Outreach, TalksBy Nate Laverdure

3D printing for therapists

Triple Helix presented at the Virginia Occupational Therapy Association’s 2018 School System Symposium.  The focus of our presentation was how therapy professionals can use skills and tools of “makers,” including 3d printing, to make customized products for interventions with their patients.  Our partner in this presentation was Maryland FTC team Green Machine Reloaded; this team presented on their work with the Go Baby Go program.

Abstract: “Makers” use the engineering problem solving process, and their hands, to bring their ideas to life. The competitive high school FIRST robotics teams Triple Helix Robotics and Green Machine Reloaded share the makerspace techniques to rapidly design and create assistive devices. The two teams will demonstrate the tools and technical skills used to 3D print small plastic objects as well as how to modify ride-on toy cars to create low-cost adapted mobility equipment.

Handout

AwardsBy Triple Helix

Woodie Flowers submission 2018

Triple Helix students are proud to publish this Woodie Flowers Award nominating essay for our mentor Todd Ferrante.

Todd Ferrante has been a dedicated mentor to our team since 2011. As a systems integration engineer at NASA Langley, he is beyond well-equipped to teach and inspire a love of engineering in students. Through his abilities to motivate, communicate, and problem solve, his patience with students and mentors, and his willingness to lead, he has developed our team culture into one of universal respect, professionalism, and unending support.

Mr. Ferrante is a master of motivation. “He encourages everyone to give their own ideas and opinions. If you ask him how something will be done, instead of telling you, he asks you how you think it should be done,” says Justin. “He always makes sure we know what we’re doing. At competitions, he calmly talks to us about what he thinks may be wrong. If someone messes up, he will help them find a solution calmly. He never blames anyone for anything,” says Aaron. Any question asked is answered to the best of his ability and given his full attention. “He values the opinions of everyone and never dismisses any idea or question,” says Adam.

Mr. Ferrante’s ability to communicate has led him to become the drive team coach, in addition to his role as a mechanical subteam mentor. “He’s always super proud of every match, even if we perform poorly. He’s very nice about correcting our mistakes, and when we all get really tired he keeps us focused,” says Rachel. “ Even if we lose a match, he’s always at the sidelines, cheering us on, and is happy at what we accomplished,” says Gabe.

Mr. Ferrante is dedicated to creating an encouraging and healthy team environment. “He can correct you with a kind word, and encourage you to do better, even when you are giving it your all. Mr. Ferrante has, in all probability, corrected me hundreds of times. But I always welcomed it, and needed it, because he showed me how to be better through positive reinforcement. He was the perfect leader for a drive team, because he could keep a level head to give us coherent feedback, and also figured out how to convey that feedback in a positive way,” says alumnus Aaron. “He’s always very happy when he’s at meetings. He consistently does his best to create a positive environment for all of the students and welcomes everyone with open arms. He pushes us to do everything we can and make the most out of every situation. He never backs down from a challenge and brings his A-Game to any situation he’s thrown into,” says Adam.

One essay will never be enough room for us to express our gratitude for all of the heart and soul Mr. Ferrante has poured into our team. His constant dedication and enthusiasm for Triple Helix and FIRST have gone beyond the scope of mentorship. He’s become a role model and inspiration to everyone he’s worked with, and has changed our team from a group of nerds to a family. As each year produces more graduates, our family grows, and with it our awareness of how lucky we are to work with such an exceptional mentor as Todd Ferrante.

AdministrativeBy Nate Laverdure

Our thoughts on the NNPS Superintendent Search Survey

Triple Helix head coach Nate Laverdure offered his perspective on a public survey produced by the school board of Newport News Public Schools regarding qualities desired in the district’s next superintendent.

Friends of Triple Helix,

Newport News Public Schools is currently conducting a search for its next superintendent. This search includes the opportunity for parents, students, staff, and the NNPS community to make comments about the qualities they wish to see in the next superintendent. Comments can be made via two public hearings as well as this online survey [link removed] until January 21– less than 2 weeks from now.

Please join us in spending a few minutes to complete the survey. As you contribute your comments, we hope you’ll consider ways that the next superintendent of Newport News Public Schools may enhance Triple Helix’s mission to draw students into STEM careers by providing them an unrivaled experience of working alongside industry professionals, cooperatively solving tough problems and helping to deepen their understanding of the skills needed to be a top contributor to the emerging knowledge economy.

We hope you’ll include a few words in your survey response to convey how valuable STEM programs like FIRST are. Here are our specific recommendations.

9. What is the one talent or skill that the new superintendent should have to do this job well?
The new superintendent should be an advocate for flexibility and innovation in school systems, with an ability to draw together community stakeholders who have a mutual vested interest in growing capable and motivated learners.

10. In your opinion, what should be a key priority for the new superintendent moving forward?
Within his or her Agenda for Public Education, the next superintendent should prioritize a comprehensive program for modern STEM education that extends well beyond the classroom; such a program may include the the following measures:

  • In collaboration with the school board, add a budget line item for support of the STEM competition teams which provide NNPS students an unrivaled experience of working alongside industry professionals, cooperatively solving tough problems and helping to deepen their understanding of the skills needed to be top contributors to the emerging knowledge economy.
  • With nonprofit and corporate community partners, establish a development and outreach facility for NNPS STEM competition teams; such a facility would also leverage Title IV Part B – 21st Century Community Learning Center federal funds to link together and amplify the successful STEM outreach being done by existing local organizations for the benefit of a greater community of NNPS students.
AdministrativeBy Nate Laverdure

Fundamental resource archive

Compiled by mentor Nate Laverdure in fall 2016, this document lists the top resources that have been helpful in his growth as an engineer and a mentor.  They are representative of his interests and opinions, and therefore lean towards mechanical systems and fabrication techniques.

Taken together, they constitute his idea of an archive of fundamental resources (papers, presentations, videos, websites, etc) which are essential to being “good at robots” in modern FRC. The idea isn’t quite right– in truth, every team has the capability for designing and fielding excellent winning robots regardless of how well-developed their library of knowledge is. However, compiling these resources gives new FRC designers a significant leg up by rapidly exposing them from lessons learned from hundreds of people, some of them with over two decades of experience in this competitive robotics program.

The biggest thing to learn from these resources is simple: that nothing in FRC is so complex or far advanced that it can’t be understood by anyone willing to put in the time to understand it.

Document