RAS Volunteering - Working with the Community

18 Feb 2018

The past four weeks were very exciting for RAS Volunteering.

We participated in UT Elementary School STEAM Career Day, TAME Capital Area STEM Competition, and Edison Lectures. Also, we would like to announce that we will be mentoring the Hernandez Middle School Robotics team!

I. University of Texas Elementary School

First, at UT Elementary School, we sent two volunteers to excite Elementary School students for careers in STEM Fields. We demonstrated Moses and Joshua, and allowed the kids to have their turn driving. Then, we recommended some steps for the students to take if they were interested in learning more about robotics. Our volunteers look forward to working with UT Elementary School for more STEM and Robotics related events in the future.

II. Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering

Next, we sent four volunteers to assist in the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) STEM competition. We assisted as Design Challenge Judges and Test Proctors for Middle and High School students. We wanted to encourage more students, especially from underrepresented communities, to explore STEM fields as a career option.

III. Edison Lecture Series

Then, we volunteered at the Edison Lecture Series hosted by UT. The Series focused on autonomous vehicles, and we were able to explain how IGVC and Region 5 would navigate their respective fields without user input. Also, our volunteers discussed the process of building a robot, and how to use tools like OpenCV to help a robot navigate.

IV. Hernandez Middle School

Finally, we are excited to announce that our organization will take part in mentoring the Hernandez Middle School Robotics Team. Hernandez Middle School mainly consists of underrepresented students in STEM fields, and we want to excite them about the possibilities of robotics. We are sending volunteers to assist the team in preparing for the FLL season starting next school year. Our members are enthusiastic about the opportunity to assist this robotics club in future competitions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our organization is helping educate our community about the field of robotics. We look forward to the next month of community outreach where we partner with the University of Texas at Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and Explore UT.

Be on the lookout at #general slack channel!

Author: Vamsi

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