Meet the teens behind the bots

The Science Mill is thrilled to have members of The Spring Konstant, a FIRST Robotics Competition Team at Dripping Springs High School, join us for Robotics Day on May 14! We chatted with four teammates—sophomore Alexa and freshmen Gavin, Shaun, and Marshall—who shared their experiences and advice for kids interested in trying robotics.

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Balls fly toward hoops as the crowd cheers, players dodging each other to line up shots. Fans hold their breath as competitors try to grab a bar high above before the clock ticks down. Welcome to the world of FIRST Robotics Competition, where teams of teens design, build and operate custom robots to take on challenging tasks.

Gavin witnessed the excitement of a FIRST Robotics Competition when his older sister participated. “It was intense and complex; I was already interested in STEM and I knew I wanted to have that experience, too.” As a 4th or 5th grader, Shaun also saw a competition and was fascinated. “I thought, ‘The second I’m in high school, I’m doing that!’ I remember seeing this wild set up with an Xbox controller and a mass of wiring and wondering what was going on. Looking back, it now makes sense to me how that would all go together.” For Marshall, joining the robotics team built on his childhood love of LEGO engineering sets. “It was a new outlet to tap that interest and apply engineering skills to real world problems.”

Alexa’s reaction to robotics competitions was a little different. “I thought it was nerdy!” she confesses with a laugh. She first learned about the program from her cousins, but a computer science teacher encouraged her to give it a second look. “I had this idea that you had to be super smart in STEM to do robotics. Really, it’s about working hard and having a positive mindset to take on new challenges.”

All four teens emphasize that you do NOT need a background in engineering or programming to join a robotics team. The season starts with rapid prototyping sessions and clinics to build skills in five key areas: electronics; tools/hardware; programming/software; computer-aided design (CAD), which allows them to create their robot virtually and send out specs to manufacture custom parts; and business, which includes developing pitch presentations and securing sponsors. Later, different schools meet up for team-to-team coaching clinics. “Sometimes it’s just easier to understand things from a peer,” the teens note. By the end of the training period, everyone has earned an OSHA certification—after all, they’ll be the ones running a workshop full of serious fabrication tools once the big build starts.

The official kick-off event in January reveals that year’s game from FIRST. This includes the layout of the playing arena, tasks the robots will be required to complete, possible points teams can earn for different tasks, and restrictions they’ll need to follow. For the 2021-22 season, robots needed to shoot balls into a hoop that is 8 ft. 8in. high and climb up a set of vertical bars, the tallest at 7 ft. 7in. Robots could weigh up to 120 pounds and be a maximum 4 ft. 6 in. tall at the start of a match, with no parts more than 16 in. past the base—a restriction that meant any “arms” for the climbing challenge had to be fully retractable.

How each team decides to interpret the requirements is part of the game. “There are lots of ways to solve the same problem. Crazy ideas can be solutions and it’s fun to surprise everyone with stuff you never thought robots could do,” says Shaun. For instance, do you turn your robot to shoot a ball or design a rotating turret to shoot from any position? Have a human operator line up shots or use a computer-guided system to calculate distance, speed, and angle? Build an extra-speedy intake to scoop up multiple balls? Create a catapult to hit the higher hoop that’s worth more points? One team this season wowed everyone with a robot that sprang straight to the highest (and highest scoring) rung in the climb challenge.

Even when a wild idea works, it might not make the final cut. “At the start of the season, our team split into groups to work on different tasks,” Alexa explains. “While the independent parts were good, we discovered later they didn’t go together.” The team realized they needed to improve their communication for a successful season. “You’re all working on one problem—how to build this robot—and you have to solve it with collaboration,” adds Marshall. “It makes you realize that, outside of robotics, you can meet other problems better with collaboration, too.”

Collaboration and communication play a crucial role in the competition as well, thanks to FIRST Robotic’s unique 3-on-3 game play: any three robots can be put together at random to face off against three others. “So even though it’s a competition, it's not about rivalry; it’s alliances and you really work with everyone,” says Alexa. Teams have just 10 minutes to talk through their bots’ strengths and weaknesses and agree on a strategy to rack up points. For example, one robot might need to play defense, while another robot focuses on scoring hoops. To earn ranking points, which qualify teams for state and world competitions, at least two of the group’s three robots had to successfully climb. “You literally can’t do it alone,” Gavin emphasizes. “Our mentor Dr. E [a local software engineer for Intel] likes to say it’s not about being the best team or having the best robot. It’s about the team spirit and the experience you get participating in the whole process.”

