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Courage & Public speaking

2/24/2018

“Courage: (n) The ability to do something that frightens one.”
   I don’t know about you all, but I find the idea of being authentically myself absolutely terrifying sometimes. Walking in to meet my FRC team for the first time two and a half years ago was incredibly daunting to me - beforehand I had little experience with anything related to robotics or engineering and I didn’t know anyone on the team well.
   While my team was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and accepting, I often find that when I encounter new groups of people, I am overwhelmed by the desire to fit in, most likely because society seems to tell us we need do so in order to be accepted within the group.
   My first year on my FRC team was absolutely amazing, though. I learned many new skills, created new relationships, and discovered new interests. In my second year, I learned a lot about my style of leadership through leading our scouting team, and I learned how to find the confidence within myself to take charge of a situation and make it mine.
   This year, as the CEO of my team, I have learned so many different leadership skills, the most valuable of which is public speaking. I now speak in front of my team at the beginning and end of every meeting, as well as at several of the large events that my team has hosted.
Statistically, 74%1 of people have a fear of public speaking, so I would like to share some of the ways that I have developed skills that allow me to confidently speak in public.
A few days before your presentation (if possible)

Write out the points you want to hit. This encourages you to think about what you want to say before you are in front of an audience.
Practice what you want to say. You don’t need to memorize what you wrote by any means, but it allows you to familiarize yourself with the words you would like to use.

The day of your presentation

Arrive early. This will remove the stress of running late.
Before presenting, take several deep breaths to calm your nerves.
Drink water. Getting a dry mouth during a presentation is no fun and makes it harder to talk, so be sure to hydrate!
Work on your pauses. Oftentimes you talk faster than you realize when you are nervous.
Smile! You sound so much happier when a conscious effort is made to look happy.
Realize that making mistakes is okay. None of us are perfect and you are not expected to be. Just do your best; that’s all anyone can ask of you!

https://www.statisticbrain.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics/
https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/15-power-up-tips-to-make-you-a-better-presenter.html

This blog was written by Megan Wheeler from FRC team 1710. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.

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Top 10 fun facts about women engineers

2/17/2018

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Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1903, years before Henry Ford industrialized automobile production.
The first "computer program" was designed by a famous poet's daughter in 1843.
Hedy Lamarr, a famous 1930s movie actress, made significant engineering contributions to today's wireless networks.
In 1918, Edith Clarke was the first woman to earn an electrical engineering degree from MIT, and later became the first female Professor of Electrical Engineering in the US.
Eli Whitney’s wife actually invented the cotton gin, as a convenience tool around the house, but women couldn’t patent, so her husband got all the credit.
Emily Roebling was the Chief Engineer during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, when her husband became sick, and so she lead the construction by carrying out her own studies of technical issues, materials, stress analysis, construction and calculations.
Kate Gleason is the only woman in the US to have a college of engineering named in her honor ~ RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering.
Marie Curie was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes for Science.
Martha Coston needed a way to support herself and her children, so she developed a signaling flare system that’s used by the U.S. military and known as Coston flares.
“By learning to create technology, girls learn to speak up.” - Regina Agyare, Founder of software company Soronko Solutions

This blog was written by anonymous. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.

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The incredible impact of first robotics

2/11/2018

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FIRST (which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a world-wide organization aimed at promoting STEM and robotics for students everywhere. The vision of the organization is, as stated by founder Dean Kamen (who also invented the segway), “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.” The FIRST cultural shift celebrates scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other STEM professionals like society does with professional athletes, actors, and musicians. The organization is also unique in its twin concepts of “gracious professionalism” and “coopertition.” The ideas state that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many points a team scored in a match—what matters instead are the transferable skills gained. This makes robotics a very positive community where teams often collaborate and share ideas with each other.

The most common misconception about FIRST robotics is that you have to be a “nerd” who loves science and technology to join. Although a persistent stereotype, this is simply not true. There is a place on a robotics team for anyone who is willing to work hard and collaborate with others. Teams are required to build and program robots, while also running their organizations like small businesses with marketing, budgeting, branding, documenting, and more. This creates a unique dynamic between technical and nontechnical roles, which allows many different types of people to join the activity.

Since its conception in 1992, FIRST robotics has grown rapidly. Originally composed of only 28 American teams, it has since expanded to over 400,000 students in more than 80 countries. The FIRST program is divided into four different branches, each with its own distinct benefits. The elementary and middle school level programs, FIRST LEGO League, Jr. (for grades K-3) and FIRST LEGO League (for grades 4-8), help establish a basis of building, programming, and collaborating through use of LEGOs and simple drag-and-drop programming. FIRST Tech Challenge (for grades 7-12) and FIRST Robotics Competition (for grades 9-12) allow students to apply their STEM skills to a more real-world setting.

