Eating lead in 2000

[archiver]

Posted by Frank.

Coach on team #97, Psychedelics, from CRLS and MIT.

Posted on 6/1/99 7:50 PM MST


In Reply to: Daniel and Frank... posted by Joe Johnson on 5/31/99 8:48 PM MST:



I'd really like to think that there are a lot more people in FIRST that are just as excited and motivated about it
as we are. It all comes from the program though. Four and a half years ago, I had no aspirations to go to
MIT or even to study engineering. WildStang and the FIRST program really turned that around and I became
really involved -- as everyone knows by now :-)

I think the key to that was student participation. the Motorolans let us work out the strategy and design,
make our own prototypes, and were there every step of the way for us that first year. We all got so much
out of it and it really guided many of us into engineering. I agree with Daniel that it's about the student's
involvement. It's one thing to be inspired by the great engineers, but it's another to see that you can
actually DO engineering.

One girl on our team had a great quote in our Chairman's submission. It was along the lines of her
being intimidated by engineering and after being on FIRST and actually desigining and building in the
shop, she realized that Engineering isn't just for smart, geeky people. That's not doing justice to the quote,
but I don't have the submission at home with me.

Dean talks about inspiration all the time, and it's important. But participation and involvement should
always be the number one goal. What's a great robot if the students never touched it. They could say that
their engineers were great, but I know they'd feel cheated and wouldn't get the outstanding experience
that they could have.

FIRST is an amazing program that has changed SO many lives. Student participation is the key to this.
The students must know they can do it to suceed.

See many of you at Rumble this summer!! I'm coming out with the WildStangers!

Frank Bentley
Team 97 - MIT/CRLS '99
Team 111 - WildStang '96-'98