Welcome to STEM in MOEtion - our student led, student curated monthly newsletter showcasing STEM news, FIRST team spotlights, youth opportunities, and fun updates from our team!

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Incredible Robotics - BY Ethan

Although they are often seen as clunky humanoid machines that aren’t very capable, robots actually represent a wide variety of different machines that are able to carry out numerous tasks to help humans. Robots are astonishingly versatile tools that, when built right, can do almost anything. When designed for industrial manufacturing, robots can construct complex things like cars with high levels of speed and precision. When designed for extraterrestrial exploration, robots can discover new secrets on the surface of Mars millions of miles away in incredibly harsh conditions. These are just two of the countless ways robots enable people to accomplish daunting challenges, enabling society to function the way it does today. However, not all robots are so highly specialized or so complex.

Because of their versatility, robots can also be simple enough that anyone, given the right tools and dedication, can make one of their own to do whatever they want. Robots can even be made to pick up and deposit blocks or shoot rings into a goal like we do in FTC. Every year thousands of students get to make their own robot to accomplish the tasks laid out in that year's game, but playing the game is not the only task these robots accomplish. Through the process of brainstorming, designing, building, programming, and improving these robots, kids are introduced to STEM, teaching them valuable technical and nontechnical skills that would be much more difficult to teach any other way. Getting to create the robots allowed me and thousands of other students to find a love of STEM and gain invaluable experiences.

Possibilities with Stem - By Isha

In the ever-changing, increasingly complex world, it’s more important than ever that people are prepared to bring knowledge and skills to solve problems, make sense of information, and make quick decisions. These are the kind of skills that are developed through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Through STEM anyone’s ideas can become a reality. The future will be very STEM oriented and many jobs will be STEM based. Right now around 8.6 million jobs in the US are STEM related which is predicted to have a 13% rise in the future. Many of those jobs include Biomedical Engineer, Computer Systems Administrator, Software Developer, and much more. There are also other jobs like Cybersecurity analysts or even Cryptozoologists!

STEM also allows anyone to be able to create and innovate anything. Robots that are able to run like cheetahs or robots that use artificial intelligence to hold conversations with people are all possible due to STEM. There are even robots that can able to help finish the reconstruction of historical buildings! Robotics was a great way for me to be immersed in STEM. When I joined my FTC team, I was really able to explore many different paths involving STEM from creating Computer-aided designs to writing programs to control the robot. With robotics, I have to think more creatively to overcome different challenges and I am able to make different ideas into a reality. Innovation, building, and designing are all able to be accomplished with STEM. FIRST has helped me learn so much about STEM and I can’t wait to learn more!

A place for everyone in stem - by jonas

From electronic devices, to the roads that connect our cities, to the planes and trains that enable easy international transportation, incredible feats of engineering are an integral cause of the globalization of our world. In the modern day you can’t go anywhere without interacting with a product of engineering. This field has such a drastic impact on our lives, and it enables modern society to function as it does. But none of this would be possible without the diversity of disciplines that exists within engineering. There are many options to choose from when pursuing a career in engineering. Do you find chemical reactions exciting? Love working with computers? Have a knack for arduino projects? No matter your interest, engineering has a place for everyone!

Introducing young minds to engineering is something imperative to the next generation of humanity, as they will soon be the ones to be innovators and inventors and push the limits of technology further than it is. I love how FIRST programs do this. The skills required for a FIRST robotics team cover an entire spectrum of technical expertise and problem solving abilities. Students are introduced to the engineering design process, taking them from defining a set of problems all the way to a finished robot. Designing a robot, manufacturing parts, implementing code, and wiring electronics, all of these activities display through practical experience what being an engineer involves. I would encourage fellow students who may be reading this to seize any opportunity to learn and experience what you can about STEM and engineering, because you never know what might catch your attention.

CONNECTIVITY IN STEM - by HELEN

There is a beauty to the precision and numerical perfection that defines the world of STEM, highlighted by elegant theorems and sleek robot designs that seem to be built on a black-and-white foundation. However, the true nature of STEM is inclusive to everyone and everything. In terms of society, STEM touches upon the lives of both professionals with years of experience and children who have simply played with LEGOs. This is especially evident at MOE’s outreach events, where both adults and children are fascinated by the intricacies of the robots we showcase. The eagerness of everyone to learn about robotics at these events inspires me to delve deeper into the world of STEM.

As FIRST Robotics would say, “robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills.” Through FTC, I have become more open-minded and innovative in addition to learning more about robotics. FIRST has taught me that while STEM in itself seems to be rigid and narrow, the possibilities are truly endless, opening my eyes to an entirely different side of STEM. STEM has no boundaries: it inspires all types of people and connects to all fields of study. Even as someone with a predominantly musical background, I have found ways to build upon my personal interests with STEM using music technology! While I have always admired the numerical perfection of STEM, I have learned to appreciate the limitless potential of STEM subjects and the ability of STEM to connect with any individual.

STEM DURING THE PANDEMIC - by DEREK

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, all subjects which are necessary and essential for the upcoming technological world. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, SpaceX, Tesla, and thousands more are creating new ideas everyday and bringing them to a reality. Especially in these times, we need all generations to innovate, focus, and make sure this disastrous disease is purged from our society. On a first-hand account, we have our communities forced to quarantine ourselves from work, school, and other activities done on a daily basis. As a result, computers, laptops, IPhones, IPads, and other technological resources are our way to communicate, become active, and learn. From coding, to designing, algebra, and the molecular level, young minds need to participate in this future world.

In addition to this pandemic, scientists and professionals have successfully designed robots to interact and help nurses at hospitals who need to focus on caring for the patient rather than trying to locate materials, resources, and prescriptions. Moxi, a robot from a Texas hospital, runs 24/7 within a clinical staff to gather patient supplies, deliver lab samples, medications, and more. Easily sanitized, this robot can efficiently help nurses get the maximum focus on their patient, which is more critical than worrying about forgetting certain materials. Statistics have shown that nurses use up 30% of their time on non-value tasks, which could easily hurt both nurses and patients. Using STEM, our society has overcome another problem for nurses in hospitals, and hopefully this can encourage more nurses to return and help needy patients.

Beyond Robots - by Clare

I think the best part about robotics is its universal sense of “cool”. Robots powered by AI have been advertised as the future of education, industry, transportation, medicine, and more, and this magic extends to robots made from FTC kits or Legos. On a smaller scale, we’ve seen how kids and adults alike are thrilled to trick or treat from a candy robot or hit a ball off a tee using our ‘Batterbot’. Almost everyone we’ve encountered, whether they’ve worked in the STEM field, played with circuits, or have absolutely no experience, appreciate and enjoy seeing robots up close. Robots - even simple ones - can create excitement for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Because of this, robotics is evidently a fantastic way to introduce STEM concepts and the engineering process. However, it’s also a perfect gateway to introduce other ideas and subjects, especially ones which would typically be taught in lecture style classrooms. FIRST Lego League programs take full advantage of the initial excitement robotics generates - while students comes to build robots, they are also challenged to complete research, conduct interviews, and propose a solution to a topical world problem. Personally, FLL pushed me to explore conservation efforts at a beekeeping farm and research water usage through simple chemistry. On my FTC team, I’ve learned about computer aided design and Java programming, but also how to organize outreach events, produce videos, and even curate a newsletter.  FIRST really is ‘more than robots’ - and I’m excited to see where it takes us next!