NSBE JR. ROBOTICS TEAM

Next Robotics Team: Starts at the first PatroTech Science Club workshop meeting on September 20, 2008.

General information:  This is a great opportunity to learn how to build a robot and to apply engineering and scientific knowledge learned in school. Patriots believes that attendance at competitions and conferences generates excitement among students about technical and scientific careers. The Robotics Team is an activity of Patriots’ NSBE Jr. Chapter. It starts in September and extends through the regional robotics competition in March. Participants learn to build robots, create and refine their own robot, and then enter it in the US First Robotic competition with other teams.  It takes hard work and dedication, but it is a lot of fun.

Program:   Those interested in the robotics activity can sign up at the first PatroTech Science Club meeting on September 20, 2008.  There are monthly workshops for a few months, then in January the robot-building kits arrive and it is time to go to work, under the guidance of volunteers from BAE Systems, IBM, National Society of Black Engineering, Booz Allen Hamilton, NAVSEA and the Navy.  There are numerous meetings to build a functioning robot that can compete in the regional competition, then practice runs at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC to evaluate how it is working and make necessary adjustments. 

In March, the three-day regional competition is held in Annapolis, MD at the U.S. Naval Academy.  About 65 teams compete in the event.  The Patriots team arrives one day before their competition to unpack the robot and conduct various test runs.  The team, called “The Vipers,” stays in a hotel in Annapolis during the event.  Though only in it’s six year, the robot has been able to finish in the middle of the pack in successive years, and looks to move up in future years.

Business and government support:  This activity depends on outside support, especially due to the $6,000 entry fee for the regional competition.  The team has been sponsored for 2007-2008 by the BAE Systems, National Institutes of Health/Center for Information Technology, IBM, NAVSEA, Navy and National Society of Black Engineers

Fees:   $75.  This is a NSBE Jr. Chapter activity which will help cover the transportation, snacks and hotel.  Membership in NSBE Jr. comes through the Patrotech Science Club, whose annual dues are $40.