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| By Michelle Symington MetroWest Reminder Assistant Editor WEST SPRINGFIELD The West Springfield High School (WSHS) Robotics Team, the Mechatronic Maniacs, received a financial boost last Thursday when ITT, Power Solutions, formerly known as K and M Electronics, presented them with a $6,000 donation. ITT, Power Solutions has helped support the Mechatronic Maniacs with monetary donations for the past four years. In addition to providing funding, employees of the company work with the team as mentors. Last year the company donated $5,000 at the beginning of the team's season and an additional $1,500 later in the season to help cover travel expenses. James Faughnan, president and general manager of ITT, Power Solutions, said, "We rely on local schools to develop students that are well rounded, skilled in math and science who have had opportunities to compete and to lead. We believe this donation will provide students with just such an opportunity." The team is part of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), which is the organization that puts on the competitions. FIRST is a team effort between corporations, communities, students, teachers and the government. Jim Queen, advisor of the robotics team and a physics teacher at WSHS, said the $6,000 "helps get the team started." He explained that the donation covers the registration, which includes a package of materials to build the robot. The build season lasts six weeks and began over a week ago. The team, which consists of 31 students, has six weeks to build their robot for the first competition, which takes place in March. The robot must follow weight and size guidelines and must be shipped by a specific date in order to be qualified for the competition, according to Queen. He said the students spend a lot of time after school and on Saturdays working on the robot during that six week build period. The first competition will take place at the new convention center in Hartford and the team will travel to Las Vegas for a competition later in the year. Queen said he tries to make at least one of the trips meaningful, giving the students an opportunity to so some sightseeing. For example, he said they went to Maryland last year, where the students had the opportunity to tour Washington D.C. The team won that competition. He said the students participate in two competitions each year and may participate in three or four scrimmages to help prepare for the competitions. The cost of a season for the Robotics ranges between $30,000 to $40,000. Queen said the team relies on fund-raising and corporate donations for support. He added that students may also pay some out of pocket travel expenses for the competitions. Rob Szmania, a junior at WSHS and last year's team captain who is acting as a student mentor this year, said the donation from ITT, Power Solutions "gives us the opportunity to compete." He added that the team would not be able to compete with the funds raised from their "normal" fund-raisers, such as car washes. "It is a huge contribution to future engineering," he said. He said the company is helping to build the economy for the future by giving the team the donation to compete. He added that ITT, Power Solutions, as well as other companies provide the team with mentors who help guide the team while it it building the robot. "We need their experience and expertise in different areas," he said, adding that the team would not be able to compete without their advice. "We are looking forward to a prosperous season and plan to go to the nationals again," he said. Anyone interested in helping to support the Mechatronic Maniacs can send donations to the high school with the attention to the robotics team. The address is :West Springfield High School. Attn: Robotics Team, 425 Piper Road, West Springfield, MA 01089. |