At WPS: Westwood Robotics Seeks New Adult Mentors For Students

Westwood Robotics FIRST Robotics Competition - Team 1757: Wolverines seeks mentors for its robotics club to carry out its mission to inspire young people to become leaders in science, technology, art, engineering, and mathematics by engaging them in team-based programs that build important technical and life skills such as leadership, innovation, communication, and self-confidence.” The club meets at Westwood High School (WHS). Should a potential adult be unable to attend this meeting, they may meet with the robotics club representatives at Westwood Day on the 29th of September or fill out the Google Form here. Of Westwood Day, Team captain Larry Tseng ‘19 says, “We are excited to return to Westwood Day on [Saturday, September 29}, with a cool demo of our new robots for all ages. Come visit our table any time throughout the day to learn more about our team and talk to one of our members and mentors.”

Tseng says “Founded in 2006, we are a high-school robotics team from Westwood, MA, with a mission to inspire young people to become leaders in science, technology, art, engineering, and mathematics by engaging them in team-based programs that build important technical and life skills such as leadership, innovation, communication, and self-confidence. Students work side-by-side with talented mentors who care about fostering the next generation of scientists, engineers, software developers, and business entrepreneurs.

What we do: Each year, we participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international high-school robotics competition, with teams from all around the globe. At the beginning of each January, we receive a briefing of an upcoming season’s game challenge, building our robot accordingly. This upcoming season’s challenge, Destination: Deep Space, will bring us on a journey to explore and learn about the depths of space. When we are not competing, part of our mission is to give back to our community through education and awareness of STEM and robotics programs. For example, last year, we organized an after-school robotics “Mini-Course” for a group of Sheehan students in the spring.

What is FIRST Robotics Competition?: FIRST Robotics Competition is the “ultimate Sport for the Mind.” Combining the teamwork of sport and the challenges of science and technology, high-school students work closely with mentors and professionals to design, build, and program robots in an intense six-week time limit. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization founded in New Hampshire in 1989 by Dean Kamen and others to inspire and support students in learning science and technology through a series of mentor-based programs.”

Of volunteer mentors, Tseng says “Volunteer mentors are crucial to the operation of our team and our success. Whether someone has little or a lot of technical experience with tools, programming experience, or business-related skills in areas such as finance, social media, or logistics, we invite you to join us for an introduction Wednesday evening 9/26 at 7 PM at the Westwood High School. This is a great way to connect with bright-minded high-schoolers and expand your network with other mentors. Attending this event is not required for mentoring.” (Google form found here)

“Two years ago, our team experienced our best season to date. Thanks to a strong and agile robot, for the first time, we went to the New England District Championship, and we were invited to attend the World Championships in St. Louis. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, we had to decline the offer in hopes of attending in a future year. Last year, the captain [myself], was awarded one of five Dean’s List Finalist Awards in the New England District, for demonstrating strong team leadership and expanding community outreach for STEM programs.” recalls Tseng.

Tseng says of funding “Building robots is expensive. We need help from the community to help us purchase parts and needed tools. We need funds to help purchase kits and materials for young students, which will help us teach and enrich the next generation of leaders in many fields. We have set up a GoFundMe campaign at Westwood Robotics Inc, and we hope that you will consider contributing or spreading our message. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are our main source of funding, and we would be more than happy to connect with any businesses local or national. All donations are tax-deductible under the extent of the law through our registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that we started last year.”

“We are constantly looking for new and exciting opportunities for our team to inspire others through events and programs. People can learn more about our team by visiting our website at https://whsrobotics.org or contact us via email at contact@whsrobotics.org,” concluded Tseng.

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Photo by Matan Segev from Pexels

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