For the first time, several engineering students from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch at the University of Kentucky came together to coach and mentor a high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Three UK students mentored about 10 high school students to build a robot from January through the end of March. The team then traveled to the Smoky Mountains Regional Competition in Sevierville, Tenn. from April 2-5.
The high school team competed with around 50 other teams and gained valuable experience in building and driving a robot. They also learned how to think strategically to combine their efforts during a competition with two other robot teams as FRC is played in alliances of three versus three robots. The UK student coaches and mentors learned a lot about guiding younger students through the process of designing and building a large robot and developing strategies.
Head Coach: Jacqueline Joy
Coach (IEEE Student Branch Counselor): Regina Hannemann
Mentors: Taylor Dudley, Hersch Nathan (currently on co-op, did not travel to Tenn.)
Alumni Mentor: Isaiah Joy
