The Mashpee Robotics Team accepting winning awards at the Cape Cod Mini Maker Faire, 4/27/2019 By Peyton Dauley
Would you want to learn how to program a robot? Design it? Remotely control it? Although this may seem only possible in the future as a middle or high schooler, Mashpee students from grades 7 through 12 do it everyday either in their Robotics elective class, or after-school as a part of the Mashpee competitive robotics team, both led by Ms. Hough.
“The robotics team is two-fold,” she said. Ms. Hough continued on to describe how the robotics team plays two important roles: it offers curious students the opportunity to explore programming and building robots, and also provides dedicated STEM trainees with the chance to compete with other high schools across the region.
Each year, the VEX Robotics Competition sends out a challenge to participating high schools, and robotics students must build a fitting robot to complete that challenge and compete against another school’s in a two minute game. During the game, only fifteen seconds of the robot’s actions are pre-programmed. The rest is student-controlled.
Would you want to learn how to program a robot? Design it? Remotely control it? Although this may seem only possible in the future as a middle or high schooler, Mashpee students from grades 7 through 12 do it everyday either in their Robotics elective class, or after-school as a part of the Mashpee competitive robotics team, both led by Ms. Hough.
“The robotics team is two-fold,” she said. Ms. Hough continued on to describe how the robotics team plays two important roles: it offers curious students the opportunity to explore programming and building robots, and also provides dedicated STEM trainees with the chance to compete with other high schools across the region.
Each year, the VEX Robotics Competition sends out a challenge to participating high schools, and robotics students must build a fitting robot to complete that challenge and compete against another school’s in a two minute game. During the game, only fifteen seconds of the robot’s actions are pre-programmed. The rest is student-controlled.
The intensity of these games may just be what draws so many schools to VEX Competitions. According to Ms. Hough, a usual tournament will host about thirty to forty schools. However, at more significant events leading up to the VEX World Championship in Kentucky, many more are present.
This year, Mashpee’s competitive robotics team made it as far as the New England Championships, in Worcester. To achieve this, the team of middle and high schoolers first had to make it through qualifying rounds against forty to sixty teams, with only four to six being selected for the the New England competition. From there, they competed at the Championships against eighty other teams in March.
“I joined robotics because I saw how much fun people were having in it, and I really liked the environment that Ms. Hough created and how she encouraged me to join,” said Samantha Rozum, a student on one of Mashpee’s competitive teams. “When I did, I was really happy with all the work I was doing and all of the opportunities I had.”
Mashpee students who take the robotics class rather than participate on the team are offered alternate chances to learn about programming and STEM pathways. For example, this year students built SeaPerch ROVs, then will be mentors to 5th grade students at Quashnet in building one themselves.
“Seaperch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle,” the official Seaperch website states.
However, the robotics club and class shouldn’t only appeal to those interested in coding or engineering. As an example, Ms. Hough referenced robotics’ connection to other careers and interests, mentioning jobs related to art and other hands-on skills.
“Just because they [students] haven’t built a robot, doesn’t mean this isn’t the place for them!” said Ms. Hough, also stating that she would like to see more girls get involved with the STEM initiative, and that students should see the club as more than just building a robot.
Ms. Hough was recently named the Massachusetts STEM teacher of the year by the Patriots Hall of Fame. This award program, started by Robert Kraft in 2012, aims to honor STEM teachers in the state with recognition, a position on the Governor's STEM Council for one year, and $5,000 dedicated to the school’s STEM education programs.
Robotics’ universal usefulness applies to a larger theme of the American STEM initiative. According to the National Science Foundation, the United States ranks 21st in comparisons of 15 year-old American math and science students to that of international students. South Korea, Japan, and Switzerland take the top three.
A study done by Professor Cher C. Hendricks at the Georgia Institute of Technology explored the impact of VEX Competitions on students’ interest in STEM courses and careers. It reported that of surveyed students, over 75% reported that they would be interested in taking more science and math courses in high school and college, and 83% said that they were interested in taking engineering classes in college. 95.2% of students reported that they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” with the statement that they want to learn more about robotics.
“The reason I joined robotics was because I’ve always been interested in going into a STEM field or career,” said Mashpee Robotics team member Isabella Eagan. “I thought this could really benefit me in the long-run, and honestly, I’ve loved it.”
As STEM jobs increase in demand across the country, high schools are racing to prepare and interest students in mathematical or scientific careers. Opportunities like Mashpee’s own robotics elective and club are very successful examples of finding new ways to involve such students.
This year, Mashpee’s competitive robotics team made it as far as the New England Championships, in Worcester. To achieve this, the team of middle and high schoolers first had to make it through qualifying rounds against forty to sixty teams, with only four to six being selected for the the New England competition. From there, they competed at the Championships against eighty other teams in March.
“I joined robotics because I saw how much fun people were having in it, and I really liked the environment that Ms. Hough created and how she encouraged me to join,” said Samantha Rozum, a student on one of Mashpee’s competitive teams. “When I did, I was really happy with all the work I was doing and all of the opportunities I had.”
Mashpee students who take the robotics class rather than participate on the team are offered alternate chances to learn about programming and STEM pathways. For example, this year students built SeaPerch ROVs, then will be mentors to 5th grade students at Quashnet in building one themselves.
“Seaperch is an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle,” the official Seaperch website states.
However, the robotics club and class shouldn’t only appeal to those interested in coding or engineering. As an example, Ms. Hough referenced robotics’ connection to other careers and interests, mentioning jobs related to art and other hands-on skills.
“Just because they [students] haven’t built a robot, doesn’t mean this isn’t the place for them!” said Ms. Hough, also stating that she would like to see more girls get involved with the STEM initiative, and that students should see the club as more than just building a robot.
Ms. Hough was recently named the Massachusetts STEM teacher of the year by the Patriots Hall of Fame. This award program, started by Robert Kraft in 2012, aims to honor STEM teachers in the state with recognition, a position on the Governor's STEM Council for one year, and $5,000 dedicated to the school’s STEM education programs.
Robotics’ universal usefulness applies to a larger theme of the American STEM initiative. According to the National Science Foundation, the United States ranks 21st in comparisons of 15 year-old American math and science students to that of international students. South Korea, Japan, and Switzerland take the top three.
A study done by Professor Cher C. Hendricks at the Georgia Institute of Technology explored the impact of VEX Competitions on students’ interest in STEM courses and careers. It reported that of surveyed students, over 75% reported that they would be interested in taking more science and math courses in high school and college, and 83% said that they were interested in taking engineering classes in college. 95.2% of students reported that they “strongly agreed” or “agreed” with the statement that they want to learn more about robotics.
“The reason I joined robotics was because I’ve always been interested in going into a STEM field or career,” said Mashpee Robotics team member Isabella Eagan. “I thought this could really benefit me in the long-run, and honestly, I’ve loved it.”
As STEM jobs increase in demand across the country, high schools are racing to prepare and interest students in mathematical or scientific careers. Opportunities like Mashpee’s own robotics elective and club are very successful examples of finding new ways to involve such students.