 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
History
How FIRST Started at Assabet Valley
The history of robotics at Assabet Valley started with following the course set up by Framingham High School, which had established its robotics program two years earlier. Framingham worked with Bose Corporation for about seven years with two engineers. Assabet was involved with the project for about three years. After that, faculty member Frank Boffoli contacted Stratus, which provided about $10,000 to help with the project. Mr. Boffoli’s idea for setting up the program was to get students interested in engineering. Bose contacted us and asked us to be involved in the project and it has taken off since then.
There was a lot of competition between high schools and introducing engineering to the students. At first, the sponsoring companies would complete the projects and the students would operate the robots in competitions. Eventually, Assabet Valley’s machine shop got involved with manufacturing the parts. It has evolved to today’s format, in which every shop participates in building the robot or supporting the team in some way.
How FIRST Works at Assabet Valley
On club sign-up day in the cafeteria, students interested in getting involved at Assabet Valley cannot help but be attracted to the FIRST robotics display. Situated in the corner of the room with its rocket ship, loud music, and flashy attractive lighting, it is the first sign that Aztechs 157, the local chapter of FIRST, is starting fairly soon.
FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. It is a robotics competition that is held all over the country. Assabet Valley has competed in FIRST since 1993. Aztechs 157 is very popular at Assabet. In 2004 the team was made up of 45 students. The students have only six weeks to design and build a robot. Each year there is a new set of rules for building and competing.
The Early Days
FIRST originally started back in 1991 but Assabet didn’t get involved until two years later. English teacher Dot Green, Physics teacher David Degon, and Vocational Dean Robert Packard were all equally interested in the competitions and wanted Assabet Valley to enter them. They had a lot of connections with Northborough High School that wanted to join the competitions as well.
One of the biggest sponsors at the time was Bose. Assabet asked the Bose engineers for help, and they obliged. At first the robot was built entirely by Bose. All the students did was run the robot during the competition. Assabet only had two Bose workers and they asked for more help but could not find anyone. Mr. Degon and Mr. Packard still wanted to be part of the competitions and came up with the idea that the shops could get together and have the students design, build and run their own robot. They felt it was a wonderful experience that students could learn from, having to build and design something under a tight schedule with certain tolerances.
From then on the robot has been designed and built under the roof of the school. All of the shops get involved with the competition. Some of the shops which lead the way are Electronics, Drafting, Machine Shop, Auto Body, Auto Tech, and Metal Fabrication.
Over the years Assabet has won many awards including the coveted Motorola Quality Award for the best designed, best built robot! At completion, the Aztechs have placed as high as 3rd in the country in 1999 and 6th in 2002. Regional Championships include UTC Regional Champions in 2003, and Philadelphia Regional Champions, and Beantown Blitz. The team has also earned the UTC NE Sportmanship Award in 2005, and the BAE Regional Champions.
2005 and Beyond
In 2005, a long-term advisor left the school and program to pursue other avenues, but the spirit of FIRST didn’t change. As always, everyone pulled together to have a successful year.
Mr. Degon says, “Its all just one big family and we all have to do our part."
By Chris Mathews, Amy El Khatib and Koby Furbish