Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1464867
66 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 have experienced things they'd never imagined they would have an opportunity to, especially in high school. Matties: Now, one of the students was talking to me about how this has really helped him learn to problem solve and think logically. Manes: I say it all the time that we're all problem solvers. We get up in the morning, and all day long we are solv- ing problems. Some problems we can solve one time, like how to tie our shoes. But new problems always come up, so it's such an important skill. Stu- dents are capable of being great prob- lem solvers, they just need the commit- ment and perseverance to understand the problem and find a resolution. Matties: What is your role in terms of actually building the unit? Are you hands-on? Manes: I teach each one of those kids and they build the robot. ere's also a lot of "off season" training that we do with students. We find opportunities to ensure that every student, even the ones up in the bleachers right now, have touched robots. For example, we started try- ing to create a powder coat oven about three years ago, before the pandemic, because the robots are powder-coated black. Because I have a lot of students, this was an oppor- tunity for some of them to get their hands on a part of the robot. ey took ownership by finishing the powder coat oven and learned how to pow- der coat. Matties: I was talking to your student Dylan, and he was so excited that they were design- ing, CNCing machine parts, and powder coat- ing. ese are the kinds of things that you don't think about in a program like this, but it really does create opportunity for everybody. ROBOTICS TEAM SPECIAL REPORT