This year, Westwood High School Robotics, team 1757, competed in the quarterfinals in the UNH district FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Its robot, Rampothy, made history with teams 3597 (Robo-Rangers) and 5962 (perSERVERE) by executing a double-ramp climb, which was never seen in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
FRC combines the excitement of building robots and sports by having robots compete against each other to move on to the next round. This season, the competition challenge is “Destination Deep Space,” in which teams have to build robots that can place hatch covers and rubber balls on rockets and cargo ships before having to climb back to their habitat platforms by the end of the match.
In order to build the robot that is up to FIRST standards, each team has to use teamwork skills to raise funds, meet the requirements, and build their team’s legacy.
“Working on the robot gives us a sense of accomplishment, teamwork, and joy," explains Larry, a former team captain. "It has been amazing to see how successful high schoolers can be when given the right opportunities. FIRST has made many resources and career opportunities available to students.” In the new 2019-2020 season, the FRC challenge is Infinite Recharge in FIRST RISE.
An FRC team is a community where people of all skills can help the team function - not just STEM-educated people. “I really enjoy the balance of learning, hands on experience and spending time with my friends. I know that the skills I learn and friends I make here in my high school robotics team will help me for the rest of my life,” says Sean, the vice-captain of the team.
Members of the team develop their skills in computer science, graphic design, communications, business, and various other fields necessary for the Westwood Robotics team to function.
“Working with robotics has made me look at how things work internally rather than externally, revealing more fine-tuned capabilities of different devices," explains Lizzy, a member of the team. "It makes me appreciate the ins and outs of engineering and mechanics, and it really puts modern consumer electronics in perspective.”
Students who want to develop their programming and robotics skills can attend the courses that student members of the Westwood Robotics offer at some schools, or join one of Westwood’s FIRST Lego League teams.
Westwood High School Robotics, started in September 2006, is a combination of students and volunteer mentors. The team’s mission is to promote STEM education and inspire young people to become the next generation of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. They are asking people in the Westwood community to join them at community events, and to discover how they might contribute to educating students in the STEM fields and other aspects of business and communication.
Westwood Robotics, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Generous community donations support Westwood High School Robotics and are tax deductible. For more information or to donate, visit www.whsrobotics.org or email contact@whsrobotics.org.
