FIRST robotics team receives sponsor upgrade

The Label Printers of Aurora, Illinois will once again sponsor the Robovikes team of Geneva High School for this year’s FIRST robotics competition. Last year, through the support of The Label Printers and a growing interest from enthusiastic students, Geneva organized their first ever robotics team with great success. Bill Kane, C.E.O. of The Label Printers, said, “we thought that the program was excellent and were very proud of the Robovikes when they made it to the Midwest Regional’s final round in their equivalent of the Elite Eight. This year we’re looking forward to expanding our participation, and helping Geneva build their robotics program.”

Mary Keyzer, Social Studies teacher at Geneva High School who will be the team’s faculty organizer and champion, is looking forward to reassembling and improving her team of aspiring engineers. Keyzer said, “all of the kids who participated last year, except our graduated seniors, are planning on returning again this year. And because we’re starting sooner, and know more about how the program works, we’re very excited about the opportunity to do more, get more kids involved, get the community involved, and have as much fun as we did last year. It was a blast.”

Since 1989, FIRST has gained momentum as a valuable program for motivating students to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The amount of creativity and dedication these students put into their projects primes them for future success as industry professionals. For instance, Rohan Jhunjhunwala, the mechanical engineering student who is currently developing a robotics system for the elephants at the Oregon Zoo that I discussed in a previous blog, was an active member of his school’s FIRST robotics team. His involvement with the FIRST program inspired him to branch out and independently pursue other challenges, which led to his ambitious endeavor with the robotic zookeeper. The program gives students a taste of technology, making them hunger for more.

Geneva’s team will spend the next few months organizing, putting together their Business Plan, and going out into the community to gather support. They will receive their robot “kit” at the beginning of January, and then after only 6 weeks of building, put their design to the test at the February competition located at the UIC Pavilion.