End of Novice 2024 Newsletter

Written By: Abhinav Shah, Vincent Aquino, Aashrita Koyyalamudi, Zoe Zhang

5/16/2024

Dear Parents,

As we approach the end of the novice season, we wanted to update you about what the Robotics Developmental Program has brought for the students and what is to come.

Every Dev member has gained knowledge in various areas through complex building and programming lessons, including pneumatics and applied physics, all the way to odometry and coding autonomous routes. Dev students have also learned how to use CAD (Computer Aided Design) through Fusion 360 to model their robot, a skill that will be transferable to anyone pursuing engineering.

To apply everything being learned, the students have been building VEX V5 robots for the 2024 VEX game: Over Under. Each member has also gained experience following the engineering design process and documenting their processes through an engineering notebook.

As a culmination of each team’s hard work through the semester, an end-of-season tournament will be held on Monday, May 20th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM. We would love for family and friends to join! Teams will compete with their robots in head-to-head matches and in an exciting skills challenge. They will also be interviewed, a simulation of real VEX tournaments!

Along with teaching the students advanced robotics concepts, this semester has been focused on developing each member for competitive teams. Students have been practicing teamwork and collaboration, which are vital team qualities. Additionally, there has been an emphasis on interactions between Dev and competitive members, especially captains, during meetings. Some students even have internship spots to potentially land a cabinet position next year, an essential role in running our club!

Finally, on Wednesday, May 22nd, a draft will be held where each Dev member will be offered a spot onto competitive teams. This event marks a very exciting finish to your child’s fantastic effort this year.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to celebrating the end of the Novice year.

Sincerely,

Directors of Education