Singapore Science Center: FRC Demonstration

FIRST General Forum
#41

Hey everyone!

My name’s Kate… I’m one of the students here in Singapore and I’m here to post about our stay so far.

So first of all, Singapore is BEAUTIFUL. Apparently it only takes 2 hours to get from one side of the country to the other, so they really use their space wisely. Our team is staying in Sentosa Island in a resort right next to the famous Merlion statue (it’s huge!). Last night, our first night here, we met up with several students from the Vex team here to have dinner at the Harbour Front Mall. The food court’s choices of food were like nothing I’ve ever heard of before, so you’d imagine that it was a tough decision on what to try. They taught me how to properly eat with chopsticks (although they use forks and spoons as much as chopsticks) and I even tried fried anchovies. We then were showed how their public transportation system works. It is SO much easier and efficient than in the states. Their cars all seem to be very nice and new… the technology level and architecture that I’ve seen so far has just been outstanding.

Today we’re visiting with the students at the Millennia Institute, a secondary school for kids from 17-19 years old (kinda like a high school). They have palm trees and flowers located all over the campus… did I mention that the entire place seems like you’re outdoors? It’s very different than what I’m used to. Later tonight we’ll be going to a steamboat dinner. I was told that we’ll pick the food that we want to eat and then we get to cook it ourselves! That should be fun.

In general, I’m just loving the experience here so far. I get to learn all about their culture and make all kinds of new friends andseeing ones that I met when they came to nationals in Atlanta for Vex in the past two years and for the Vex regional in Delaware last January. It’s definitely a trip that I won’t forget in this lifetime.

Any questions? :smiley:

#42

Hey everybody!

We’re finally to S’pore (Singapore)!! After 36 hours of flight we are so glad to be back on solid ground (especially such beautiful solid ground!) Though we’re exhausted we can’t help but be excited about all that we are already doing. Right now I’m writing from a computer lab at the Millennia Institue, a junior college were we are shadowing students ages 17-19. The school and its kids are awesome! They are very welcoming and really know how to treat a guest (we had catered lunch). Later tonight they are treating us to dinner on a steamboat, and tomorrow we will again shadow them. Hopefully we will be able to get some pics up soon to let you see exactly what we’re seeing.
Will post again soon!

#43

Mr. Ostrow posted more details about the trip so far on the Philly Inquirer Blog at http://tripsing.blogspot.com

#44

I love the quote about the students from both countries sitting together and how special the week will be. YaY
Jane

#45

We had such a crazy, busy day that I hope I can remember everything we did. First of all, the thing I remember most about today is the warmth of the people of Singapore. Thier sincere hospitality is one of the reasons we felt so confident about making this trip. Even if you have just met someone from Singapore, it feels like you are visiting with old friends.

I will try my best to convey what we did today and how it felt.

We woke up at 5:45 AM on Thursday morning and traveled to the Millenia Institute.

We started our day in the school Quadrangle for the opening of school. In Singapore all 1000 students start thier day by meeting in the Quadrangle to sing the national anthem and school song. It was a moving experience to see all of these exuberant kids singing together with such emotion in thier voices.

The campus itself is open and airy. The grounds are filled with flowers and so is Singapore for that matter. There is also the occasional coconut tree. We often had to step around fallen coconuts on our way to class.

At the end of the opening ceremony the principal introduced our team to the school and we exchanged gifts. After this our students and teachers learned about the Millennia Institute and and went on a tour of the school. It was during our tour of the P.E. facilities that one of our great moments of the day occurred. We stepped into a group dance class, expecting to sit in the back and watch. But when the Millennia students saw us, the whole gym erupted into applause and cheering. They invited our students to join the class and they danced together for quite some time. The sight of our kids dancing on the stage with the students and instructor was something I won’t forget. People from Singapore do not let you sit on the sidelines!

After the tour, our students went to different classes and the teachers met with representatives of the three Singapore Schools (Millennia Institute, Temasek Secondary and CHIJ Secondary) to map out a plan for our future exchanges. We also spent sometime working on “Miss Daisy” to get her ready for a full schedule of presentations.

Later, we all met for lunch and conversation in a conference room with our hosts and then attended a few more classes.
Then at 4:00 PM we went across the city to meet with a director of the US-ASEAN Business Council. (no that is not a misspelling, ASEAN is an Acronym). We are visiting with local business leaders in an effort to attract support for our program. We are particularly hoping that US companies that do business in Singapore will see the common interest and help fund future exchanges. I was feeling strangely tongue-tied today but the students picked up the slack and made an incredible presentation to the director. I was very proud.

After this presentation went to an awesome outdoor restaurant where you select your own dishes and cook then at your own table. The food and night air were both fabulous. After dinner we all went bowling and talked about our cultures in between the strikes, spares and gutter balls. It was a blast.

Finally, when hardly anyone could stand, we decided to return to our hotel for some much needed rest.

On Friday we have a robot demonstration for the students of MI and then the big presentation at the Singapore Science Center. I hope to write more details later.