Watch Spring Konstant and their Red Alliance in a 3-on-3 match

Along with team building and meeting new people, the teen’s favorite parts of robotics are also some of the most challenging. “Nothing goes right the first time!” they joke. “You think something will go together so well…and it doesn’t,” shares Shaun. “You solve one problem, and it just creates more issues with the next step.” But they agree this makes it even more satisfying when things do finally work. Gavin and Marshall look back fondly now on the frustration of taking apart the robot’s gearbox ten times. Alexa recalls the triumph of cracking the trigonometry behind a bar-skipping climb. Being part of robotics has pushed them all to try new things that go beyond circuits and code, including developing their identities as leaders. Through outreach events like Robotics Day at the Science Mill, the team introduces younger kids to engineering and programming concepts.

What comes after the robotics team? Shaun is interested in aerospace engineering, while Marshall is intrigued by microchips and may pursue electrical engineering. Robotics has helped Alexa realize how her knack for programming could amplify her passion for health science, perhaps developing software for medical machinery. Gavin thinks he’ll likely go into engineering, but is quick to point out that their experiences on the team go beyond that. “You don’t need to do engineering as a career to benefit from robotics; STEM skills are needed in any job, to help you look at things in new ways.”

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What's it like being a beekeeper?

STEM career INTERVIEW with Michael Mendez

Meet Michael Mendez, Texas beekeeper. Along with his own beeyard in Creedmore, Mike manages hives for Jester King Brewery and Community First! Village, where he also teaches beekeeping. When locals need a swarm relocated or beekeeping advice, Mike is the go-to guy.    

Mike and his beekeeping gear return to the Science Mill on Saturday, April 23 for Butterfly Bonanza & Pollinator Pals—stop by to ask him your beekeeping questions!

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How did you get started in beekeeping?

I’ve had an interest in nature since I was a kid and always loved being outdoors. Growing up in San Antonio, I got involved with the bird banding program at Mitchell Lake. By the time I was 18, I’d completed all the requirements to become a Texas Master Naturalist.

Beekeeping was right up my alley, but it still kind of happened by chance. My landlord was interested in beekeeping, and I helped him get set up. We had a master beekeeper visit one day; I learned so much watching how he handled the hive and he encouraged me to jump in. I started attending Texas Beekeeper Association meetings, reading everything I could, weeding through YouTube videos to find the best resources, and took the plunge starting my own hives. For the last decade, I’ve managed anywhere from a few to twenty hives at a time. Now I’m a step away from completing my own Texas Master Beekeeper certification.

What tools do you use as a beekeeper?

I currently keep my bees in Langstroth hives; those are the vertically stacked boxes you’ve probably seen. I’m thinking, however, about starting some top bar hives this season. They’re V-shaped, like a trough, and the bees attach their comb directly to tapered bars that hang down from the top. It’s like a single-story house where bees can travel front to back, so there’s less heavy lifting to check on the bees or harvest honey.

Protective gear is a must. You need a veil for your face and eyes and ideally a suit to cover your arms. The smoker helps keep you and the bees safe, too. There’s some debate around what smokers do. From my observations, the smoke helps block guard bees’ alarm pheromones. And if you wait a moment, the bees will start eating their nectar stores—they think it’s a fire and are preparing to evacuate. They’re focused on that job, so you can focus on yours.

There are lots of cool beekeeping gadgets. Bees use propolis (plant resin mixed with wax) to seal the hive, so you need a hive tool for unsticking and prying frames out. Queen cages are neat: they help you safely introduce a new queen while the other bees get used to her smell. I like to carry a magnifying glass, too, for getting a closer look.

Mike’s beekeeping tools in action

What skills do beekeepers need?

Observe, observe, observe! That’s true with rearing any kind of livestock: you need to spend time with the animals, get to know their behaviors, understand what their baseline looks like and see what signals a change.

Beekeepers also need a strong understanding of bee biology. The bee life cycle, from egg to adult, is my key to decoding problems; I can see where there’s a break in that cycle. I have a mental checklist when I visit a hive: I go through what’s supposed to be there and in what stage—brood, adult bees, wax, comb, nectar, pollen, honey—then compare that to what I actually see (or what’s missing) to identify issues.

One of my favorite things about beekeeping is that it’s totally in the moment. This is high-focus work. You’re looking for eggs smaller than a grain of rice or a queen who blends in with the comb, all while bees buzz around and warning pheromones burn your eyes. You need to stay calm, stay focused, and move methodically. Working with bees trains you to be a strategic thinker, so you can respond quickly in the moment—like planning ahead how you’ll reach your car keys if you encounter an aggressive hive!

Chatting with Science Mill visitors at last year’s Butterfly Bonanza event

STEM CAREER SPOTLIGHT

So: could beekeeping be a good fit for you?

