Reported by Steven Chi
Greater Princeton AYLUS (GPA) continues offering LEGO Robotics Workshops in West Windsor this fall.
In October, the team focused more on research. Because we have already been through competitions, we explained to them what the judges looked for. We examined the rubric from the prior year and tried to improve in the areas where we struggled, including sharing the project with others in the community and contacting experts to implement the solution. They also worked on the building portion. One mission was especially hard; It included three things the robot had to do simultaneously. We tried to assist this group by simplifying their code to reduce the number of potential errors that could occur. They completed the mission successfully, and the program was very consistent.
By November, since the competition was only 3 weeks away, every one dedicated themselves to their part. Because we have taken public speaking classes before and understand what the judges want, we helped them prepare for the project presentation. Everyone presented to us and we gave them feedback on what to say and do. We also helped them edit their slides to make them more aesthetically pleasing. The week before the competition, they refined the programs and made the designs more compact to follow the competition regulations. They practiced the procedure and who went on first. Because we remember from last year, the stress everyone had which caused them to rush and mess up certain parts, we reminded everyone to take it slow and encouraged them when they were going.
On the day of the competition, we couldn’t help as much as possible. Because they allowed only two coaches to go with the team, they left us behind at our booth. Whenever someone came over, we explained our project and showed off the project demo. When the team came back, we tried to offer encouragement and give advice from my experience in the competition. The team finished 5th, sending them to the state competition. While they did really well with the programs, they will try to improve the core values and presentation portions in the following weeks.
Participants: Steven Chi, Andy Chi.
Hours: 7 pm-9 pm on 10/12, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, and 11/9. 7 pm – 10 pm on 11/16, and 8:30 am – 2:30 pm on 11/23.
