Conco's Support Helps Riverview School District Compete in the Annual BotsIQ

For the past three years, Conco Services Corporation has proudly sponsored the Riverview School District in the annual Southwestern PA robotics competition called BotsIQ. The event is an educational robotics competition for high school age students that offers a unique, hands-on experience allowing students to discover the possibilities of a career in the manufacturing, technology, engineering or math sectors. The financial backing that Conco provides is used to purchase components and materials and covers a portion of the transportation costs. It also helps a small school like Riverview compete against much larger schools in the area.

Dr. Mike McNally, Gifted/Enrichment Teacher with the Riverview School District, says, “Conco’s support enables us to have sufficient materials to build the robot and have a few essential spare parts in case things break at the competition - which they almost always do. The truth is that without Conco’s support, we probably would not have been able to continue to participate in this competition over the past few years with budget cuts, and it is a truly great event.”

The students apparently agree that the BotsIQ is a worthwhile endeavor. They participate in it as an after-school activity rather than as a scheduled class. Unlike Riverview, many schools have a class or classroom dedicated to the production of the robot, they have faculty members with expertise specific to this competition, and they have sponsors with access to expertise and materials that give their kids an edge. “Little Riverview is a big underdog, but Conco’s support has given us a fighting chance,” Says McNally.

Although the Riverview team has not won a competition yet, they have shown great dedication and progress over the seasons. From a learning perspective, most of the kids become proficient in the use of AutoCad, a computer-aided drafting software program, and they gain an understanding of electronic schematics, circuitry and the function and relationships between all of the components. “The kids are doing a STEM application that simply could not be more realistic and authentic,” says McNally. “They are learning the importance of design ideas, how the limitations of machining and fabrication must be taken into account when planning things that look good in theory, how to stay on a budget, the importance of documentation and, of course, teamwork.”

Summer Girson, a student at Riverview High School says, “I decided to join BotsIQ because I love robots, computer programming and building and taking things apart. But there is more to it than that, the team is really great, and some of the smartest people I know are members. BotsIQ is a place where I can spit out some techno babble, and the people there understand me.”