MCC and FIRST Robotics: Building Future Engineers and Technicians

Team Up Next (3528) posing in one of the classrooms they are using at MCC-Business & Technology Campus during the 2011 FIRST build season.  The 13 home-school students have designed a robot that will defend the field rather than score points at FIRST robotics regional competition March 10, 11, & 12.

FIRST robotics is a nation-wide varsity sport in science.  Its goal is to inspire young people to be math, engineering, science and technology leaders through the intensive, deadline-driven process of building a competitive robot.

“It is the bonding of personalities and lifelong friendships, not channel iron and electronic circuits, that make FIRST such a special experience for our participants, volunteers, and sponsors,” said Robert Dumler, FIRST regional planning committee member and MCC-Business & Technology engineering technology instructor.  

“This process of designing and building a functioning robot in six weeks does so much more than teach high school students about mechanics or electronics.  When the team depends on YOU to pull YOUR weight and complete YOUR piece of the plan, then we start getting into lessons of accountability and professionalism,” added Dumler.  “It is very hard to write curriculum to teach accountability!”

MCC-BTC to host First Robotics team

MCC-Business & Technology campus has begun recruiting home-schooled high school students from the KC area for a FIRST Robotics team. FIRST Robotics is an organization that develops technical, career and business skills in young students. BTC already has a mentor team (Joe Roche, Gene Giarratano, Dave Hawkins, and Andy Brewer) in place with over 60 year of industry experience behind them.

The student members will have the actual responsibility of raising the funds for the project (aprox $6,000-10,000), as well as designing and building the robot. The team will compete in the Greater Kansas City regional competition starting March 4, after only six weeks to design and build a working robot.

For more information about FIRST Robotics - http://www.kcfirst.org/ For more information about the MCC-BTC team contact Joe Roche – 816.604.5417