Jeff Boatright Mentors

I remember stepping through the door into the robotics room, I didn't know what I was getting into and what impact it would have on my life. Robotics became my life for the next 4 years, constantly spending every moment of my free time investing it in robotics. I found my passion; to learn, with a desire to make the team better by passing my knowledge down to them. Robotics taught me countless valuable lessons and skills that shaped my life. Every day I acquired new skills and techniques to improve the robot, exponentially increasing my comprehension of engineering. Learning how to use tools, create mechanisms, and basic fundamentals of engineering; I began to work up the ranks of the team. Starting once as a clueless freshman I earned the

While participating in the robotics competitions, I discovered my passion for robotics. Even after the initial team separated, I continued helping new members, based on my previous experience and new-found knowledge. In the future, I want to continue the legacy my grandmother and mother have given me and continue to strive for excellence, helping my country and the rest of the world by the hand of technology and

Team 2470 may not be the most organized team: the robot’s main components may go on in the last hours, tape drawers hold everything from pliers to saws, and metric-sized bolts may cause everlasting annoyance in their perennial placement on the robot. Still, this team has the right combination of quirks and science to ignite the fire of inspiration in its students and mentors. Team 2470’s fight to create and keep robotics as a sport for everyone has lasted through the years. They have not weathered the years completely alone, as they have grown a large community of support. Traversing outside of their cozy robotics room, this team has gone out to the community to shine. While this team cannot boast an assembly-line process, they can boast their inspiring influence.

An aspect of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) organization, is that the teams must contribute to their community. The team has spread FIRST to all of the major middle schools and afterschool programs in the district. This wide range of service has allowed me to help the children in the community and the students on the Choctaw High School Robotics Team. I have been capable of teaching the students new ways of building their robots and helping them through their programs. FIRST embodies the vision of community rather than just competing with robots. The organization wants us to spread Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to anyone who wants to listen, and robotics has allowed me to help as well.

There are countless articles in the local paper about Sir (Noshir Kapadia), he has helped so many individuals to find a good quality of life- . Most of the young women and men won't to walk in his shadow and be like him he has a tremendous effect on the life of all these youngsters. Some of them walk for miles to come and see him and get mentored by him. What makes this man tick and how well he has lived up to the name his parents had given him - he truly is an incarnation of Noshirwan - I- Adil King of Persia AD 531.

I walked into the gym at Florissant Valley Community College eager with anticipation for our first Robotics tournament of the year. My hands shook as I held “Curtis the Robit ,” but it wasn’t because of the weight. To me, Curtis the Robit was more than just a fifteen-pound amalgamation of cables, steel, and aluminum; he was the culmination of months of systematic building and testing. In my hands was the physical representation of countless hours spent. As the leader of my team, I became engulfed by the furor of competition, desperate to prove what we were capable of.

Heather Clancy, a journalist who writes primarily about transformative technology and innovation, writes in her article “Dean Kamen wants you to make mistakes” about Dean Kamen and his non-profit organization, FIRST Robotics (http://www.usfirst.org/). Kamen talks about how American culture glorifies sports competition and he believes using the sports theme model is a way to have American youth excited about science and technology. As a result of his idea FIRST Robotics will see approximately 350,000 students supported by more than 64,000 volunteer mentors during the 2014 season. FIRST began, in 1989, as a high school only program, but due to its Lego League program’s it now had participants from kindergarten to twelfth grade. In addition to the sports themed robotics competition Kamen tries to recruit people who are both celebrities and technologists to help promote the idea that youth should be using engineers and scientists as role models. Furthermore, Kamen has brought technology

During my sophomore and junior year, I joined the FTC Robotics Team. I was one of the programmers and builders for the robot. I will help the team build the robot and after the robot is done, a group of students and I would program the robot to do some specific tasks. After we are done building and have programed the robot we compete against other schools. During competition, we would meet with other teams and form allies. We operate robots to compete in a challenge with the teams we are allied with.

Unbeknownst to most people, technology has been around much longer than we expect and the rate of these innovations actually coming to grips with the community is a slow one. While many scientists and engineers may be in the lab as we speak creating a robot, we

I will forever owe a great debt of gratitude to my 5th grade science and math teacher, Mrs. Donna Lindley, for introducing me to the STEM world. Mrs. Lindley is a truly exceptional teacher who somehow managed to stimulated a desire for learning in the mind of a 10 year old boy who's primary goal in life was to pre-order the upcoming version of "Pokemon" to play on his Gameboy. Mrs. Lindley organized and supervised the St. Thomas Episcopal Grammar School's robotics team and made sure my older brother and I were involved with this extracurricular program. I began to build robots with Mrs. Lindley in the "Junior FIRST Lego League" (Jr. FLL) where small, computer programmable, robots were re-designed each year to accomplish new and different tasks.

We would very much like for you to inspire and encourage our students to study robotics in the following ways:

The words spoken by William Pollard in 1828 continue to hold truth and meaning for FRC Team 3324. His sentament can be seen through our work as a team, in our school, and in the community. For example, the methods of the past may not apply today, therefore, the Metrobots have embraced and spread the innovation taught by FIRST to their community and beyond. This is demonstrated through contemporary learning in a world where technology is ever-advancing.... To this team, success is defined through positive actions both on and off the field that impact our school and the community. We accomplish this by helping those in need and incorporating STEM into the everyday lives of those they encounter, such as FLL, fundraisers, and volunteering.

SPC Jeffress' ambition was exemplified on the range during Bradley Gunnery Table 12 when he was tasked on short notice to become a Gunner during Annual Training 2015 which led to him successfully assisting in qualifying his crew.

On my visit to the Dunwoody campus, I could not wait to look around. I've been attending the Math and Science Academy for seven years. Even before my sixth grade year, I have always enjoyed constructing things, playing with building blocks, and making little robots. On the night of my sixth grade orientation, I visited my school to be and was surprised when I walked in the front door. I was greeted by an eight foot tall robot made by high school students. They were part of the program called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). I

The girls worked in pairs on constructing the first robotic model detailed in the set’s step-by-step instructions. Upon wiring the first mini bot, some of the girls ran into issues. Taking a moment to troubleshoot the problem, their mini bot was soon up and running. The group plans on returning to the sets to complete some of the other mini bot designs in future meetings. The mini bots inspired students to explore STEM concepts, while also offering them a safe space to experiment and learn to fix possible