High school students from Woodland will be going head-to-head with their counterparts across the country in competitions to design and build the best robot, with help from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
According to a press release, a grant of $30,000 from the Yocha Dehe Community Fund will support the students of Team 5458: Digital Minds as they participate in international competitions set by an organization called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST.
The organization’s goal is to encourage STEM and robotics through high schools around the country.
Team 5458: Digital Minds is made up of both Pioneer and Woodland High School students. In competition, the robot they build will be evaluated for its performance of a specified task.
In May 2021, Digital Minds made the final 116 during the FIRST competition. They competed in three competitions, including a game-design challenge, a robot skills challenge, which was the continuation of last year’s project, and an innovation challenge with a prompt asking teams to create something to help people’s health and fitness.
It was in the innovation challenge that Digital Minds made the semifinals. The idea that made the semifinals is a form-monitoring fitness device.
“We are honored to receive this grant from Yocha Dehe,” said Mark Barichievich, Digital Minds mentor. “Our team members are continuously learning and having a lot of fun. We’re excited to be able to have an impact at community schools through robotics.”
The grant will help with the team’s costs, including food, travel, registration to competitions, and expenses for the robot itself. It will also allow the team to expand the Digital Minds Youth Robotics Summer Camps, which are three week-long sessions hosted each June and July at Pioneer High School. The summer camps are open to students in the Woodland area in 4th-8th grade.
“We want to purchase 3D printers for campers to use in order to create custom-made parts for their robots,” said Matthew Rowe, Co-Captain of Digital Minds. “Having the kids make custom parts will introduce them to designing and creating their own components.”
“We wish the Digital Minds team the best of luck as they design and build the machines of the future,” the Tribal Council of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation stated. “We are proud to partner with the extraordinary students and mentors at Digital Minds and look forward to following their progress as they create this year’s robot.”
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