Our team’s first year was a terrific success and we couldn’t have hoped for such prestigious accomplishments. However, even before our competitions we were tackling new challenges and overcoming barriers. The First Robotics objective is to inspire kids to get involved in STEM fields by educating them through a wide array of experiences, and the students on the Kalamazoo Central team certainly filled this expectation. Team mates were engaged and active in improving the robot, themselves, and each other. The following is a list of lessons learned:
1. Leadership and Teamwork. Our team was divided in to 3 primary groups: mechanical, electrical,and programming. Each had a student coach who had the most prior experience and could mpart knowledge to their young “grasshoppers.” This knowledge consisted of basic robotics skills but also the importance of working together and having individual responsibility. There are currently several students who are eager to rise to a leadership position for next year’s season, and for many of them this was only their first year on a robotics team. We expect our team to grow significantly next year, so the more enthusiastic leaders we have, the better.
2. Technical Skills (programming, electrical, mechanical). In the process of creating a functional robot, team members (most of whom were first-time participants, including myself) had to learn a variety of skills that came with each job. To give only a few examples, programmers learned to code in Java. Electricians learned how to securely wire the robot and use a soldering iron. Mechanics learned how to weld, assemble hardware and design on CAD.
3. Business/Strategy. Most students also worked in a secondary group outside of the three main ones listed above. These secondary groups were not directly robot-related. Some of these groups included social media, marketing, alliance/team scouting, and safety. Within these groups team members focus on improving the team from strategic and business standpoints. Many fruits have come of these completely student-operated ventures. Some members learned to create and regularly update the Zoobotix webpage (Please visit to see photos and additional observations and notes throughout the robotics season: http://www.kcentralrobotics.blogspot.com/). Scouts researched and evaluated abilities of competing team’s robots to rank alliance choices by complementary features. The Marketing team made a complete list of what money was spent where and a fundraising power point. Safety captains successfully ensured that nobody lost a limb. As our team grows we intend to expand these mini-departments to improve every aspect of
our team.
Thank you for taking an interest in and supporting the Kalamazoo Central Zoobotix team. We hope that you will stay in contact in the years to come as our team grows and our students continue to (as many of them have shared with me) find new passions and learn lifelong skills that will give the next generation
Sincerely, The Kalamazoo Central Zoobotix Team
(written by Kyra Niehus-Staab, ’18)
