Program blends baseball, robotics
The Texas Torque robotics team is hard at work — selling as many tickets as possible for the Houston Astros gameon June 29.
The team members representing Conroe Independent School District have their hearts set on opening the baseball game — by letting the robot they created throw the first pitch.
“Texas Torque” is the nickname of Team 1477 — a group of students primarily from The Woodlands High School, the Academy of Science and Technology, College Park High School and Oak Ridge High School. Membership is also open to neighboring school districts and homeschooled teens.
The students are regular competitors at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics World Championship — and they are on a mission to share their love of the competition with as manypeople as possible.
An Astros game would give them the opportunity to reach an even wider audience, said 17-year-old Matthew Bartell.
Bartell, who will serve as team captain for the 2015 robotics season, said the “FIRST Pitch” event will be similar to the outreach program the team hosted last August at Minute Maid Park.
He explained that Texas Torque invites teams from across the city to bring their robots to the game. They set up in “Robot Dugouts,” which would be stationed around the stadium. The robots would demonstrate their capabilities — throwing balls and launching Frisbees.
To participate, the Astros staff requires teams to sell 40 tickets. If the combined tickets sales for all the teams participating in the program exceeds 1,000, Texas Torque may be allowed to make the first pitch at the start of the game.
“Theidea is to bring all these robotics teams to the limelight at a sporting event,” Bartell said. “All of the teams do small outreach programs, but we wanted to do something really big.”
He explained that normally the teams will speak to other students about the benefits of getting involved in robotics. At those outreach events, the students are generally already interested in science, electronics or mechanics.
At the ballpark, the teams want to reach a whole newgroup of kids and get them excited about science.
“You really are getting a very different crowd at a Houston Astros
game than at a small elementary school,” Bartell said.
He said he hopes that the presence of the robotics teams at the baseball game not only motivates students to join their local teams — but also that adults become interested in mentoring or sponsoring the groups.
Bartell, a junior at the Academy of Science and Technology, has served as an outreach leader for Texas Torque for the past two years — and said he has seen firsthand that robotics can change a student’s life.
“It really does push you in many more directions,” he said. “It’s a great way to grow.”
Bartell said that it is not uncommon for students to change their minds about future careers after participating in the robotics program.
For those already contemplating a job in the sciences, the program often cements their decision, he added.
Bartell said students learn to communicate better and that joining a robotics team builds their ability to work together for creative problem-solving.
“You’re not just solving math and science problems,” he said. “You’re working together with a team of 50 people. It’s a challenge but it’s also a great skill to have.”
Jason Ball, physics and electronics teacher at the Academy, said the robotics program offers a great introduction to several science concepts.
“They learn all these things in physics class — force, torque, mechanical concepts — and this gives them a chance to put it all into practice,” he said. “Learning it in theory is one thing — and applying it is a totally different concept.”
Scott Rippetoe, lead mentor for Texas Torque, explained that one of the goals of the robotics program is to build an interest in careers in science and technology.
“We’re not only building robots — we’re supposed to get people excited about robotics,” he said.
Rippetoe has been involved as amentor with the team since 2007 — three years after it was formed — but he began sponsoring and helping robotics teams in 1998.
He retired from being a physics teacher at the Academy last year. Nowhe works in Conroe ISD starting robotics teams on various campuses.
This year, Rippetoe helped establish 20 new teams. “I thought it was a success just to get the teams going,” he said.
The new teams have already been successful at area competitions, Rippetoe added, and Texas Torque continues to be a rolemodel for others in the district.
Rippetoe said his job is to encourage as many students as possible to pursue careers in science and engineering— and robotics is the perfect platform.
“Robotics is like dinosaurs— it’s magic for kids,” he said.