It was an exhilarating morning in Class 3! To generate excitement for the grade’s upcoming Robotics unit, Jasslin Betances, the Lower School Technology Integrator, welcomed the three sections into the Lower School Science Room last week. Once there, she discussed this far-reaching STEM field, which helps engineer everything from simple vending machines to sophisticated medical equipment to state-of-the-art aircraft.
After asking the students for examples of robots in their everyday lives (cars, computers and cell phones were among the suggestions), the girls watched an educational video about Dr. Tessa Lau, an award-winning Chief Robot Whisperer at Savioke, a robotics company that builds autonomous robot helpers for the services industry.
“Robotics has the potential to actually change people’s lives in a much deeper and fundamental way than software could because robots are physical. They can move around in your world and do things for you,” Dr. Lau explained in the video.
For example, the students were introduced in the video to a robot named Relay, who has been programmed by Dr. Lau’s team to deliver items to patients in their hospital rooms. A short, sleek machine on wheels, Relay features a compartment on top – like a trunk of sorts – in which staff can place items like food, medication and toiletries. After an individual enters the desired room number, Relay performs the task and returns to the nurse’s station, ready for its next assignment. Needless to say, the students thought Relay was quite amazing.
“The robots we are building can’t replace a human because there is so much that a human can do that a robot can’t,” Dr. Lau remarked. “What they can do is the mundane stuff that no one wants to do anyway like run things up to a hotel room and come back down.”
“What impressed you about Dr. Lau?” Ms. Betances asked the students.
“She built a really useful robot that is helping other people,” one girl commented.
Following the informative video presentation, the Class 3 students were asked to turn their attention to a young woman at the front of their classroom. This special visitor was Class 11 student Erin Donahue, an accomplished roboticist who loves math and science and serves as captain of Chapin’s Upper School Robotics team, Double X.
For the next few minutes, this confident and talented Upper School student shared her experiences with robotics, especially the incredibly hard work leading up to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) global robotics competition, which took place last spring at the Armory Track & Field Center in Upper Manhattan. Erin even brought along her own robot, which she demonstrated using a joystick, resulting in “oohs and ahhs” from the students.
As Class 3 gets ready to embark on their extensive study of robotics, which will culminate in the spring with Robotics Boot Camp, Erin offered them some critical advice that helped her along the way:
- “Don’t be afraid of mistakes. They are opportunities to make your robot better. Make as many mistakes as you can.”
- “Persevere. Don’t let mistakes or roadblocks stand in your way. You will learn a lot about getting stuck and unstuck.”
- “Have confidence in yourself. You are smart young women.”
- “Most important: Be willing to compromise. If you want your ideas only, that’s not the right mindset. It’s important to collaborate. Two minds are better than one.”
“Give a silent cheer if you’re excited about robotics!” said Ms. Betances as the students waved their hands in the air. After this engaging presentation, these Class 3 students are more than ready to begin what will certainly be a fun and rewarding study. And with role models like Erin Donahue, perhaps their interest in robotics will continue to flourish throughout their years at Chapin.
Browse photos from the class below: