Robotics Carnival

The team has been meeting up every day this week to prepare for our Robotics Community Night. There is a lot to prepare for it. Just to get the plug out of the way from the beginning...

Robotics Community Night hosted by Team 3313 Mechatronics on Monday, April 30 from 7-9pm in the Jefferson High School gym in Alexandria, MN. Check out this article in the local newspaper, the Echo Press, for more information.

The team decided to basically change the entire format of the Community Night. Our big goal for the event was to show off all that we accomplished to our community while still making it fun and interactive. This coincides with our team mission statement, "build a robot, excite students about STEM education, and have fun". Returning members of the team enjoyed Community Night last year but it was really more like a banquet and very adult oriented. We are aiming for a more "all ages" crowd with our event this year.

The format we switched to is basically a science fair or school carnival. Team members will be spread out in the JHS gym at different exhibit stations. Each station will have a different theme that the students will talk about. The stations will also have an interactive aspect to them as well. For example, the field/competition station will talk about Rebound Rumble and have a half court shot contest similar to what Tyler did at the end of each game. Another example is the station with Murphy. Visitors will have the chance to drive the robot but will also learn about how we built it.

The team is really excited about the event and has been working hard to promote it. We have emailed countless community groups including: the City Council, School Board, sponsors, newspaper, tv, and radio. We also dropped off flyers at all of the places we have visited like schools and companies. We will continue our promotion by emailing schools tomorrow and writing announcements for our high school.

We want this event to be a fun learning experience for everyone that chooses to attend. If you're reading this and are from the Alexandria area, please plan to attend!