Robot Report Card - May 2017 Issue

Robot Report Card May 2017 Issue State Robotics Initiative - 2.0 The TPF4Y team trip to the VEX Worlds 2017 Championship in Louisville, KY last month marked the official end to, what we consider, a successful first year of the State Robotics Initiative! The Robot Team is now gearing up to kick-off SRI 2.0 - our second year of offering robotics start-up grants to Indiana Elementary Schools, with the goal of making robotics education accessible to every elementary student across the state.  In this Robot Report Card, you will find a recap of the VEX Worlds Championship (including info on the new VEX IQ game reveal - Ringmaster!), information on the 2017 Robot Grant, as well as an additional opportunity we have available to all of our first year teams. If you need a pick me up, you will also hear from teachers around the state on just what level of impact the State Robotics Initiative is making on Indiana students. Happy Robot-ing! -The Robot Team VEX Worlds 2017 Championship Recap Over 1,300 teams from across the globe made their way to Louisville, KY last month to compete at the VEX Worlds Championship! What a spectacular event! 272 of those teams made up the Elementary School VEX IQ division. Elementary School students from all over the United States had the opportunity to meet and compete with peers from countries including Australia, Bahrain, China, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, England, Hong Kong, & more! TPF4Y is beyond proud to report that in the elementary school division, Indiana was the most represented state from the U.S., bringing 29 qualifying teams to the Championship!  Awards We want to give a special shout out to two Indiana Elementary teams who brought a very important award back to their schools. The Sportsmanship Award is a judged award given to teams who demonstrate respect and great enthusiasm. The teams below received this award in each of their respective divisions: Team 23272C MegaComets of Caston Elementary in Fulton, IN Team 10992C HulkBots of Grassy Creek Elementary in Indianapolis, IN Indiana Middle & High School teams also brought home some impressive hardware: MS Team 323S Skyhawk of Cornerstone Robotics North in Indianapolis won the Division Teamwork Challenge 3rd Place - Math Division MS Team 6210C HCS Eagles: C4 of Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis won the Skills Challenge World 3rd Place - VEX IQ Challenge Middle School Skills Challenge Winners MS Team 6210W HCS Eagles: WATTever of Heritage Christian School in Indianapolis won the STEM Research Award - Science Division HS Team 323G R.I.O.T. of Cornerstone Robotics of Greenwood won the VRC High School Excellence Award  One final award that we cannot pass up the chance to highlight is the 2017 STEM Hall of Fame Partner of the Year Award. Our team here at TechPoint Foundation for Youth proudly accepted this honor in conjunction with our partners at Indiana Department of Workforce Development.  RECF defines recipients of the Partner of the Year area of the STEM Hall of Fame as "well-recognized and respected organizations with vision, products, and services aligned with the fields of science, engineering, and technology, and with personnel that represent a valued spectrum of knowledge and talent across STEM." Thank you so much, RECF, for recognizing our efforts at the VEX World 2017 Championship! We are so proud of all of the Indiana students who qualified & were able to experience this great event! To view a full list of all teams who attended the VEX Worlds 2017 Championship, click here. 2017-18 VEX IQ Game Reveal: Ringmaster Concluding an exciting final ceremony at the World Championship, was the 2017-18 VEX IQ Game Reveal: Ringmaster! We are so excited to see all of the creative problem solving students use to complete this new challenge! The Game: Ringmaster Ringmaster is played on the same 4’x8’ rectangular field that Crossover utilized last year. Two robots compete in the Teamwork Challenge as an alliance in 60 second long teamwork matches, working collaboratively to score points. Teams also compete in the Robot Skills Challenge where one robot takes the field to score as many points as possible. These matches consist of Driving Skills Matches, which will be entirely driver controlled, and Programming Skills Matches, which will be autonomous with limited human interaction. The object of the game is to attain the highest score by scoring colored Rings on the Floor Goal and on Posts, by having Uniform Posts, by Emptying Starting Pegs, and by Releasing the Bonus Tray. The Details There are a total of sixty (60) Rings available as scoring objects in the game. There are seven (7) Posts to score on, one (1) Floor Goals, three (3) Starting Pegs, and one (1) Bonus Tray on the field. Scoring