STEM Robotics

CARMEN Commercial Real Estate Services & Duke Realty combined forces, donating time and space at Park 100 to IndianaFIRST.  The practice space provided for dozens of FIRST Robotics Competition Teams in Indiana to perfect their design and prepare for the 2012 FRC game, Rebound Rumble, in preparation for last weekends World Competition in St. Louis.

“The practice field was invaluable to our team this year.  It allowed us to work out the bugs of our robot so that we didn't have a single mechanical failure at the Boilermaker Regional,” said Scott Miller, Project Manager, FRC Team 829.  “It also allowed our drivers to have hours of practice driving the robot and it really showed in our performance.  Our team was able to go undefeated in qualification matches and seed first in the tournament. Many thanks from FIRST Team 829.”

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) challenges teams of young people and their professional mentors to solve a common problem presented in the form of a high-intensity, sport-like game. In just six short weeks, teams of 25-40 students are charged to design (using CAD software), manufacture, and build a human-sized robot capable of competing in the annual game. Teams made up of high school students, teachers, engineers, technologists, and other adult mentors compete with teams from around the world in what is commonly referred to as “The Super Bowl of Smarts”.

Longtime Board member and advocate of TechPoint Foundation for Youth (TPF4Y) programs, Chris Carmen, President of CARMEN Commercial Real Estate Services, worked to secure practice space for TPF4Y’s current philanthropic start-up, IndianaFIRST, who promoted the space to all Indiana FRC teams.

“CARMEN was thrilled that Duke Realty stepped in and generously provided space to these students who represent some of Indiana’s brightest,” said Chris Carmen.  “When you see these kids compete and the real-world learning involved in this program, it’s simply contagious, and we were happy to help secure a space for them to practice and appreciate Duke Realty’s generosity.”

Nine Indiana Teams won the chance to compete at the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championship:

o   Carmel High School, FRC #868-Winner of the Engineering Inspiration Award at Purdue’s Boilermaker Regional.

o   Center Grove High School, FRC #1741-Winner of the Engineering Inspiration Award at Queen City Regional.

o   Huntington County 4-H, FRC #1501-Alliance Winner at the Boilermaker Regional.

o   Perry Meridian High School, FRC #234-Alliance Winner at the Boilermaker Regional.

o   Knightstown HS & New Castle Career Center, FRC #3947-Winner of Rookie All-star Award at the Boilermaker Regional.

o   Kokomo High School, FRC #45 Alliance Winner at the Queen City Regional & Rookie All-star Winner

o   Michigan City & Marguette High School, #3936-Winner of Rookie Allstar Award at the Midwest Regional.

o   West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School, FRC #461, Winner of Chairman’s Award at Washington DC Regional.

Three teams from Stuart, Fla., Mountain Home, Ark., and North Brunswick, N.J. won the final showdown, earning the covetedFIRST Robotics Competition Championship Winning Alliance. Several other U.S. and international FIRST student robotics teams earned honors for design excellence, competitive play, research, business plans, website design, teamwork, and partnerships. (April 28, 2012, www.usfirst.org)

IndianaFIRST's mission is to inspire young people to be leaders in STEM industries by engaging them in exciting mentor-based robotics programs that build hard skills in science, engineering, and technology as well as valuable 21st century skills such as communication and critical-thinking.

TechPoint Foundation for Youth identified IndianaFIRST as one of its “Greenhouse Initiatives” in 2011, and pledged to assist the organization in its aggressive goal to provide access to high school level FRC programs to 50% of Indiana’s student population by 2015. TPF4Y’s support enabled IndianaFIRST to pilot a training and development program for 11 FRC rookie teams in 2011, preparing them for the 2012 competition.

 On Oct. 5, 2011 the TechPoint Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary and announced a new name, logo and mission to reflect its work and impact on Indiana’s future workforce. 

Marv Bailey is the Chairman of the Board for the Techpoint Foundation. He recently wrote this letter to supporters to give them insight into how the Techpoint Foundation is making a big impact on the Indianapolis community. We wanted to republish the letter here on the blog.

As the 2011 Board Chair, I want to take a few minutes to share just one of the many heartwarming stories from our New Tech High project, and introduce our next, equally inspiring social venture project: 

Joe Crandall, age 18

Joe Crandall has not had it easy in life, but you might not know it based on his life’s trajectory. Joe lost his mother at the age of 14, and has never had a meaningful relationship with his father who lives in another state. His maternal grandmother stepped in, though it has been tough for both of them because of limited physical and financial support. A shy, introverted youth in many ways, Joe came to believe that his education was the only way to improve their lives. He came to New Tech High in 2007, hoping for a chance to experience a new kind of learning. What he found was so much more: a family of students, teachers, staff and TechPoint Foundation mentors who supported him in ways that traditional education simply does not allow. Today, Joe attributes his academic success to constant challenges presented through rigorous coursework and dual-credit opportunities at IUPUI.  Joe will graduate in two short weeks as the Valedictorian with a 4.1 GPA beating out 2500 other Arsenal Tech High School students. Joe, a first generation high school graduate, will attend Purdue in the fall to study biology on a full ride scholarship.  He continues to work closely with the TechPoint Foundation College Coach who is helping him navigate the college enrollment and scholarship process.  

Our New Tech High project is wrapping up, as Joe and the first class of seniors start new chapters in their post-secondary lives. After four years, countless hours of staff and volunteer time, and more than $375,000 in financial support, TechPoint Foundation’s investment has paid off with 80% of our seniors graduating this spring.  New Tech High will graduate 34% more students than the IPS district average and will send more students directly into post-secondary education opportunities: 75% of New Tech graduates have already enrolled in colleges or universities across the state.  

Thank you to those of you who gave your time, talent and treasure to help make this school a success. Now, let me introduce you to our next project.


Robots and Real-World Impact

After a competitive grant process, the Foundation selected IndianaFIRST as its next multi-year venture. IndianaFIRST inspires young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting extracurricular robotics programs that build science, engineering and technology skills. 

We are excited by the fast-paced, real-world applications of competitive robotics programs and their impact on youth. We’ll leverage TechPoint Foundation’s human and financial resources within our communities to partner with IndianaFIRST, helping this organization achieve scale in Indiana through:

• expansion of extracurricular robotics programs for K-12 youth,

• increased opportunities for mentors and volunteers to inspire students to pursue STEM careers, 

• connection of corporations and community members to STEM related philanthropic opportunities,

• establishment of competitive grants for student teams in need of initial and sustaining financial support, and

• creation of collaborative training and educational spaces to support year-round STEM programming.

Since 2001, TechPoint Foundation has served as an intermediary between the Indianapolis technology community and underserved populations. We connect people and dollars, multiplying resources to help programs such as IndianaFIRST influence youth. We need your help to build the talented, creative workforce of the future for all of our Indiana communities. 

We look forward to sharing this next chapter with you.