoy your Memorial Day
-Sammy

Team Update: May 18, 2010

We are not meeting on Thursday due to many students going to prom that night, so our next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 25.

There is homework that is due by Tuesday. If you are not able to be there at the meeting, make sure to email your homework to Mrs. Danner and/or Mrs. George to get credit for doing it.

The first assignment is to pick a drive system that you saw on another robot that you liked. Make sure you do not choose the same drive as another person. There should be eight different designs turned in on Tuesday. With the design, you have to explain why you like it, why you think it will work, and what the challenges might be in driving or building the drive system.

The second assignment is for recruiting. We are planning on going to the elementary schools in Salem County soon to recruit 8th graders for next fall and the 5-7 graders for the county wide FLL team we are starting. In order to visit these schools, certain things must be accomplished.
- Sammy is in charge of drafting up a letter explaining what we would like to do the assembly about and when we would be interested in doing it.
- Ally and Rachel are in charge of putting together the presentation for the students. This includes the demo and any speaking that is going to be done at the assemblies.
- Collin, Shannon, and Mikey are in charge of the agenda for the hour we will be there. They are to include the demonstration of the robot in the agenda.

Mat and Christian are in charge of surveying other teams about their most successful techniques of fundraising. Our goal is to do fundraisers that have profits of thousands of dollars, not hundreds. Mat and Christian are to each have 25 good ideas each by Tuesday.

Over the course of the rest of the school year and the summer, we are planning on having a new drive to work with, the demo bot running, and students learning programming and computer drafting if they are interested. This is the time to learn these skills, not during build season.

Another thing we need to do is fundraise like crazy. In order to go to one local and one away regional and Nationals next year, we need to raise about $20,000. There was discussion tonight about possible incentives to raise the money: if the students raise $X, the mentors have to do X. If the students raise $Y, the mentors have to do Y. The mentors are in charge of coming up with the levels of money and what they will have to do if we raise that much money.

Check your emails, students, to read what Mrs. George needs from everybody as well. Hope everybody who has prom on Thursday night has fun! Hope everybody has a good week, and I'll see everyone at robotics next Tuesday.

-Sammy

Women in Science panel discussion

For those who do not know, Ally and I participated in the Women in Science panel discussion tonight, held by MOE. We learned many things, both about colleges in general and engineering. We wanted to share some tips they suggested and just some general ideas they shared with us:

• Math and engineering are launching pads for many different careers. Shoot for the harder major to begin with. It's easier to opt out of it after you're already in it if you chose to than it is to get into it.
• When applying for colleges, have these thoughts in mind: your comfort zone (small/large, close/far, male to female ratio, etc.), the majors offered there (if you chose to not follow through with original major, is your secondary choice available there?), and if you are going for engineering, do they have a mentoring program available to help you out?
• When in high school, write down your achievements as you go through your four years there. they can all be put down on college applications. And don't do 100 extracurricular activities. Focus mainly on one or two to show the colleges you are serious about something, not just dabbling in everything. Ask schools what they want to see on their applications. Some may require things that others do not.
• Get information on the major you are most interested in. in order to get the most information, see if it is possible to donate some time to a professor in that field during the summer to get hands on experience. The professors will probably be more likely to answer questions in the summer and if you offer to donate a few hours here and there.
• Take the PSAT's seriously if you are a sophomore/freshman. You can get scholarships through College Board if your scores are better than average. When taking the SAT's as juniors or seniors, using contractions (don't, didn't, isn't, it's, etc.) in your essays throws up a red flag. Those are signs of bad grammar. The last thing you want is for the readers to think you do not know correct grammar.
• During the summers in college, do internships. Do a different job every summer. Volunteering as different places, such as museums, will open up other internships that you never thought you would have liked. and the major tip is to NETWORK! By talking to people, you can get them to pass on resumes, provide you with internships, etc.
• Time management is key in college. You need to have an outlet from your course load. Don't spend all your time studying in the library. Take up a sport or two. Join a club you are not interested. You'll meet new people and might discover a hidden talent. But make sure to balance Play and Study.
• No matter what major you are interested in, do a semester abroad. Almost every major has the time available to study abroad. It opens you to different cultures, shows you a new perspective of life, and may even reveal your passion in life.

The best tip by far was this: When you're stuck between a wall and a tough spot, life is putting you in the position where you must look at yourself in the mirror (figuratively or literally) and figure out what you think you have to do with your life. You are in charge of your life. If you need help with something, ask for it. If you think you need a change in your path, then change it. You are in charge. Nobody else is. Make it your own.

Hope everybody has a good night!
-Sammy and Ally

PARC Recap

Hi everybody!

For everybody who was at PARC, I hope you had fun!

For those who weren't at PARC this weekend, we were doing a great job in the Qualifying Matches. We were picked in the 6th alliance. Unfortunately, we were eliminated after the first round of the matches. But we worked hard, and had minimal problems on Saturday. Ally was driver, Sammy was operator, Christian was human player, and Rachel was the coach for the competition.

Thank you again Mr. Don, Mr. Weick, Mrs. George, Ms. Kirk, and Michelle for being our chaperons on Saturday! We appreciated all the support throughout the competition!

Hope everybody had a great weekend!
-Sammy