FTC brings robotics within reach

When Mississippi non-profit Scientific Research, or SR1 for short, opened its doors in 2005, they faced an uphill battle in their mission to change the culture of education for students in a state ranked last in math and science scores.

But as SR1, based in Ridgeland, a northern suburb of Jackson, matured and met with success in their target areas of health, education and technology, founder Tamu Green began looking for ways to branch out and provide hands-on experiences.  His search led him to the FIRST Tech Challenge.

The program seemed like a good fit to Green, who said the students he works with have little exposure to science, technology, engineering and math when they come to his after-school program.  After talking with the Mississippi FTC representative at the University of Mississippi, Mannie Lowe, SR1 started its first FTC robot team, Team 6205, SCARLET (Science Creations Are Real Let's Evolve Together).

"It was tough at first," said Green, who has a background in information systems. "They had no clue about engineering or robotics, but we sat back and let them bump heads and make mistakes."

The hardest part for the Team's Mentors was to get the prioritization of the students in the right place. Green said the students were quick to toss in the towel at first. But, as they got more and more involved in robot building, their dedication began to increase.

Soon, Green said, the students were showing up on Saturdays and gave up other fun activities to be a part of the Team. They learned it was OK to ask questions and developed the perseverance to stick around and find the answer.

One especially important question they learned to ask was "why not me?".  As the students came together as a team and were exposed to professional engineers, they began to realize that engineering isn't just for nerdy kids.

Green said that in Mississippi, women are still discouraged from pursuing STEM careers. Despite this cultural dogma, even the girls on Team SCARLET began believing they could enjoy and pursue science and engineering.

Jasmine, a second-year veteran of SCARLET, joined the team in 10th grade with an attitude and little knowledge of engineering.  Now she's the Team's co-captain and plans to pursue civil engineering after high school.

"As an African-American female, I wouldn't normally be thought of in this role," she said.  "It was helpful to see it as an option."

It was the opportunities afforded her by FTC and SR1 that opened her eyes to the fact that she could do engineering.  In addition to the exposure to the STEM learning she wasn't getting from school, FTC and SR1 were providing opportunities for mentorship from women engineers and local universities like "Ole' Miss."

Green says the students on his FTC Team also gain valuable social skills and cultural exposure they wouldn't normally be able to have in their high schools.  The students on SCARLET represent three different high schools, so right off the bat they have to learn how to work as a team with people from different areas. On top of that, the experience of competing at tournaments gives them exposure to different regional and cultural segments and to learn the valuable lessons of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.

Ultimately, SR1 has used FTC to expand the horizons of students on the team, giving them a broader perspective on the world around them. They are now equipped with life skills they can use in any environment and a specific set of knowledge they can use to pursue an education and career in a STEM field, should they choose.

Green is pleased with the results he has seen from FTC, which include increased academic performance in his student's school work. He wants to increase participation in FIRST programs at SR1 and ultimately hopes to create a "conveyor belt of future FIRST participants."

"We want to be known for producing some of the best students around and FTC is helping us meet that goal," said Green.