Outreach

As a team, we realize the importance of expanding STEM opportunities to other students, effectively inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators. Because we have gotten so much out of this community, it is integral that we give back in any way we can.

Mentorship of the Ridgely Middle School Robotics Teams

We mentor the Ridgely Middle School (RMS) robotics teams, for both VIQC and VRC programs. On a bi-weekly basis, we help out with their practices, guiding middle-schoolers in utilizing the Engineering Design Process, design matrices, proper documentation, quality build practices, and programming concepts.

Because Ridgely is a feeder Middle School into Dulaney High, we also take this opportunity to introduce both our FRC and VEX programs, recruiting new members and giving them opportunities to expand their STEM expertise in high school.

Mentorship at Cromwell Elementary School

One of our members mentored the Cromwell Valley Elementary School VEX team, giving 4th and 5th graders the opportunity to learn the foundations of engineering design, problem-solving, and strategic thinking as well as essential workplace skills such as leadership, perseverance, and analytical thinking.

Because of the virtual environment of the past year, mentorship at Cromwell has focused on teaching the basics of text-based programming and computer-aided design (CAD).

Cromwell Elementary School is also a feeder school into Ridgely Middle School, so by establishing a robotics program to expose more students to STEM at a younger age, we loop more students into our feeder system and better prepare them for the demands of today’s technologically expanding world and workplace.

Hosting Events

Battle o’ Baltimore

Since 2021 we have hosted the Battle o’ Baltimore (BoB) competition at Dulaney High School, where 24 teams from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania gather to compete in the respective game each year.

  • BoB provides the opportunity for these teams to provide their new members with experience in preparation for the upcoming season as well as insights into the engineering processes that went into designing their robots.

  • Hosting this event provides students at our school the opportunity to volunteer and see FRC events in action.

Dulaney HS Robotics Royal Rumble

In November of 2021, we also hosted the Dulaney HS Robotics Royal Rumble, a VRC tournament for over 30 teams in the Mid-Atlantic Area. In this event, teams compete in the current VEX Robotics Competition game.

  • As the first Maryland VRC event each season, this early-season event provides teams an initial opportunity to test out their designs and qualify for the Maryland State Championship in March.

Volunteering at the LTRC Robotics Summer Camp

Over the summer, many of our club members volunteer at the LTRC Robotics Summer camp, where young students are given the opportunity to learn STEM-related skills, ranging from 3D modeling and printing to drone racing and video editing!

  • Many camp activities are even designed and led by Dulaney students themselves.

T-Shirt Canon

We have plans to build a T-Shirt cannon robot in the offseason. This project can be taken to events to raise awareness for our club, as well as serve as a fun way to hand out team merchandise. This has been designed to give our new members hands-on experience in FIRST as we experiment with a drivetrain style new to our team and work extensively with computer-aided design (CAD) software.