The LigerBots have continued to be active in our outreach and our technical training over the summer. Team members have been enthusiastically mentoring one of three new FLL teams that resulted from the FLL info night the LigerBots ran in June. We also have hosted a series of CAD training sessions for our veteran LigerBots, and have met as a team to plan our fall.

Several LigerBots have given mentorship and support to the SuperNovas, a new Waban FLL team. The LigerBots are helping the Supernovas to write sponsor requests, navigate FIRST logistics, learn public speaking, develop teamwork, and learn other useful skills important both for FLL competition and for the FLL students’ personal development. With the FLL season starting, the SuperNovas are eager to learn and work hard for their first competition!

To improve our team’s own technical prowess over the summer we ran a series of CAD training projects. Each week over the course of a month students completed a CAD exercise and then met to discuss their solutions to the weekly CAD challenge with mentors and other students. The exercises included modeling a joint between two pieces of metal box tubing, a bicycle sprocket, and a multi-stage gear box. Having a larger and more experienced group of CAD designers and drafters will enable us to design our 2019 robot more efficiently during build season.

We are about to start our new school year and already have had several team meetings to organize our fall. We are excited to be offering a large variety of technical and marketing training sessions during our preseason, and will be doing a lot of community outreach as soon as our official meetings start, after Labor Day. Please look for us at the Newton Free Library STEAM Expo from 12-3 on September 15 and at Newtonville Village Day from 12-5 on September 23. And, all Newton public high school students are invited to come learn about the team at our open house in the wood shop at Newton South on Sept. 17 from 6:30-8:30 p.m..