Engineering and technology are about problem solving, which are not possible without sufficient funding.
Team Roboto 447, a community-based robotics team in Madison County, has received funds from various local organizations — notably, a $10,000 grant from the Madison County Community Foundation — according to Tony Soverns, coach and mentor for Team Roboto 447.
The Indiana Department of Education had been providing grants to school-based robotics teams before recent legislation was passed. Such funds may be used for materials, entry fees and other costs.
However, community-based teams like Team Roboto became eligible for funding under recently-passed legislation formerly known as House Bill 1233, which was signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb in March.
Soverns said his team could receive up to $7,000 from the Indiana Department of Education as a result.
That amount, along with the team’s other grants, should cover its entry fees for contests.
Entry fees are only part the equation; material costs are another significant expense.
Members and their mentors are in charge of designing and building a robot capable of accomplishing the tasks required for competition.
The process includes things such as welding, fabrication and calibration.
Soverns said Team Roboto spends an estimated $15,000 annually on materials required for contests.
Contestants aren’t given instruction manuals but must figure everything out themselves, which resembles a real-life engineering scenario, according to Soverns, a longtime engineer.
Whetting students’ appetites for STEM is a key goal of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics, the organization hosting the competitions.
“The mission of FIRST is to provide life-changing robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world,” the organization’s website says.
STEM careers make up more than 20% of the national workforce; 55% of individuals working those jobs do not have bachelor’s degrees, according to a data sheet from the National Science Foundation.
Kevin Rockhill, a mentor for Team Roboto, previously said that programs like FIRST Robotics fill a vacuum previously occupied by vocational schools.
“Some (students) that don’t want to go into college are moving right into jobs that are paying them $60,000, $70,000, $75,000 (per year) as fabricators, as machine operators.”
Recruiting students is another challenge, said April Benham, who coaches the robotics teams at Alexandria-Monroe Junior/Senior High School.
Robotics and other non-sports competitions are sometimes portrayed as uncool, Benham said. However, she noted, there are ways of removing that stigma.
Alexandria offers an introductory robotics course which most eighth graders take. Students see a different side of robotics, which often sparks their curiosity, according to Benham.
Robotics can give students a sense of belonging often fostered in sports.
“It gives a sense of community around a shared goal; a design goal, a programming goal,” said Andrew Jones, STEM coordinator for Anderson Community Schools.
“The kids can work on different elements of a robot and figure out how to work together as a team. Everyone is able to bring their skills to bear.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.