Here are some key interests and skills related to beekeeping; if these sound like you or are things you’d like to develop, beekeeping could be a good match:

• Curious about how things grow and cycles of change

• Enjoy working outdoors

• Like insects and plants

• Strong observation skills

• Analytical thinker

• Able to maintain focus in the moment

• Good manual dexterity / enjoy working with your hands

You might also be interested in STEM fields similar to beekeeping, such as careers in agriculture, horticulture, animal science and natural resources. Our Explorer Zone episode on the Aquaponics Greenhouse has some good recommendations to check out. Beekeeping is also a great example of a STEM career where you build skills through on-the-job experience, rather than in a formal classroom setting. If that appeals to you, look into STEM fields that include trade schools and on-the-job apprenticeships – for example, solar electrician/solar installer.

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MORE TO EXPLORE

• Butterfly Bonanza & Pollinator Pals on April 23

• Follow Mike’s beekeeping adventures on Instagram: @beekeeper_mike_mendez

• 13 ways to help bees and butterflies

• Make your yard a pollinator pit stop

• Texas Master Naturalist program – A big inspiration for Mike; program volunteers will be joining the Science Mill for Butterfly Bonanza, so you can learn more, too!

• iNaturalist – Mike uses this out in the field to identify native bee species and other wildlife

• Xerces.org – The latest news and ways to get involved with bee and pollinator conservation

Simple Machines Olympics

This Spring Break, the Science Mill is exploring the science behind your favorite sports with two-weeks of heart-pumping activities. Start training with this intro to the six simple machines that help our bodies, inside and out.

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Two unlikely things that have a lot in common: the Olympics and the Science Mill’s Incredible Ball Machine. Sure, both are filled with thrills and spills. But behind the complex action, what they really share are simple machines.

Simple machines use energy to perform work. By harnessing the energy of motion, they make our work easier—like helping us move heavy loads or get somewhere faster with less effort.

In the Incredible Ball Machine, you’ll spot gears (wheel and axle), pulleys, slanted tracks (inclined planes), an auger (screw) and even a skateboard lever working together to keep balls in motion. (The only simple machine you won’t spot is a wedge.)

And at the Olympics? Winter or summer, you’ll see athletes team up with simple machines. Divers bouncing on boards, crews rowing with oars, and hockey players swinging sticks all put different types of levers to work. Some simple machines are obvious, like the wheels and axles that propel bike races; others are more hidden, like the pulleys used to control rigs in sailing competitions. And those snow-covered slopes that make for extreme skiing are really massive inclined planes!

The coolest simple machines, however, are inside the athletes’ bodies—and yours. Our bones, joints and muscles act as levers, with elbows and the balls of our feet as fulcrums. Ball-and-socket joints in our shoulders and hips aren’t true wheels and axles, but serve a similar function. (Wheels don’t really occur in living things; there’s an evolutionary dilemma of how to get nutrients to a free-moving part. But scientists have discovered a weevil with screw-and-nut knee joints!) Our tendons and kneecap form a pulley system that redirects force, keeping our bones from crunching together as we lift and bend the lower leg. Our teeth are an all-star team of tiny wedges.

As complex machines, our bodies do an amazing job of coordinating these simple machines with other systems; yet sometimes things go wrong. Misdirected forces may make work less efficient or cause strain and injury. Reminders to “lift with the legs” or “stand up straight” are actually ways to keep our body machines in balance. Understanding the simple machines at work in our bodies is important not only to athletes and trainers, but to many STEM careers, including surgeons, physical therapists, rehabilitation specialists, designers of orthotics and prosthetics, ergonomic analysts, biomedical engineers, and roboticists.

Via Quora (uncredited)

TRY IT AT HOME OR SCHOOL

Compete in the Simple Machines Olympics!
Check out our Explorer Zone video on the Incredible Ball Machine for info and inspiration, then choose how you want to compete:

• Design challenge – Come up with a Rube Goldberg-inspired contraption that uses multiple simple machines to complete a task in a wild way. Earn a perfect technical score (6/6) by incorporating an example from each of the six classes of simple machines; increase your style score with one point for every simple machine you use in total.

• Physical challenge – Create a hexathlon (aka a six-event competition) with an event for each of the six simple machines using everyday items. For example, who can prop a door open (wedge), untwist 10 jar lids (screw), push a box up a ramp (inclined plane), or complete a lap by scooter (wheel and axle) the fastest? Who can lift the most weight with a pulley? Who has the best aim using a broom (lever) to sweep a ball into a goal?
  

Career Connection
“Our computer models capture and calculate different exercises, so we can see which have high force and high stress on the joints…Something that works for one person may not work for another, and that holds true for different surgical techniques, different exercises and different rehab programs.”

– Dr. Naiquan (Nigel) Zheng, Biomechanics 3-D Motion Analysis, Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science, UNC-Charlotte

MORE TO EXPLORE

Science Takes the Field – Spring Break at the Science Mill, March 7-March 18, 2022

Explorer Zone: Incredible Ball Machine (Video + activities, games, career connections)

Seeing Inside the Human Machine (Video)

Voice Over: Art Meets Engineering

National Engineers’ Week is February 20-26, 2022! Come celebrate at the Science Mill with Homeschool Day: Careers in Engineering on Thursday, Feb. 24 and Engineering Day on Saturday, Feb. 26. While you’re here, be sure to check out Voice Over, an art-meets-engineering marvel created by artist Riley Robinson. We had the pleasure of interviewing Riley about his creative process, problem solving and powering curiosity with STEAM—Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics.