Cost VIQC Ringmaster Full Field & Game Element Kit - $99.99 VEX IQ Challenge Full Field Perimeter & Tiles - $199.98 (please note, this is the same field & tile set which was used for the 2016-17 Crossover game. If you already own this set, you will only need to purchase the Field & Game Element Kit) Links View the 2017-2018 VEX IQ Challenge Ringmaster Intro Video  Purchase Ringmaster Competition Products  View the Ringmaster Game Manual and further info  2017-18 SRI Grant Cycle Robot Grant for Elementary Schools There are over 2,000 elementary schools in Indiana and only 518 of them currently have a VEX IQ robotics team! We have 400 more Robot Grants available to elementary schools who do not already have a team. Recipients of the grant will receive: 1)      VEX IQ Robotics Kit - $300 2)      VEX IQ Extras - $100 3)      VEX IQ Team registration - $100 4)      PLTW classroom activities 5)      Professional Development Training on all items listed above Please note, 83% of teachers who were awarded last year had NO ROBOT EXPERIENCE. This grant is for anyone who has the interest & drive to inspire their students in an innovative way! :) Visit the Robot Map or the Full List of Indiana Elementary Schools to find out if a school near you is eligible! Apply for the Robot Grant here State Robotics Initiative Awareness Grant We need help spreading the word about the Robot Grant!  We are offering a financial assistance opportunity to existing teams who can help us achieve our goal of starting more new robotics programs throughout the state! The SRI Awareness Grant application includes an opportunity to describe how you have, or will, make an effort to refer schools within your district and/or community to apply for the State Robotics Grant. The Awareness Grant applicants will be considered for 2nd year financial assistance of up to $150 for your 2017-18 VEX IQ Elementary Team Registration costs. Deadlines and Notifications: Friday, June 1 - SRI Awareness Grant Application is Due Apply for the SRI Awareness Grant here   Promote the State Robotics Initiative Unsure of how to get the conversation started with a new school?  Visit www.techpointyouth.org/promotegrant for ideas on promoting the grant including a Sample Promotional Email that can be sent out to teachers or School Administrators. Growing Impact From 72 Indiana Elementary teams in 2016 to 518 now; we're not even sure that we knew what kind of impact this grant opportunity was going to have on Elementary students and teachers a year ago! From our recent Post-Season Coach Survey, here are just a few of the statistics that we are excited to share as we move into our 2nd year of the SRI: Over 90% of coaches plan on returning for a second year Over 82% of teams have students that have committed to returning for a second year 83% of 2016-17 awarded coaches had NO ROBOTICS experience (anyone can do it!) 88% of teams participated in at least one competition last year 60% of coaches collaborated in some way with a coach from a different school Over 90% of teams did not charge students a fee to join Teachers & Administrators are saying... "This program should be offered in EVERY elementary for EVERY student to participate. There are more benefits to this program than any other one that has been offered in my 16 yrs of teaching!" "Definitely boosted the confidence of our girls." "It has had a profound impact on student's drive, passion, and commitment to lifelong learning in too many ways to name" "I have one student already looking at colleges that have a robotics club. He's a 6th grader." "Changed student's outlook on the science/technology field forever. My students creativity and critical thinking skills have soared to new heights due to this experience. "This grant planted the seeds of passion in each child on this team." "Children who would not hang out together have become friends." "Has given the students who struggle with "typical" academic teams the opportunity to be successful in a different way." "It has changed their lives."    Questions|Contact Us The Robot Team is: George Giltner, State Director of Robotics and Brei Cecil-Satchwell, SRI Grant & Program Officer Please direct all questions regarding the grant to: RobotGrant@TechPointYouth.org Find out more about the State Robotics Initiative at www.techpointyouth.org/robots/                 Going Forward Help spread the word! If you are reading this, we would appreciate your help in getting the word out about the State Robotics Initiative!  Tweet about us:  “Want a #robotics team at your school? @TPF4YRobots is granting FREE #VEXIQ robots & training to IN elem. teachers! bit.ly/robotapply”  Facebook about us:“Want a #robotics team at your school? @TPF4YRobots is granting FREE #VEXIQ robots & training to IN elem. teachers! bit.ly/robotapply”