Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Demonstration and Field Trip
Date: May 15, 2014
Time: 6:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
# of Members: 16
# of students from Whitney: ~60
The demonstration and field trip at the Intel International Science Fair located in the Los Angeles Convention Center took place on Thursday, May 15th from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The purpose of this demonstration was to represent the organization FIRST and VEX on an international level, educating children and adults from around the globe about Science and Technology. Through this international event, we planned to not only publicize our club, but also have a wider impact. By approaching kids and adults who have an interest in STEM, we hoped to guide more individuals to create their own FLL, FTC, and VRC teams. Furthermore, as a field trip, we brought over sixty students from Whitney High School to pursue their own interest in STEM. The trip was organized by Mrs. Lin and Tony, with Mrs. Lin coordinating with the Intel ISEF staff and Tony organizing the demonstration and field trip with the school.
On the day of the event, about seven members from VEX and FTC met at Whitney High School at about 6 A.M. to check the equipment in the car. We then drive over to the LA Convention Center. Once arriving, the seven members began setting up for the day's event while the remaining members in the club stayed over at Whitney and guided the students that were attending the field trip. Both packing and setup went relatively smoothly, with no major incidents. Once the event actually started at 9:00 AM, students and adults started arriving in the expo hall in large waves. At our 10x10 booth, we introduced fundamental engineering concepts to students grades 6-12 through several interactive activities. These included “Freeze Tag” using VEX robots, “Sharks and Minnows” with LEGO Mindstorms robots, and a robotic writer made out of LEGO to provide a unique souvenir. Through these activities, we explained structural integrity, robot communication, sensors, program design and implementation, and other relatable topics. To further ignite students’ interest, we also brought the FTC competition robot, Windsor, to pass out brochures for us across the expo hall.
During the entire demonstration, about 6000 people showed up, with sixteen club members helping out at different times throughout the event.The visitors were mostly high school students, however there were also many elementary school students accompanied by their parents or teachers. The demonstration was well received by those visiting as well as by many of the competitors. Overall at the event, we handed out about 200 “I <3 robot” stickers and 500 FIRST Brochures and Handouts. Several adults asked about how they could start a FIRST team themselves.
Some things to improve on include the improving structural integrity of the FLL robots as well as having backups for the remote control program. Another suggestion would be an interactive activity utilizing the TETRIX parts. Despite getting positive feedback from the visitors, we will not be able to return to this event until 2017 due venue changes. However, we aim to reach out to the students competing at the local and regional science fairs.
Time: 6:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
# of Members: 16
# of students from Whitney: ~60
The demonstration and field trip at the Intel International Science Fair located in the Los Angeles Convention Center took place on Thursday, May 15th from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The purpose of this demonstration was to represent the organization FIRST and VEX on an international level, educating children and adults from around the globe about Science and Technology. Through this international event, we planned to not only publicize our club, but also have a wider impact. By approaching kids and adults who have an interest in STEM, we hoped to guide more individuals to create their own FLL, FTC, and VRC teams. Furthermore, as a field trip, we brought over sixty students from Whitney High School to pursue their own interest in STEM. The trip was organized by Mrs. Lin and Tony, with Mrs. Lin coordinating with the Intel ISEF staff and Tony organizing the demonstration and field trip with the school.
On the day of the event, about seven members from VEX and FTC met at Whitney High School at about 6 A.M. to check the equipment in the car. We then drive over to the LA Convention Center. Once arriving, the seven members began setting up for the day's event while the remaining members in the club stayed over at Whitney and guided the students that were attending the field trip. Both packing and setup went relatively smoothly, with no major incidents. Once the event actually started at 9:00 AM, students and adults started arriving in the expo hall in large waves. At our 10x10 booth, we introduced fundamental engineering concepts to students grades 6-12 through several interactive activities. These included “Freeze Tag” using VEX robots, “Sharks and Minnows” with LEGO Mindstorms robots, and a robotic writer made out of LEGO to provide a unique souvenir. Through these activities, we explained structural integrity, robot communication, sensors, program design and implementation, and other relatable topics. To further ignite students’ interest, we also brought the FTC competition robot, Windsor, to pass out brochures for us across the expo hall.
During the entire demonstration, about 6000 people showed up, with sixteen club members helping out at different times throughout the event.The visitors were mostly high school students, however there were also many elementary school students accompanied by their parents or teachers. The demonstration was well received by those visiting as well as by many of the competitors. Overall at the event, we handed out about 200 “I <3 robot” stickers and 500 FIRST Brochures and Handouts. Several adults asked about how they could start a FIRST team themselves.
Some things to improve on include the improving structural integrity of the FLL robots as well as having backups for the remote control program. Another suggestion would be an interactive activity utilizing the TETRIX parts. Despite getting positive feedback from the visitors, we will not be able to return to this event until 2017 due venue changes. However, we aim to reach out to the students competing at the local and regional science fairs.