“You have teenagers thinking they’re going to make millions as NBA stars when that’s not realistic for even 1 percent of them. Becoming a scientist or engineer is.”
The On It Foundation received grants from the Best Buy Aventura and jcpCares to help disadvantaged students benefit from building academic and 21st century skills. The grants also provided the opportunity to launch The On It Foundation’s FIRST Robotic Competition Team 4592 under our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program. Our partnership with Mentor Ron Callis, CEO at OneFireFly, LLC, a design and engineering firm and Mr. Robert Derrick, Engineering Instructor at McArthur High School, both located in Hollywood, FL, provided students with curriculum and hands on experience in programming, CAD design, engineering, business service, service learning and team development.
With the assistance of our Funders, numerous Sponsors, and Volunteers, Team 4592 (M3 – Mighty Mechanical Mustangs) competed for the ‘Ultimate Ascent’ challenge at the South Florida Regional FIRST Robotic Competition March 28th – March 30th, 2013 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale | Broward Convention Center and made the Semi-Finals missing a win by 9 points! As a Rookie team, “Julia” our Robot, made an awesome impression with the judges and other participants involved!
“The varsity Sport for the Mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.
Here is a presentation from our Mentor Ron Callis of OneFireFly, LLC. http://youtu.be/JYni-uWwnIU
