Robots help them ‘find their passion’ – News Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY Safe Harbors RoboBlitz Michigan City Robotics Team gathered at the old Mullen School on Saturday in eager anticipation of learning what their mission would be in this years FIRST Robotics Competition.

Nearly 60 other teams met at exactly the same time Saturday in various locations across the state to watch the live announcement, broadcast by FIRST Indiana Robotics, formerly IndianaFIRST Inc.

The name of the 2020 game? Infinite Recharge FIRST Rise, powered by Star Wars: Force for Change.

The theme this year is Star Wars; and theres three different sets of challenges that we have to accomplish in order to get a ranking point, said Michigan City High School sophomore Taylor Denvit.

The first challenge, she said, will be for the robot to shoot foam balls called power cells into a bay or goal.

Second, the robot will have to be able to spin a turntable according to specific instructions.

The third or end-game challenge will be for the robot to operate a teeter-totter-like" balancing rack.

I know from last year that you learn a lot about teamwork and incorporating different skills in these challenges, Denvit said. We learn so much, from mechanical to coding. We use a thing called CAD very intricate. This year, Im just hoping to gain new knowledge and have fun while doing it.

Denvit and the rest of the RoboBlitz Team met in their lab at the A.K. Smith Area Career Center on Monday night to talk strategy, familiarize themselves with the Infinite Recharge game field, and check out the FIRST Indiana Robotics-issued kit of parts, which included motors, batteries, control system components, construction materials and various automation components.

With a limited set of instructions from FIRST Indiana Robotics, the students will work with their mentors over the next six weeks to design, build, program and test robots.

We start from the frame and put everything on there ourselves, said MCHS senior Robert Lemon. We build a lot of what we put on there as well, and its good problem-solving experience. This year, Im hoping to take what we learned from the mistakes we made last year and bring that knowledge to this competition so we can be more successful. But the number one objective is just to have fun.

At the district competition, scheduled for later this semester, each teams robot will be judged based on effectiveness. The collaboration and determination of the students, who will work in alliances made up of three teams apiece, also will be measured.

Renee Becker-Blau, president of FIRST Indiana Robotics, said in a statement Monday, As a leader of this organization, I believe that our future is built better together and our students will improve the world with the skills they learn in this program.

"Between our mentors who teach students through hands-on learning, the problem-solving students do, not only with a robot but also to solve community challenges, and finally the focus of core values during times of intense competition these students are developing all the skills they need to be leaders in our futures.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) aims to tackle declining enrollment in science, technology, engineering and math programs by using a competition sports-style model in an effort to make STEM learning fun for students.

The organizations mission proved effective in the case of Luke Cloninger, a member of the RoboBlitz Team all four years he was a student at Marquette High School. After graduating in 2015, Cloninger went on to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he began as a mechanical engineering major and ultimately graduated with a degree in computer science.

I dont think I would have been interested in either major without the experience I got here, said Cloninger, who now works for ArcelorMittal in Burns Harbor. I did my first coding here. I helped build the robots. I participated all four years of high school, and that experience definitely motivated me and made me sure that that was what I wanted to do.

This year, Cloninger has returned to work with the RoboBlitz students as a mentor.

The world is changing as far as career prospects, he said. Theres a big shortage of skilled workers, especially at the mill. We dont have enough people to fill engineering positions.

"So, I really hope that people will find their passion here whether it be engineering, marketing, programming, operating a CNC machine or mill. Whatever it may be, this is a place where they can gain the skills that they need to pursue future careers.

More than 3,600 teams consisting of more than 91,000 students and 26,000 professional mentors in 27 countries around the world will participate in FIRST Robotics Competitions this year at the district, state and world levels.

The Michigan City team brought home the title of state champions during the 2018 season.

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Robots help them 'find their passion' - News Dispatch