FIRST is a life-changing program that has impacted students not only all across the world, but also here at home. The Apple Valley High School FIRST robotics program began in 2008 with the conception of our FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, “Knights of the Valley.” Originally titled “How ‘Bout Dem Apples,” the Knights have maintained a strong presence ever since, even drawing former team members back as coaches. A Knights of the Valley alumnus and current mentor, Joey Lake, says that FIRST students can, “. . . find what they like and follow the path that best suits them.”

In 2014, the many STEM-based changes happening around Apple Valley were accompanied by the formation of the “Iron Maidens,” the first FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and the only all-female robotics team at our school (all others are co-ed). As Barbara Tan, builder and social media manager of the Iron Maidens, points out, “FIRST gives unique opportunities to a diverse group of students who probably wouldn’t get them from any other activity.” In 2015, the Maidens helped expand the robotics program to four teams with the addition of “Attack on Robot” and the “Regal Kiwis.” Tai Hendrichs, programmer for the Regal Kiwis, states that he “. . . already had an interest in computer programming, which made robotics appealing since it provided a real world challenge to overcome, and there were no comparable activities that came to mind . . . the welcoming introduction I was given to FIRST robotics at the start of freshman year here at Apple Valley High School kept me enthused about the activity.” Within the last few years, the program has seen rapid growth and won recognition all the way from local competitions to the FIRST World Championship. The robotics program at Apple Valley has also helped inspire the creation of teams at Valley Middle School, which now has three FIRST Tech Challenge teams and three FIRST LEGO League teams.

For prospective robotics students, the main differences between FTC and FRC, the two FIRST programs offered at Apple Valley High School, are the season length, team size, and robot size. FIRST Tech Challenge teams typically have 5-10 people and build robots that fit into 18” cubes. Their season typically runs from September until mid-February, which is when the state championship is. The top 256 FTC teams out of 5,500+ will qualify to the World Championship at the end of April. The FIRST Robotics Competition robots and teams are quite a bit larger. Their build season is an intense six week period in January and February. FRC teams then compete at regionals and qualify directly to the World Championship, which includes the top 800 FRC teams out of 3,400+. The decision between FTC and FRC for students is often based on what works best for their schedules and preferred work style. FTC members can often expect to help with many aspects of the team, while FRC members typically specialize in a certain area like building, programming, 3D modeling, or marketing.

The impact of FIRST robotics cannot be overstated. It helps students gain new skills and experiences, while also forming lifelong friendships. It gives direction to students who don’t know what they want to do or have too many options to decide.You never know whether robotics could be something that changes your life!

This blog was written by Cori Roberts from FTC 9205 Iron Maidens. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.

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GETTING TOURNAMENT READY

2/3/2018

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Getting ready for the big tournament!
FTC Teams are in the midst of State Tournament season, and you can expect things are going to get a bit hectic. In preparation for the big day, here are some tips for getting ready and having the best tournament ever!
The week beforehand:

Set goals for the week beforehand: The best way to be well-prepared at tournaments is to set goals and deadlines. There’s always too much to do for the time you have in the week beforehand, so plan for what you absolutely need to do and when you want to have it done by. As a team, it’s helpful when there are definite to-do’s. Narrowing down a list might mean skipping out on doing some things, but it’s better than having a vague idea of everything your team wants to do.
Divide and Conquer: Whenever someone isn’t doing anything, reference the to-do list! Your team members in the week before a tournament should be present and contributing. It’s crunch time! Avoid stress as much as possible by dividing work as evenly as possible.
Practice, Practice, Practice: It’s more important to make what you have already done be presentable and finished than spend all of your time trying to get everything else done. Judges won’t be able to see everything your team has ever done and its importance---so practice how you will convey this information.
Do you really need to add that new thing? : PLEASE DON’T ADD BRAND NEW STUFF THE WEEK BEFORE UNLESS YOU’RE SUPER DUPER CONFIDENT. Too much change cuts out necessary practice time, and everything that can go wrong will go wrong without ample prep. Consistency is always most important.

At the tournament:

Keep calm: Know that what’s done is done. Stressing out, even if unprepared, does not help. Find ways to stay calm and collected, and keep the rest of your team calm and collected too.
Fix what you can, don’t worry about what you can’t.
Meet as many people as possible: The fun thing about tournaments are the people you meet! My favorite part of FTC are the friendships I’ve developed. It’s hard to imagine how cool other teams are when you spend your whole season working tightly with your own team. BUT TEAMS ARE SO COOL. Teams do a lot of work that would be hard to imagine just by looking at their pit setup. Ask questions! Make friends! Get inspired!
Stay engaged: Even if everyone is dead tired, try to keep everyone as engaged as possible. It’s always a bummer to see teams who sit in their pit and play video games and don’t really move around. Staying engaged and enthused is the best way to get everything out of your experience at tournaments. Even if you need to fake some peppiness, it really can be contagious. Not only do other teams notice when a team looks bummed out, but so do judges. Make your team as approachable and welcoming as possible.
Have fun!

This blog was written by anonymous. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.

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Courage & Public speaking

Top 10 fun facts about women engineers

The incredible impact of first robotics

GETTING TOURNAMENT READY

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