MassRobotics included studying to design CAD fashions in SolidWorks as a part of its Jumpstart Fellowship curriculum. | Supply: MassRobotics
MassRobotics is coming into the fifth yr of its Jumpstart Fellowship program, which goals to encourage and empower various highschool women to pursue a profession in robotics and promote variety within the robotics workforce. That is additionally the second yr this system consists of periods in Lowell, Mass.
The group stated the program has many parts. These embrace a technical curriculum for constructing abilities in design, simulation, and coding, bodily hands-on fabrication and electronics, skilled improvement, and mentors. The Jumpstart Fellowship additionally features a paid internship within the robotics and know-how discipline.
Whereas the MassRobotics group orchestrates and supplies a number of the curriculum, a big portion is developed by and taught by volunteers from the business. This system’s weekly Saturday periods additionally embrace a lunchtime hearth chat between a girl in business or academia and a Jumpstart Fellow in this system internet hosting the Q&A.
MassRobotics stated it’s the largest unbiased robotics hub devoted to accelerating robotics innovation, commercialization, and adoption. Its mission is to assist create and scale the following technology of profitable robotics and AI know-how corporations. It does this by offering entrepreneurs and startups with the workspace, assets, programming, and connections they should develop, prototype, take a look at, and commercialize their merchandise and options.
Contained in the Jumpstart program’s first 2025 periods
Wealthy Breault, the CEO at Lightspeed Manufacturing, teaches soldering curriculum to the Jumpstart cohorts. | Supply: MassRobotics
Within the first session, MassRobotics stated its fellows discovered concerning the energy of networking. Kristen Bates, a human assets knowledgeable, supplied a session on LinkedIn and suggestions for utilizing it efficiently to community, seek for jobs, and attain out to business specialists. College students arrange their profiles and can proceed to replace and add mentors all through this system, constructing their networks.
The mentor session was with Dr. Holly Yanco, distinguished college professor, chair of the Pc Science Division, and director of the NERVE Middle on the College of Massachusetts Lowell, the place the Lowell cohort holds its weekly periods. Yanco provided insights into her profession selections and shared recommendation with these focused on pursuing an instructional profession.
The Boston cohort mentor was Nettrice Gaskins, a digital artist and tutorial who connects algorithms in computation, particularly utilizing generative artwork.
As well as, the group obtained hands-on expertise with Lightspeed Manufacturing. The corporate engineers and assembles customized printed circuit boards (PCBs) and works with corporations to prototype, manufacture, and restore gear, together with every thing from robotics and drones to medical gear and the Web of Issues (IoT).
In the meantime, the Lowell cohort spent certainly one of its periods fabricating silicon fingers and attaching them to motors to construct grippers. UMass Lowell staffers have developed and taught this curriculum yearly to the Jumpstart Fellows since Cohort 1.
The Lowell Cohort additionally visited MassRobotics’ headquarters for coaching in its machine store. They obtained an introduction to energy instruments with a chance for some hands-on studying. In addition they discovered easy methods to use the laser cutter and fabricated their nametags.
Lastly, MassRobotics kicked off the CAD portion of its curriculum, which incorporates periods studying to design in SolidWorks. That is supposed to offer the fellows a strong basis for prototyping and constructing, which they may use of their ultimate design initiatives. These design periods have been developed by Rachael Naoum from SolidWorks.
Employers focused on working with Jumpstart Cohort 5 can submit their data to MassRobotics.
Catch MassRobotics on the Robotics Summit & Expo
Seoul Nationwide College was the 2024 winner of the MassRobotics Kind and Perform Robotics Problem.
This spring, MassRobotics will take part within the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston from April 30 to Might 1. The group final month introduced its third annual Kind and Perform Robotics Problem. The problem is designed to present groups of school college students a chance to showcase their initiatives. Groups from anyplace on the earth are welcome to enter.
Chosen groups can be competing for a grand prize of $10,000, together with $1,000 prizes for second and third place and a $1,000 Viewers Selection award. The problem will culminate with in-person displays to business, buyers, and group members on the present.
Prior years‘ winners embrace Tufts College, Seoul Nationwide College, Harvard College, Wentworth Institute of Know-how, the College of British Columbia, the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how, Indiana College Bloomington, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Extra details about the Kind and Perform Perform Robotics Problem may be discovered at www.massrobotics.org/form-function-challenge. Functions are due Feb 12, 2025.
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