#46

Congrats! good luck, and have lots of fun!

make sure to take a lot of pictures so everyone on CD can see what you guys did!

#47

hey guys, hope everyone is having a blast over there! here’s a few questions for ya: how different are classes over there than here? is the robot back together and working good now?

#48

Hello all,

Jared here (college mentor), it’s day 3 here (Friday or Thursday, depending on which side of the international date line you are sitting at the moment), and I’ve finally been able to get online after a busy day and a half.

The flight was not NEARLY as bad as I thought it could have been. Even though I didn’t sleep much, I didn’t feel dead when we landed in Hong Kong and Singapore, and in fact I think the thought of getting off the plane gave me energy anew.

After seeing the US, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore in one 36 hour span, I have a newfound outlook on the world in some ways. Looking out into vast expanses of wilderness, or into giant cities on the other side of the earth, you realize how much there really is to this planet. But at the same time, you realize that you’ve just travelled about as far as you possibly can around the globe without starting to wrap back around in only a day and a half - having now been directly across the world, I only now get the realization that it is finite. What looked so big on paper as a little child is in fact a mere plane ride away.

The first thing I noticed after landing was that all of the horror stories regarding Singapore’s laws and customs are greatly exaggerated. It was really no different than going back into the USA. We then checked into the Sijori Resort, a GORGEOUS hotel that used to be the British army headquarters on Sentosa Island. Everywhere you look you see palm trees, beaches, pristine buildings - this place is beautiful.

The rest of Wednesday was a bit of a jet-lagged blur. We walked around Sentosa for a bit, and saw some attractions we hope to do justice to in the coming days. Some of us napped. After dinner, I was about the most tired I have ever been in my life.

Thursday we went to the Millenia Institute, and I have to say that a school that was described to us as “run down” by Singapore standards is absolutely breathtaking. Much of the school is open - the cafeteria has no walls, for example. The reaction of the student body has been nothing short of jawdropping - we get applause wherever we go. This morning we went back and demonstrated Miss Daisy in front of 900 students, amidst laughter and no shortage of “oohs” and “ahhs”. To be so appreciated 15,000 miles from home? Amazing.

Last night we had Singaporean “fondue”, where you pick out raw meat and cook it over open flames. Then we walked through the town, and went bowling with our friends from SMART (the Singaporean robotics team). And when I say friends, I mean it - the interaction between our students and their peers from another hemisphere is as strong as anything you see in the halls of a high school.

Well, it’s back to work now - time to do some more demonstrations, see the countryside, and hang out with our buddies. I’ll try to update daily now that I’ve figured out how to get online.

#49

I’m so glad you are all having such a great time. Its wonderful to read about all your experiences…please keep it up. I keep holding this as a carrot to our team…see…maybe someday WE can do this…

#50

Hi, glad that everyone is having a great time here! :cool:

I’m pretty enthralled being able to see such a large sized bot live in action and I kinda appreciate the level of complexity it portrays, such as the use of pneumatics, gearshifting, closed loop feedback with encoders and especially the high velocity wheel. Looking at our own FRS competition for the past 3 years I’ve seen little variance in drive systems (most of the time its the standard 4WD) and other components used… I guess during the actual FRC competition there’ll be more exotic ideas and creative designs? :yikes:

Anyway, wish you guys have a good and safe stay over here :smiley:

#51

Thanks for attending our demonstration. We were very impressed with the wonderful questions from the audience and the hospitality that we received form everyone in attendance. Its also an amazing science center.
I’ll write more details later.
Thanks for writing!

#52

Jared here again, on Monday morning. Currently we are at Temasek secondary school in eastern Singapore, and we’re in the process of picking our jaws up off the floor. Let me just say that in the US, we are in trouble when the students we’ve been seeing all week enter the workforce: the educational system here is in many ways vastly superior to anything we have. The classes here have interested students, dedicated teachers, a LOT of technology, and you can really tell that the government/ministry of education care a lot about the kids. In the US, I think the government sometimes says it does, all the while diverting educational funding to other endeavors.

Now for some quick thoughts about this gorgeous, gorgeous place:

-Yesterday I was on the beach for most of the day, and it looked like I was in a postcard. Clear water, palm trees, resorts - just amazing. The kids we met earlier in the week came with us to the beach, and we had a great day together. However, despite twice re-applying SPF30, I’m a toasty red today. I guess that’s what you get for being 70 miles from the equator…

-People drive very aggressively, but they don’t seem to get angry when they get cut off or tailgated, for example. Very interesting.

-At the Science Center presentation, we got asked a LOT of technical questions - more than I can ever remember in dozens of demonstrations. Things like what kind of PID algorithms we used, the pros and cons of omniwheels, and a lot of questions that just reinforce that idea that those who think we in the US are the indisputed leaders in technology are in for a rude awakening.

-The tropical fruit here is delicious, but if anyone ever offers you something called a “durian”, RUN FAR AWAY! I’ve never tasted a fruit that reminded me of gasoline before, and I never plan on doing it again. And the smell… Things like the local starfruit, jackfruit, and papayas are, however, amazing.

