Past projects 24
Help Turn a Robotics Club into a Robotics Team
Funded May 9, 2018Thank you for supporting our MakerSpace and Robotics & Engineering teams. Your contributions helped us purchase four laptop computers that will create many new opportunities for learning. Although the school provides and maintains some computers for classroom instruction, they're not accessible after school, so the ability for us to work on our own computers will make a huge difference.
One of the first things we'll do is install 3D modeling software. Students will learn to create models of robots and other objects on the computer before building physical models. Computer models can also be used to guide 3D printers or Computer Numerical Controlled machines to build or cut custom parts for our robots, boats, cars, and other projects.
Computers are also essential for our team's robots and solar powered boat. Students will use them to write programs that will enable robots to behave autonomously and will enable their boat to operate efficiently.
Of course, the computers will also be used more traditionally - to do research, write reports, and create flyers and posters. These are great tools, and they'll be put to good use throughout the year. Thank you again for your generous support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 6 other donors.Mill for Advanced Manufacturing in Robotics
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you for helping us purchase a mill for our Robotics shop. In the past, my teams fabricated robot parts with hacksaws and jigsaws. They were usually functional, but they were ugly, and gave our designs an amateurish look and feel. My students, many of whom hope to become engineers, were able to use the mill to cut parts with precision and accuracy. The robots they built using the mill included professional-quality parts, and had a fit and finish that students could be proud of. More importantly, the mill gave students experience in using the tools that are most common in real-world prototyping and manufacturing situations. Advanced manufacturing tools such as this mill give students opportunities that few ever experience.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
Lathe for Advanced Manufacturing in Robotics
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you for contributing to this project. With your help, students on my Robotics team had the opportunity to machine their own custom parts using modern manufacturing methods. In the 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition season, they used the lathe to fabricate rotary parts for an intake system that collected foam balls that were scattered on the floor of the game field. Although it may have been possible to have found stock parts to do the same job. the lathe enabled students to practice measurement and manufacturing techniques. Many of them hope to study engineering in the future, and the experiences they gained designing and building robotics mechanisms will be invaluable to them.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
Sheet Metal Cutting & Shaping For Robots
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you for helping to provide the students on my Robotics team with tools to cut and shape sheet metal. This gave them the ability to create the machines they could envision, freeing them from the limitations of working with parts from robotics kits. In the 2017 Robotics season, students were able to build a sheet metal frame of their own design, even though in previous years they had used stock parts. This may seem like a small change, but for students who are just learning to understand and appreciate engineering and design, it was a valuable and rewarding experience.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
Space for Physics & Engineering Project Files
Funded Jun 17, 2014My students and I have been delighted at the generosity that you and other donors have shown for students you will likely never meet. You should know, however, that your donation is helping to support a program that's changing lives. Economically disadvantaged students who had never known what engineers do are now on a career path that will help them become the engineers of tomorrow.
Your donation will allow students more time to complete the engineering projects they work so hard on throughout the school year. The storage space your donation helped to provide will save approximately 10-15 minutes per student per day, that can now be used for productive work. Over the course of a year, that time really adds up.
Thank you for your generous contribution. Every new tool provides students with the opportunity for new experiences. Your donation is going to good use. We wouldn't be able to sustain this program without your support. With it, we're preparing bright kids for a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
Flipping a Physics and Engineering Classroom
Funded Sep 15, 2014Thank you for your kind support. Your donation is helping a new school, with innovative, hands-on science and engineering programs, get off to a great start.
We have been amazed and delighted at the generosity that you and other donors have shown for students you will likely never meet. You should know, however, that your donation is helping to support a program that's changing lives. Economically disadvantaged students who had never known what engineers do are now on a career path that will help them become the engineers of tomorrow.
Your donation will allow students to learn about science in a true blended classroom environment, taking advantage of the videos and interactive resources available on the internet that grant young learners experience they may otherwise never be able to access. Students whose families lack home computers and internet access will have access equal to those who are more advantaged.
Thank you for your generous contribution. Every new tool provides students with the opportunity for a new experience. Your donation is going to good use. We wouldn't be able to sustain this program without your support. With it, we're preparing bright kids for a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
Puzzle Cube Design
Funded Mar 1, 2014Last year, a group of teachers worked together to design a new school that would prepare students for 21st century careers. The school opened this September with its first ninth grade class, but with no budget for supplies, and no chance of gaining any funding until next year. Since our plan to incorporate project-based learning throughout the curriculum requires some materials, we have turned to DonorsChoose and donors like you.
