Past projects 3
Rural Robotics Team Needs Materials to Build Their Robots!
Funded Feb 22, 2024It is with much appreciation I thank you for your contributions to our team. The metal and other supplies was so desperately needed this year. It was a relief to walk into our build area and see all the materials stored for use and be able to just grab what we needed. No more swiss cheese metal for a new robot!
Our first event this season was plagued with a gremlin in the machine, and we did a complete rebuild/rewire between competitions. Having extra supplies allowed us to iterate and repair in the two weeks we had and come out swinging at our second event. The robot held up for the entire competition until we actually reached the fail point of a motor. Not something we had a replacement for. The kids were disappointed, but they expressed the gratitude that we had parts to fix everything else that could and did go wrong.
We were able to spend the summer designing and engineering fixes for our competition bot and are planning to show case it at several community events. As we prepare for our last off-season event of 2024, we are excited to announce we had enough materials and supplies to enter two robots! We will compete in the Ozark Mountain Brawl in early October with both our competition and practice bots. This is a new step for our team, and could not have been accomplished without the materials and supplies provided by our generous donors. Thank you again for all of your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cooper
Rural Robotics Team Needs Materials to Build Their Robots
Funded Nov 29, 2022It is with much appreciation that I fill all of our friends, family, and supporters in on the current state of Mechanically Challenged. Watching my student's eyes light up when FedEx delivered all the metal for their robot was very enjoyable, and seeing them beg to get out of class to help them unload was priceless. Throughout the build season they were able to learn a ton about cutting and tool use, measurement, and design, and by having extra materials, they could recover from mistakes and setbacks! Not only do we have the most sturdy and complicated robot we have ever designed and built, but it could not have been done without the materials donated through donors choose. The veteran students couldn't quit talking about how awesome it was to have a metal robot instead of plywood this year!
We went to our first even in March and had a blast. It's not only about the competition, it's about the learning and developing we did to get there. One week before competing, we discovered a problem with the robot when we tried to square up the frame. We had a critical flaw in fastening and engineering and pieces started falling apart. The mentors were able to show the students why and how to fix it. We had the parts and materials to put the entire thing back together in about 18 hours of work. We showed up to our first competition and jokingly announced that we had unwillingly participated in "Robot in 6 days....6 days ago". This is only possible because we had materials to "fail" with. I am continually amazed at how the students respond to and learn from failure. It's a huge learning experience, but an expensive one when it comes to giant robots. THANK YOU for letting me give them this experience!!!
As we prepare for our second regional competition (and probably last of the season) the mentors are continually thankful for the materials we raised from Donors Choose. With this, students have been able to repair the robot, improve on our design, and focus on learning and problem solving rather than another massive round of fundraising just by parts to fix the robot.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cooper
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 14 other donors.Electric Vehicle Science: STEM and Fun All in One
Funded Jan 20, 2015We are approaching the end of the school year, and the electric vehicle project has come to a successful end for the year. We started with 4 weeks to get the car completely re-wired and running and managed to get it running smoothly with enough days to practice in the new helmet!
The kids learned a lot about reading wiring diagrams, as we troubleshooted issues like badly soldered ends and blown fuses, as well as wiring the car from scratch using all the new wires. In the end this prepared us to take third place in the troubleshooting competition for the third year running.
Once we got the car running, it was time for some practice. The new helmet was a big help in getting the kids prepared to swap drivers quickly, our original helmet only fits about half the kids, so this gave us the ability to change drivers without having to use the same helmet. They also appreciated the sunglasses when they were driving into the sun. In the end, our youngest driver was victorious, placing first in the obstacle course and beating the other teams by more than a full second.
The range competition is designed as a test of battery usage and efficiency. The new batteries helped us keep our charge as our first driver in this race started in last place, and lapped last place 3 times by the start of her third lap. After surviving a collision in the pit (helmets are important), the students managed to swap drivers and successfully complete 14 laps. We didn't win the range competition, but we sure had fun trying.
Throughout the entire day we had a few misfires, as wires we chose not to replace actually broke! (oops) But the students rose to the challenge and cut, crimped, soldered, and re-attached wires quicker than I could give them instructions. That was a proud moment for me.
In the end, your contributions helped us place in the overall competition for the first time ever. Our goal has been to improve every year, and we were successful. We placed third in trouble shooting, first in obstacle course, and had high enough showings in Quiz bowl and the other races to place third overall. The students learned a lot, had fun, and achieved calm under pressure. This program continues to be a success thanks to donors like you. Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cooper