I hope to post again soon!

#53

On Friday morning we took part in the opening of school at the Millennia Institute. After the flag raising ceremony, our team was introduced. The crowd of 1000 students made an aisle up the center of the outdoor quadrangle and our team put Miss Daisy to work.

We drove back and forth, spun the turret and fired balls into the crowd, while one of our mentors narrated the demonstration. The Millennia students had a blast shooting balls back into the top of the machine as we drove around. It was pure fun.

Our goal with this demonstration was to inspire kids to join the Singapore Vex team and to educate kids in general, about FIRST.

If the reaction of the crowd was any indication, there are going to be alot of new faces on the Singapore VEX team this year.

Later that day we went to the Singapore Science Center which I’ll discuss in my next post. Also we are hoping to start posting some pictures later today.

Talk to you soon.

Al Ostrow

#54

Later on Friday we packed up Miss Daisy, put all of our equipment in a “Lorry” (truck), our team in a bus, and made our way to the Singapore Science Center. This presentation was definitely one of the focal points of the trip.

Our audience was made up of students, teachers, professors, and community members from across the nation of Singapore. We had an audience of over 60 people for the 2 hour seminar.

Our Singapore partners started with an introduction to the VEX competition and a discussion of how Physics can be applied to the FIRST Robotics competition.

Then Team 341 explained the inner workings of the FIRST Robotics Competition through videos, robot demonstrations and discussions with the audience. The talk lasted the full two hours and the audience participation was tremendous.
One of the best moments came during the machine demonstration. The turret drive chain came off and the team went into action. Both students and mentors jumped in to work on the machine. We fixed the machine on the spot, while discussing what happens in the pit during a FIRST competition. The audience had the chance to see what really happens and everyone cheered after Miss Daisy started working again.
People stayed for over an hour after the seminar just to talk to team members and look inside the machine. Our kids did a great job of representing our team, FIRST and our Nation.

We were very proud!

More later!

#55

Hey Al, I have a question.

Its stupid, but is your team traveling with interpreters?

I am really impressive at what you and your students are doing over the other side of the world. Hope to hear more.

#56

http://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore
English is one of the official languages in Singapore.

#57

We still have lots of major events left on the calendar. Here are just a few.

  1. Demonstration for the students of Temasek Secondary
  2. Interview with Singapore Press
  3. Presentation at the US Embassy for the US Commercial Service
  4. Demonstration at CHIJ Secondary
  5. Presentation at the US Chamber of Commerce in Singapore

One of the secondary goals of this exchange trip is to convince US companies to support this exchange. We are seeking government help in identifying US companies that do regular business in Singapore.

There will also be many more gatherings with Singapore students, classroom exchanges, and tours around the country.
I think we are having that “hard fun” that Woody Flowers keeps talking about. :ahh:

P.S.
Freddy:
The English language has helped to make us feel right at home and eased our movement around the country.

#58

Wow, I wish I was there guys. Sounds Amazing!!! keep up the super awesome work!!!

p.s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!! what a present to be in singapore for your bday!!!

#59

So today, 22/08/06 in S’pore, consisted of another day of shadowing at Temasek Secondary School. After a breakfast of yummy chicken burgers provided by the school we followed our students to class. The two girls I was following today, Peirong and Sandy, brought me to math class, Chinese class, biology, and english. We had break where we visited the school store and bought the chinese version of a hackey sack. We then gave a presentation to their equivilant to 8th and 9th graders. They really seemed to enjoy the robot! We were then invited to stay and enjoy a short musical put on by a local group, Act 3, about harmony amoung the races of S’pore. It was really funny!

We are having a blast here and I hate to think I’ll have to leave soon. Anyone who is anyone has to make it to S’pore atleast once in their life time, it is not to be missed.

Love from S’pore!

P.S.
Check out Kate’s post about some of the foods we’ve been eating! It’s delicious!

#60

Hey again!

So we’re in Temasek Secondary School now for the second day. I’m just going to go a bit into detail about last night’s dinner.

After shopping in a mall for several hours, the group was taken to the East Coast Food Court in Bedok, which was more like maybe 50 mini “food huts” serving ALL KINDS of foods. I personally tried the following:

-BBQ STINGRAY (my favorite of the night :stuck_out_tongue: )
-BBQ SQUID
-OYSTER OMLETS

but other people in the group also tried duck, satay (meat on a stick), mango ice kechong, sugar cane juice, crayfish, and FRESH coconut (like they chop the top off right in front of you and you drink the milk with a straw and eat the meaty stuff afterwards). I really believe that I’m finally used to Singaporean cuisine and will actually miss it… but don’t get me wrong, I’ll be happy enough with cheesesteaks and pizza :smiley: That was definitely the most interesting birthday dinner I’ve ever had (shout out to Aaron for wishing me happy birthday!).

Our plans for the rest of the trip now are to visit CHIJ, an all-girls school who had students on the VEX team 46. Andrea and myself will get to have a homestay with girls on the team (so excited!).

Keep checking the posts! New and incredibly interesting things are happening to us every day!