The LigerBots will be competing at the postseason tournament BattleCry, at WPI, on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21. BattleCry provides FIRST teams one more chance to bring their robots out on the field and compete. Admission is free for spectators, and a webcast will be available on the BattleCry website.
https://www.wpi.edu/news/calendar/events/battlecry
During spring break, LigerBots members attended three marches for science in three different cities across the country. At the Boston march, LigerBots joined the massive crowd on the Boston Common to listen to speeches made by students who read their contest-winning essays, and some by adults in various science fields. One LigerBot attended the march in Seattle, and reported that there were inspiring speakers, lots of funny signs, and a huge number of people present. Another LigerBot went to the march in Washington D.C., where he listened to two hours of speeches outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, then walked to Constitution Avenue to march towards the Capitol Building.
The LigerBots show off their sign at the march in Boston
LigerBots at the march in D.C.
Also during spring break, we demonstrated our 2016 robot at the week-long, annual Cambridge Science Festival. There were many children at this family event, and many of them stood in a long line to drive our robot. The LigerBots were happy to see children showing an interest in STEM. We also explained to the audience what the LigerBots do, and distributed info about FLL to anyone who was interested.
LigerBots help a child drive our 2016 robot
This kid has got this whole robot thing figured out
Last Saturday, the LigerBots volunteered at the FIRST New England District Championship at the University of New Hampshire, in Durham. Although the LigerBots did not qualify to compete with our robot at the NE Championship, we set out to continue our involvement in the FIRST community by assisting in running the event.
Our role was to reset the field in between matches. During matches, the robots released large amounts of wiffle balls from hoppers, and the volunteers helped pick up all the balls and refill the hoppers. The LigerBots had a great time watching teams from all over New England compete, and we were very glad to be able to give back to FIRST. We also enjoyed going out for ice cream during our lunch break!
A LigerBots student member sang the national anthem before the FIRST District Qualifying Event at Bryant University in Rhode Island last weekend, the team won the Entrepreneurship Award, and one of our coaches was selected as a candidate for the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award.
The LigerBots after the competition
The entrepreneurship award recognizes a team’s “comprehensive business plan … to define, manage and achieve the team’s objectives” and “entrepreneurial enthusiasm and the vital business skills to ensure a self-sustaining program.” Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, & Byers sponsors this award at each FIRST Robotics event.
Co-founding LigerBots coach John Fitzpatrick was selected as a candidate for the prestigious Woodie Flowers Finalist Award, which will be given at the New England Championship on Saturday, April 8. The Woodie Flowers Award “celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.” The Woodie Flowers Award will be bestowed on one mentor at the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis on Saturday, April 29, from among the finalist award recipients from each regional and district championship.
This was the second of two district qualifying events the LigerBots participated in this year. Because we had two weeks to prepare after our first event at WPI, we were able to refine our strategy and make adjustments to our robot so that we could perform even better the second time around. We were selected to join an alliance in the quarterfinals, but did not advance to the semifinals.
Our robot climbing up the Velcro rope in the SteamWorks game
The LigerBots drive team heads for the competition field
Although the competition season is over, the team is not slowing down! We are participating in a number of outreach events planned for the next month, including Robo Madness, Bowen Elementary Science Day, and the Science Carnival & Robot Zoo at the Cambridge Science Festival.
The LigerBots are hosting their second annual 3D Printed Design Contest. The deadline for applications is 4/16. Individuals and teams can submit 3D printed parts to show off innovative ways they dealt with problems and achieved their goals. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Please read about the contest on Chief Delphi: https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/44664. A pdf of the application can be downloaded.