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Riley Robinson, artist and Artpace Director (Photo: Chris Castillo)

Visitors to the Science Mill have a unique opportunity to interact with a work of art and engineering by San Antonio-based artist Riley Robinson. “Voice Over started with my interest in ways we communicate,” says Riley. “I wanted to create something that had no external input”—that is, no wires, no WiFi. Voice Over features two massive steel dishes positioned on either side of the Mill’s creek. Visitors can whisper a message into one and have it heard clearly at the other, over 300 feet away, thanks to the dishes’ carefully calculated curves, which focus and direct soundwaves.

Voice Over at the Science Mill

Creating those curves was a group effort. “These days I do more work with my cell phone than with a welding torch,” Riley jokes. He connected with scientists at Southwest Research Institute, who have designed satellite dishes to transmit signals from Pluto. Based on Riley’s designs, the Southwest Research team worked out the precise calculations to make the dishes work. Riley found a metal fabricator in Minnesota to create the final pieces. “I’m a good welder,” he explains, “but these needed to be industrially produced.” While the engineers suggested aluminum for a lighter, easier build, Riley requested steel for its durability. “These pieces need to stand up to the elements for years.” Steel appears often in Riley’s outdoor works, usually with a galvanized treatment—a coating process that both protects from rust and gives his pieces a signature look. Adding this treatment to the highly calibrated dishes, however, felt too risky: “Instead, we gave them the look of galvanized steel.”

One of Riley’s other works—an enormous wrench—being galvanized; scroll down to see how it looks in the final Tool Yard installation. (Photo: Riley Robinson)

Merging practical needs with his vision for a piece is one of Riley’s favorite things about creating art for public spaces. “I love diving into the problem of each project,” says Riley. “Each site is unique and that means that some pieces might not seem to connect to what I’ve done in the past, because they’re about that particular challenge.”

For instance, compared to Voice Over or the giant-scaled tools he created for San Antonio’s City Service Center, you might not immediately recognize Riley’s hand in the thousands of colorful, dainty bluebonnets that dot the front of Bexar County’s Sky Tower at University Hospital. “That project started with an amazing body of research on how art can actually reduce the length of a patient’s hospital stay,” Riley describes. “Even down to what colors, symbols, and layouts to avoid.” Working with these guidelines led Riley to create a field of hopeful steel bluebonnets. (They’re also a nod to Julian Onderdonk, San Antonio’s “father of Texas painting,” who popularized bluebonnet scenes in the early 1900s.) “I happened to meet a transplant surgeon recently,” says Riley, “and learned that he includes Bluebonnets in his course of treatment. The medical team has patients arrive in front of the artwork as a place to chat before heading in for surgery.”

Tool Yard, Northeast Service Center, San Antonio (Photo: Riley Robinson)

Bluebonnets, Sky Tower at University Hospital, Bexar County (Photo: Mark C. Greenberg)

While Voice Over adapts well to the Science Mill’s creek, Riley originally designed it to meet the challenges of a different location: a narrow point on the Rio Grande, spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. “It will be several years and lots of paperwork before that happens, but I hope to see it there eventually,” says Riley. Until then, Science Mill visitors get to enjoy the piece on long-term loan.

In addition to his own work, Riley brings new art and artists to San Antonio as Director of Artpace, a non-profit residency program for regional, national and international artists. “There is so much problem solving that goes into bringing new works to life; it’s making connections to people in lots of different fields and learning from them to make a piece work.”

The artistic process has much in common with scientific experimentation or the engineering design process. Indeed, many educators now include Art among Science, Technology, and Math, turning “STEM” learning into “STEAM.” Riley agrees that the arts need their own spot on this important learning line-up. “Art is its own language, its own way of communicating. It allows you to see things differently and communicate differently.”

Special thanks: The Voice Over project was funded by the Rick Liberto grant for visual arts through the Artist Foundation of San Antonio.

MORE TO EXPLORE

• Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Saturday, Feb. 19 – virtual events for K-8th grade and high school students hosted by UT Austin; registration open now

• Engineering Day at the Science Mill, Saturday, Feb. 26, 10am-2pm – join activities led by special guests (and real engineers) from the American Society of Engineers

• Think like a Robot Inventor – explore the engineering design process

• Colossal Robotic Hand – a behind-the-scenes look at another amazing feat (or is that hand?) of engineering at the Mill!

• Masters of Disguise – learn about biomimicry & engineering inspired by nature