At the 2014 Championship, they announced that the 2015 Championship would be bigger – taking up three venues instead of just one. A very reasonable conclusion from that is that there will be more divisions at each level, and in particular more than 4 divisions for FRC next year. I’ve heard competing rumors that there will be either 6 or 8 divisions in FRC. My question for the community is:
What names would you like to see used for new divisions?
My personal top choices are Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, and Grace Hopper, who developed the first compiler.
Additionally, I believe that at least half of the divisions at each level (FLL, FTC & FRC) should be named after women. That means for FRC, if they add two, they should both be women, and if they add four, at least three should be women.
Henrietta Leavitt, the astronomer who created the method for measuring the size of the universe.
Alan Turing,
A Turing machine is a hypothetical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite its simplicity, a Turing machine can be adapted to simulate the logic of any computer algorithm, and is particularly useful in explaining the functions of a CPU inside a computer.
He could be our Michael Sam?
Karel Capek,
Why not an artist? Gave us the word Robot.
None of these names have the recognition that that the current divisions have. That is an issue.
History is written by the victors.
Some of the students on my team tackled this question as a team brainstorming session over dinner Friday at champs… and our Dean’s List winner already managed to find a way to send in our suggestions to HQ. We fully agree that half all divisions should be named for women, especially since there was such a big focus on women at champs this year.
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper is famous for her contributions to computer programming. She worked on the Harvard Mark I computer and created the first compiler for programming. Her work led to the development of the programming language, COBOL. She coined the term “debugging” based upon removing a real moth from a computer. As a reflection of her immense impact and dedication to the advancement of computer science, she earned the nicknames “Amazing Grace” and the “Mother of Programming.”
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female in the United States to graduate from medical school and the first woman listed on the UK Medical Register. She persevered through many rejections from medical schools and hospitals who didn’t think women belonged in medicine. After earning the respect of her fellow students and even professors, she went on to promote women in education especially in the medical field. She was also a social activist and an abolitionist.
Dame Jane Goodall is famous for her 45 years of research of chimpanzees in the wild. She discovered chimpanzees use tools and the research of their behavior led to advancements in human psychology. Her mission is to irradicate animal testing and cruel exhibition of all animals, especially the chimpanzees. She is also a tireless advocate of environmental conservation. (However, she is still alive, which is different from all the other division names.)
Nicola Tesla is famous for his development of Alternating Current, the Niagra Falls electrical plant and numerous inventions. He created the foundation for radio and a better light bulb. Simply put, he was a visionary. Most importantly, he had a spirit of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, evidenced by his opinion that electricity should be free. Although, he is not a woman, he would make an excellent addition to the esteemed group of scientists celebrated by having a FRC division named in their honour.
I’d like to see a Schrodinger Division. Since we no longer can make jokes about the Curie Curse, it would be fun to see a division that may or may not be alive, real, etc.
Euler, Euclid, Darwin, da Vinci, Edison, Tesla, Aristotle, Plato, etc. Just google famous scientists/mathematicians/philosophers/etc and you have yourself a decent list to choose from.
