UNLV students assist high schoolers build giant robots for robotics tournament
UNLV student mentors are assisting high school robotics teams to compete in the Las Vegas Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). UNLV student mentors are assisting high school robotics teams in the Las Vegas Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) to build giant robots for the tournament. The students are participating in a two-semester course, Robotics Mentoring, which prepares students for the FRC format and leadership roles. The fall semester is focused on teaching students on design, build, and test robots for FRC. The second half of spring coincides with the build season for teams to build their robots, when mentors partner with high school teams in Clark and Lincoln counties. This year, 19 UNLV engineering students support 21 local FRC teams. The mentors are also part-time student workers with UNLV College of Engineering and are compensated for some of their work.
Published : 4 weeks ago by https://www.facebook.com/news3lasvegas, Mingson Lau in
UNLV student mentors are assisting high school robotics teams to compete in the Las Vegas Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). The international robotics competition has teams producing robots to compete against other teams in a game that changes with every tournament. This year involves collecting “notes”, orange, foam rings, and shooting them into goals.
The UNLV mentors are enrolled in a two-semester course, Robotics Mentoring, that prepares students for the FRC format and leadership roles. According to UNLV's College of Engineering, the fall semester is focused on training students on techniques to design, build, and test robots for the FRC. The second half of the spring coincides with the Las Vegas Regional’s build season, the official time frame for teams to build their robots. This is when the mentors partner with high school teams in Clark and Lincoln counties.
Due to the experience and tools required, some schools may need help to guide students in the competition effectively, said UNLV student mentor Adi Pahima. A club advisor without an engineering background or proper equipment may handicap student’s progress in the competition. The UNLV Robotics Mentorship Program distributes experienced college students to help high school teams build and troubleshoot their creations, said Pahima.
“What I’m learning right now is so awesome to high school students,” said Pahima who is studying to be a mechanical engineer. Pahima and his co-mentor Magnus Yuen are working with the robotics club at Clark High School.
Pahima said his involvement with the high school students is a two-way relationship that helps him better understand the subject and learn new skills. Pahima said he was not taught code in class but can now teach and use those skills in the robotics mentoring program.
Clark High School senior Chloe Wang is also planning on becoming a mechanical engineer and credits the robotics club to exposing her to “different facets of engineering.” In the club, she has used computer-aided design (CAD) software, worked with mechanical equipment, and programmed robots.
“I really like building, just being hands-on,” said Wang. “But I also really enjoy the people. I’ve met a very diverse range of students in the years that I’ve been in the club and the interactions I had with those students had a big impact on my high school experience.”
The Clark robotics team has built a good rapport with their assigned mentors, said Wang. Compared to previous years when the program had less mentors, Wang said the mentorship program has improved because the mentors have been able to visit more regularly.
“We feel more comfortable asking them for help and [the mentors] have been more integrated in our building process,” said Wang. The mentors provide “a lot of invaluable insight while we’re building.”
This year, 19 UNLV engineering students support 21 local FRC teams. The engineering students are also part-time student workers with UNLV College of Engineering and are compensated for some of the time they work, said UNLV mechanical engineering professor Brendan O’Toole. According to UNLV, the program started in 2022 and is the second iteration of a retired course, both taught by O’Toole.
The 2024 Las Vegas regional FRC will have 41 American and four international teams competing from March 28 to 30.