Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gear Up. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gear Up, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Our team, Gear Up, is part of the FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology, a non-profit organization dedicated to STEM education. We participated in FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), a program that allows teams of middle and high schoolers to build robots for competitions. Each year, a new game with different objectives is released, allowing teams to innovate new techniques and designs to score points. FTC’s main focus is to provide students with hands-on experience in designing, building, and programming customized robots. This includes the use of commercial off the shelf components and unique fabricated parts. As we construct a robot and learn critical skills that can be applied toward our careers, we also strive to teach others these insights, encouraging their curiosity toward STEM futures.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Our team, Gear Up, consists of high school students who all have a great interest in STEM. We are passionate about continuing our futures in STEM, which is how we got to know each other. Gear Up provides an exceptional opportunity for students to learn about engineering through robotics competitions. In addition, an important part of the mission of FIRST is doing outreach. This entails giving our students the chance to meet with college students, graduate students, and professionals in STEM fields, so the students can see what a future in STEM might entail. In addition, outreach includes bringing STEM awareness to others in the community, encouraging STEM education. What sets us apart from others is our original ideas that has made our robot truly one of a kind made with love ❤️
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The night before our most recent competition, our lift mechanism which had been working all year, stopped working. There was a subtle alignment issue that was not obviously apparent, making our robot non-functional. Instead of spending the evening practicing for the meet, we spent hours troubleshooting, trying to find and fix the problem. It was not until late evening that we were able to repair the robot. Despite this difficult and stressful evening, we were able to bounce back the next day with a successful competition. We had our best meet of the year winning 5 out of 6 matches, pulling us into a first place tie in the league going into playoffs.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The FIRST core values are discovery, innovation, impact, Inclusion, teamwork and fun. Our main goal is to inspire a new generation of engineers and STEM-interested individuals by teaching and educating students about STEM through hands-on learning. FIRST gives us a taste of what actual engineers do in their everyday work. In addition, outreach is a key component of FIRST, giving us the opportunity to interact with STEM professionals. This helps youth explore their passion for future careers.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram: @gearup_12499