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| Bringing Robotics to Life March 2010
When you were in high school, did you know how to program a robot with embedded systems? Today, teenagers participating in Botball and FIRST's (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competitions are learning how to design, build, and program robots—and some are lucky enough to have mentors like MITRE's Jennifer Casper and Suzanne Logan. Casper, a Bedford, Mass.-based lead software systems engineer in MITRE's Command and Control Center (C2C), volunteers at Lexington High School (LHS) in Lexington, Mass., helping students in the senior-level robotics course and mentoring the LHS' robotics team. As a mentor, she recently worked closely with the captain of the LHS robotics team and with C2C intern, John Boreiko, to help the team prepare for Botball competitions in the team-oriented Botball Educational Robotics Program. Botball integrates science, technology, engineering, and math with robotics, and provides students with valuable leadership and teamwork experience through hands-on projects. After attending regional workshops, students are given seven weeks to design, build, program, document, and test their robots before the competition. Casper was introduced to the Botball program in 2007 by MITRE principal artificial intelligence engineer, Holly Yanco, who organizes and leads the New England regional competition and the workshop, which MITRE has hosted for the past two years. Casper helped Yanco with the competition and served as a judge before becoming a mentor. In the robotics field since 1995, Casper enjoys working with students who share her passion for robotics. "It's fun to watch how they address the multiple problems they come across," she says, describing their willingness to explore, which is not stifled by a fear of failure, as energizing. She uses MITRE-provided civic time (c-time) and personal time to assist with the workshop, competition, and for her involvement with LHS and Botball. Inspiring the Next Generation Logan, a Quantico, Va.-based lead multi-discipline systems engineer also with C2C, mentors the James Monroe High School's robotics team in Fredericksburg, Va., and helped them prepare for the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition. Founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology, the international high school robotics competition engages young people in exciting mentor-based programs that build technical skills and foster self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Teams raise funds to purchase the competition kit and a standard set of parts (e.g., motor, batteries, and a micro controller). Once they receive the competition's mission details, they have six weeks to construct a robot—one that operates autonomously and can be teleoperated—to address the competition's particular challenge. Rather than just assembling the components that come with the kit, the students add and fabricate components. FIRST encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. It promotes the philosophy that even in the face of fierce competition, teams can—and should—help and cooperate with each other and treat one another with respect and kindness. This is reinforced at the regional tournaments, where teams are given points for their collaboration, their research presentation, and the success of their robot in completing the mission. Rather than spend time away from her family, Logan brought her husband, Michael, and their young daughter to the team's weekend meetings. The challenge of the project and the team's energy soon gained the interest of Michael, a government contracting officer and an amateur mechanic. "It's a great experience watching the kids take an idea from a concept to a working robot. They learn so much during the process—and we gain so much from watching them learn and from their fresh perspectives," says Logan. She considers herself fortunate to work for a company that supports her efforts to engage kids in science and technology. She has used c-time to work with the robotics team during the week as needed. Volunteers can help with a variety of tasks. "You don't need to be a robotics expert to make a difference," Logan explains. "Each person brings unique skills and experience, so your efforts will make a difference." —by Lisa Kiernan Page last updated: March 9, 2010 | Top of page |
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