HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — High school students from Spotswood, Harrisonburg and Eastern Mennonite, along with STEM mentors are working to build a fully functioning robot before the end of the month to participate in robotics competitions.
Students work together in the XLabs at James Madison University to build their fully functioning robot by the end of Feb.
“It’s our primary goal to get kids around the schools involved with STEM because it’s not necessarily just building robots, but the other aspect of media, marketing, business,” Khashayar Dashtpour, a mentor with Rocktown Robotics.
Team 3274 is building their robot to be able to shoot a nine inch foam ball at a target from 30 feet away.
One student said he enjoys meeting and collaborating with other students with the same passion for robotics.
“Just to be able to work together and take each other’s ideas and build off of them and come up with the best possible solution to the problems that we are presented with,” Addison Sheyhan, a Spotswood High School student, said.
Mentors said they are always welcoming new students to join the team. They hope the competitions the students compete in allow them the hands-on opportunities to learn about equipment, grow their skills and build their resumes.
Dashtpour said the cost of competitions and equipment can be very expensive and sponsorships are appreciated.