"The Future is Now"
by Lisa M.
On January 27 of this year, Bear Metal traveled to "The Future is Now" technology expo at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. FIRST was an active participant at the expo, and Bear Metal joined Skunkworks (Team 1983, Aviation High School) and Team 2907 (Auburn Mountainview High School) in representing FIRST.
The expo was sponsored by the Kent School District Information Technology Department as a showcase where Kent, Covington, and surrounding communities could see the extensive use of technology in schools and local area businesses.
With the other teams, we set up a booth among a plethora of tech-savvy corporations. This was an opportunity for FIRST to inform the public and stir up excitement about all that it has to offer. It was also an opportunity for Bear Metal to demonstrate gracious professionalism through our interactions with kids, parents, and passersby.
It was a fun and fulfilling experience. It was enjoyable being able to participate with other teams on a more personal, one-on-one basis. We had five team members and Mr. Collins (our advisor) who was there with us for much of the time.
Once we had set up our booth and had our robot all ready to go, we allowed kids (and some adults) to drive our robot around a designated area. We did this for a good 4 to 5 hours. By the end, although it was fun, we were all pretty tired and ready to go home.
Despite our exhaustion, the trip was a success.