This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
About My Students
My students are dedicated freshmen and sophomores from Vicksburg Warren school district who attend River City Early College HS. This is our second year to compete in the MATE ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) Competition. Last year my students learned a lot about electronics, frame design, buoyancy, and team work. This year's team saw an influx of a lot of freshmen female team members who are excited about breaking into a male dominated field.
I have been impressed by the initiative shown by each student. They came to me requesting a 3D printer to bring to fruition their designs from Solid works. I told them to find a way to pay for it and a day later I am writing this.
This year's team is headed up by Evelyn, sophomore CEO. Last year she came to meetings but perfected to stay in the background, she helped get tools, wrote the technical report and did odd jobs. This year I encouraged her to take a more active role. She picked up a saw and hasn't looked back. Other team members include Eddie (wiring specialist), Annamarie (frame designer), Macy (video expert), Shreya, Princess, Rhiddi, Gracie (prop builders) and Neil (computer guru).
The MATE ROV competition involves several underwater tasks that must be completed in a limited time. These tasks can include, returning objects to the surface, turning valves, and placing wires through waypoints. These tasks must be completed by a robot, piloted by a student through a video feed. Successful completion of this competition involves hard work, innovation, commitment, and teamwork. In order to manufacture more complicated designs my students requested a 3D printer.
In Their Own Words
I like how we can teach the new members what we learned last year and also learn new things together. Going to the competition as a whole is awesome and you have those bonding experiences. We're trying to learn new things about technology, engineering, and other subjects we might not know about while also having an extracurricular outlet.
There are so many leadership opportunities that come along with being on a team and working together meanwhile you’re also building things so how well it works depends on you. From being CEO to taking charge of a small part, you only get out of the experience what you put into it.
This robotics team means a lot to our school because it is something unique in our district. Our whole school supports us and is proud of our accomplishments. This year we have a lot of girls on the team, which is awesome because sometimes people just assume guys are engineers but we love this too!
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