We have been amazed and delighted at the generosity that you and other donors have shown for students you will likely never meet. You should know, however, that your donation is helping to support a program that's changing lives. Economically disadvantaged students who had never known what engineers do are now on a career path that will help them become the engineers of tomorrow.
Your donation will allow students to use high quality tools to reverse engineer existing products. Using the calipers you've given them, they will gain an appreciation for accuracy and precision in measurement, and will be able to create and modify 3D computer models that mimic real-life objects. This year, our teachers had to omit certain lessons from the curriculum because they lacked the appropriate tools. Next year's students will use their calipers to take exact measurements of models to re-create them on the computer. Last year's students designed 3D puzzle cubes on their computers. Next year's students will now be able to perform quality control on machine-cut blocks to ensure that they are within specific predetermined tolerances, and then use the blocks to build physical models of their puzzles.
Thank you for your generous contribution. Every new tool provides students with the opportunity for a new experience. Your donation is going to good use. We wouldn't be able to sustain this program without your support. With it, we're preparing bright kids for a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T Foundation and 4 other donors.Make Digital Design Get Physical with MakerBot Academy
Funded Apr 2, 2014Last year, a group of teachers worked together to design a new school that would prepare students for 21st century careers. The school opened this September with its first ninth grade class, but with no budget for supplies, and no chance of gaining any funding until next year. Since our plan to incorporate project-based learning throughout the curriculum requires materials, we've turned to DonorsChoose and donors like you.
We have been amazed and delighted at the generosity that you and other donors have shown for students you will likely never meet. You should know, however, that your donation is helping to support a program that's changing lives. Economically disadvantaged students who had never known what engineers do are now on a career path that will help them become the engineers of tomorrow.
Your donation will allow students to complete the entire engineering design process, from start to finish. They will not only create computer models of their designs; they will now be able to print prototypes and finished products alike.
Thank you for your generous contribution. Your donation is really going to good use. We wouldn't be able to sustain this program without your support. With it, we're preparing bright kids for a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
This classroom project was brought to life by Autodesk - MakerBot and one other donor.Mice for Engineering Design
Funded Jan 9, 2014Thank you for your very generous donation. The computer mice my students are now able to use with their laptops have made their work much easier and more efficient, More importantly, they're now able to use the appropriate tools for the professional quality modeling software we've been fortunate enough to provide.
The laptop touchpads they used before this purchase limited their ability to zoom in and out and rotate objects they were modeling, abilities that are necessary when modeling three-dimensional objects. My students have been designing parts on their computers for three-dimensional cube puzzles made up of 27 smaller wooden cubes. Your donation arrived just in time for them to assemble their puzzles, a step for which the mice were particularly useful. Faster students have begun modeling plastic toy Formula 1 cars in sufficient detail that they could be sent to a 3D printer to manufacture.
With this type of course available, it's an exciting time to be a student. With the help of DonorsChoose and donors like you, we've been better able to give students opportunities to take advantage of the programs we have available. We're introducing students to careers in Engineering, and giving them hands-on experiences designing and building products as simple as wooden puzzles, and as complex as robots. Thank you again. You're making a difference in students' lives.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz
A Drill Press for Our Robotics Team
Funded May 4, 2013Thank you for your generous donations, which allowed us to purchase a high quality drill press for our Robotics shop. Our Robotics program is at the heart of a new school that has been designed from the ground up to provide a strong background in engineering principles to its students.
We have been amazed and delighted by the generosity that you and other donors have shown for students you may never know. You should know, however, that your donation is helping to support a program that's changing lives. Economically disadvantaged students who had never known what engineers do are now on a career path that will help them become the engineers of tomorrow.
Robotics teams typically rely on corporations to provide large donations, often through a team member's family member. Our students' parents are not engineers, and our community does not house engineering firms, so we are extremely fortunate to have donors like you. We're proud that our team will succeed due to the generosity of private citizens who want to make a positive impact on students' lives.
Thank you for your generous contributions. Your donations are really going to good use. We wouldn't be able to sustain a team without your support. With it, we're preparing bright kids for a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Paskowitz