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Last updated on Friday, September 30, 2016
(INDIANAPOLIS) - IndyRAGE Statewide Event Pits Girls High School Robotics Teams students driving experience against each other.
Cyber Blue, the robotics team at at Perry Meridian High School, will be hosting the second annual ALL GIRLS IndyRAGE robotics event on Saturday, October 1. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and the event will conclude by 6 p.m.
The Focus of IndyRAGE is to provide opportunity for female team members (students and mentors) to have any and every role on their team, work with professional female role models, and encourage other females to pursue their interests in science, technology and math fields. The name RAGE comes from shortening the name Robotics All Girls Event.
The game being played at Indy RAGE is the FIRST FRC 2016 game "Stronghold". It is a medieval-themed challenge with the goals of capturing the opponent's castle. To do so, alliances of three robots must successfully traverse complex defenses, shoot foam boulders into tower goals, and surround the castle at the conclusion of the match by hanging from 6 foot high metal bars.
Julie Boyce is a Mentor on Cyber Blue says, "When we were planning the first IndyRAGE, I wasn't really sure if the event would have that much of an impact on the girls. However, as I walked around and talked to the girls during the event, I found out just how engaged they were. They were excited to take control and not have their male teammates looking over their shoulders. They enjoyed the open discussion luncheon with the female engineers. Watching the girls take charge of the robots at the IndyRAGE event was awesome. When I asked if they would be interested in coming back next year they all said "Oh Yeah, we will be here"."
Haley Sellhorn was new to the team for the 2015 IndyRAGE "IndyRAGE was my first competition I attended last year, and it was amazing to see girls doing everything. At other competitions it's like all guys. So seeing girls driving, operating, and working on the robot made me really think that I could do that."
Alivia Shake is a 3rd year member on Cyber Blue, "IndyRAGE gives girls an opportunity to experience robotics without the pressure of their male team mates."
Veronica Strange, a sophomore student at Center Grove High School said, "I am really excited for RAGE this year. RAGE is a great event to bring girls from all different teams together. I am looking forward to being able to meet other girls who are also as enthusiastic about STEM as I am and talk to them about the competition and their robotics teams. I am also really looking forward to being able to drive the robot during the competition."
Imogen Horne, a freshman on the Red Alert Robotics team said, "I am really excited that there is an all girls event for FRC. I think it is a great opportunity for girls that might be scared to get involved in the engineering or competition side of things. As a freshman, I think it will be exciting to be able to go to an all girls event for my first time participating in an FRC competition."
Claire Kuntz, a freshman student at Center Grove High School said, "RAGE is an awesome all girls event. We can better associate ourselves with the girls on our own teams as well as from other teams that attend. It is a fantastic way for us to learn about the other girls involved in robotics and make many new friends that share the same interests. This presents the possibility for us to get to work with the robots and learn more than we ever could before. This event will further inspire us to take charge in the fields of STEM throughout our lifetime."
Morning Bolger, an 8th grader at Center Grove Middle School Central, member of FTC, but an enthusiastic supporter of FRC and RAGE, has said, "RAGE inspires all kinds of girls to become involved and immerse themselves in the world of STEM; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Being the all girls experience that RAGE is, it introduces the idea that girls can be anything they want to be. It doesn't matter what they enjoy, or how they spend their spare time. RAGE is an opportunity that every girl wants; a way to make friends with the same interests without being embarrassed about anything. RAGE is a great idea and inspires people to be themselves."
Currently 16 FRC teams are registered from around Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Here is the team list:
EVENT: Indy RAGE, High School Robotics Competition
WHERE: Perry Meridian High School, 401 W. Meridian School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46217
WHEN: October 1, 2016
ADMISSION: No charge and open to the public
For your safety some areas require humans to wear safety glasses. If you have your own, please bring them. If you don't, we will gladly supply you with a pair to wear.
Saturday October 1, 2016
Two Lunch time panel discussions are planned:
During the lunch break, there will be a speed mentoring session where the female team members will move table to table and ask questions. Speed Mentors stay in one place, and will speak with different groups of students as they move around the room at preset time intervals.
Sponsor Information
IndyRAGE is sponsored by Cyber Blue, Perry Meridian High School, Rolls-Royce and AndyMark. Many of the volunteers are from Rolls-Royce and Roche in Indianapolis and Cummins in Columbus.
This competition is part of the larger organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and their FIRST Robotics Competition for high school students. Over 3500 teams and 78000 students and professional mentors across the world (including places like Canada, Mexico, China, Israel, and Australia), will be participating in District, Regional, and State-level events in hopes of qualifying for the 2017 FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, MO. and Houston, TX.
FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
FIRST robotics competition combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, robotics teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. These competitions create "real-world engineering" experiences for all participating students.
In addition to teacher mentors, volunteer professional mentors lend their time and expertise to help guide the work and development by each FIRST robotics team. For more information about this event, or FIRST Robotics, please contact: Renee Becker-Blau, IndianaFIRST Executive Director, at 414 704-1415. Additional information is also available at the website: http://www.indianafirst.org/ or http://www.firstinspires.org/.
About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $25 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST LEGO League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST LEGO League Jr. for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.firstinspires.org/.
About IndianaFIRST
IndianaFIRST is an organization dedicated to growing FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs in the state of Indiana. FIRST is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform our culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. Founded in the fall of 2001 as the Indiana-based affiliate of FIRST, IndianaFIRST brings FIRST programming to students in grades K-12, teaching them hands-on skills in engineering, science, and technology that they can relate back to their class work. Kids compete against other kids in district, state, and world championship competitions in what is frequently called "The Super Bowl of Smarts."
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