The advent of a new year is an exciting time especially
for students gearing up for various STEM/robotics competitions. Over the years,
FLATE has supported various Technology Student Associations (TSA) which serve
as launch pads for students looking to get involved in STEM, manufacturing and
robotics-related projects and activities. “Many of the students who attend FLATE’s summer
robotics camp have gone on to join teams or form teams” says Desh Bagley FLATE’s outreach manager who also serves as a
coach for several robotics teams in the Tampa Bay area. Indeed, FLATE’s support has enabled students
across Florida to participate in local, regional as well as statewide
competitions that propel students to pursue advanced technology careers.
This Spring, FLATE is working with Hillsborough Community College and
TechPlayzone to sponsor FIRST Lego League (FLL) competitions in Florida. FLL is
a robotics program for 9 to 16 year olds (9 to 14 in US/CAN/MEX), and is
designed to get students excited about science and technology, and teach them
valuable employment and life skills. FLL can be used in a classroom setting but
is not solely designed for this purpose.
FLATE is mentoring an ‘all girls’
FIRST Lego League Robotics team this year. Desh Bagley, will
serve as the lead
coach for the Squirtle Squad Scholars, which is an ‘all girls’ team comprising
of one third grader, one 4th grader and three 5th
graders. “The focus of the Challenge this year is to develop World Class
Learning strategies” said Bagley. For this Challenge, the Squirtle Squad
Scholars, researched Rip Currents and the number of deaths associated with rip
currents around the World. The girls came up with a solution to help improve
the way people escape the "grip of a rip current" which they called "Breaking
the Grip of the Rip." They spoke with experts at Brandon Sports and
Aquatics Center and the Florida Department of Environmental Safety, and even
developed a class focused on rip current swimming.
The
Squirtle Squad Scholars have won numerous awards, and are among 350 teams competing at various FLL events across Florida. They
will compete at a qualifying tournament on January 17 at Rushe Middle School in
Pasco County. Sixteen teams from across
the Tampa Bay area are scheduled to participate at the FLATE/HCC tournament on January
10 at HCC, Brandon. Following the preliminary tournament, three teams will qualify
to compete at the regional tournament at Middleton High School in Tampa on
January 31. More information about the teams and tournaments can be found at: http://flrobotics.org/tournaments/TournamentAssignments.htm
and
In
addition to FLATE’s support of FLL teams in Florida, FLATE is also actively
engaged and is a leading sponsor for BizBots competitions. BizBots is a low
cost, team-based business and robotics competition designed by the Florida
Robotics Alliance. “This program focuses on transferable skills and stresses
understanding and demonstration of the science and mathematics knowledge,
technological tools, machines, instruments, materials, processes and systems
related to robotics” said Ken Fiallos, P.E. & FLATE technical project
coordinator. The purpose of the BizBot
program is to provide students with a foundation of knowledge and technically
oriented experiences in the study of the principles and applications of
robotics engineering and its effect upon our lives and the choosing of an
occupation. The content and activities include the study of entrepreneurship,
safety, and leadership skills.
This
year’s BizBots competition are scheduled for January 17 at Wharton High School
in Tampa
where eight teams from surrounding areas that include Plant City, New
Tampa and South Tampa will be competing. “The focus is to expose students to
what it takes to build and run a manufacturing business from an
Entrepreneurial Perspective” said Fiallos who also oversees the BizBots project
in Florida. The competition emphasizes implementing
both business acumen and engineering principles by having students design a
robotic ‘Pick & Place’ system to fulfill commercial processing tasks. Stay
tuned for updates on these events and competitions.
For
More information about BizBots read the June 2014 edition of the FLATE
Focus. For information on competitions contact Ken Fiallos at
Fiallos@fl-ate.org,
or visit www.FloridaRoboticsAlliance.org.
For information on other Career & Technical Student organizations across Florida
visit http://fl-ate.org/projects/skills-usa.html,
or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org.
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