Back in the Bourn Lab! By Masako Yang So far this pre-season, the Gatorbotics team has run a series of workshops for both new and returning members. Workshops have included Safety, Intro to Build, Intro to Programming, and Electronics/Pneumatics. In the Safety workshop, led by Lauren B. (‘20) and Emily (‘22), we learned basic safety rules and reviewed how to use the bandsaw and miter saw. The Intro to Build workshop, led by Christy (‘20), and Intro to Programming, led by Eliza (‘21) and Linnea (‘21), taught us basic mechanical and programming knowledge. These skills will come in handy when the season begins and we start building the robot and programming its code. Finally, Mukki (‘21), Michelle (‘21), and Siona (‘22) led the Electronics / Pneumatics workshop, in which we learned about fundamental robot design and worked with a pneumatics circuit. In addition, the team was also excited to introduce Electives Weekend this year, where students chose from a variety of electives in which to participate. Electives Weekend was a great way to bond as a team during the immersive program! This Fall's workshops for Electives Weekend included Fabrication, Research Presentations & Prototyping, Motion Profiling, Programming for Build, and Drivetrains. These workshops are a great opportunity to dive into some specific topics that we’re interested in! No matter what branch of Gatorbotics students are members of, they can always stop by another workshop to learn about what others are working on. It's so exciting to be back in the Bourn Lab! Get to Know Our Leads By Sara Baudler Lauren: Our Fearless Team Captain Lauren’s robotic career started off on a very exciting note when she joined her elementary school robotic league and then promptly quit (she was the only girl). However, evolving from her elementary school habits, she has grown to love problem solving and engineering and wanted to join Gatorbotics as soon as she got to Casti in sixth grade. She’s continued with Gatorbotics because she loves the team members. Her favourite Trader Joe’s snack is the dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and her favourite part of the season is kickoff! Christy: Build Lead Christy initially joined Gatorbotics in 9th grade as a way to further explore STEM fields (and also because her mom told her about it). About halfway through her first season, she became the robot’s driver and enjoyed getting to know older team members while learning to drive. Her favourite Trader Joe’s snack is the milk chocolate peanut butter cups. During the season, Christy looks forward to competitions and to when the robot starts to come together. Charlotte: Strategy Lead Charlotte joined Gatorbotics (at first) because Lauren B had joined the year before and was obsessed with it. Once Charlotte joined, she could see why – because she didn't participate in sports or theater, Charlotte finally felt like she found a community on campus that she could be a part of. As for her Trader Joe's snacks, Charlotte loves dried mangoes, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and lentil curls! Charlotte looks forward to competition season; she is excited for the opportunity to continue to bond with her teammates and learn more about robots in general. Eliza: Programming Co-Lead Eliza joined robotics because she wanted to apply what she was learning in her science and math classes to the real world, and she comes back every year because she finds working with a team of dedicated people and mentors to be extremely rewarding. Her favourite Trader Joe’s snack is the dark chocolate peanut butter cups (sensing any themes?), and she’s looking forward to working with a bigger programming team this year! Eliza also spearheaded a track where members can be on both programming and build teams, so she’s excited for that, too! Linnea: Programming Co-Lead Linnea did robotics during middle school at Casti, and although at first unsure about joining in high school, she was persuaded when she realized that team members were allowed to use the miter saw. She has chosen to stay on the team because of the extremely supportive community. Her favourite Trader Joe’s snack is the dried mango, and Linnea is looking forward to having a bigger programming team and attending competitions! Emily: Inventory Lead Emily was on the Entrepreneurship Team last season and loved it so much she decided to join the mechanical team this year. Her favourite Trader Joe’s snacks are the Boo Chips as well as (by this point rather unsurprisingly) the dark chocolate covered peanut butter cups, and she also thinks the elderberry soda is good. In terms of what she’s excited for, Emily is looking forward to the competitions! Riley: Entrepreneurship Lead Riley initially joined the Entrepreneurship Team because she’s fascinated by all the different aspects of running a business. She provides some variety in the favorite Trader Joe’s snacks category as she loves the frozen chocolate-covered bananas. Riley is excited for build season where she (and the rest of the Entrepreneurship Team) will get to support the technical teams on a greater level by writing more newsletters, having a larger social media presence, and lifting team spirit. Freshman Focus By Sara Baudler The 2019-2020 Gatorbotics team has 16 freshmen who make up more than one third of the entire team. All of the freshmen are really excited for the competitions that the team will get to attend. Freshmen team members are also excited to get to know upperclassmen and become a part of the Gatorbotics team. One of the 9th graders says she is excited to design “one heck of a robot.”
So far, the freshmen members of the build team have enjoyed learning how to use the power tools to build the robot. The freshmen have felt very welcomed by all of the older team members and are enjoying having conversations and learning from team leaders. The 9th graders are also enjoying the outreach opportunities at Gatorbotics, saying that “the outreach event at Street Code was super fun and that she definitely wants to go back to help out again.” And now for a few fun facts about the freshmen build members! Like a lot of Gatorbotics members, the new freshmen have a penchant for carbs; however one of them is allergic to buckwheat so snacks with buckwheat will be cautioned against in the lab. One freshmen hates tomatoes yet loves ketchup, saying that “[she doesn’t] know how it works out, but it does.” And finally, one new member loves tortoises (and owns one!). The freshmen are super excited to be a part of the Gatorbotics team, and they can’t wait for a great season!
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