Drake Sponsors Cavalier Robotics
Drake is pleased to announce our continuing sponsorship of the First Robotics Competition Team #619 – Cavalier Robotics located in central Virginia. To learn more about this team, we caught up with George Reed, the COO & EVP of Drake.
Drake: “Thanks for making time for us, George. Can you tell us a little about Cavalier Robotics?”
George: “Certainly. Cavalier Robotics is a high school robotics team located in central Virginia. Under the guidance of mentors, students learn how to design a robot and its controls system in CAD software. Then they build the robot they designed. This takes place over six to eight weeks in the spring, while the students are still attending classes in high school. Then the robots compete as part of the FIRST robotics competition to determine whose robot is best.”
Drake: “That’s sounds awesome. So, is it all fun and games for the students?”
George: “Not entirely. In addition to learning design, the students also learn how to machine their own components, which gives them hands-on experience. The team structure is divided so that different members each have their own responsibilities, allowing them to enhance their leadership skills. Further, students are the ones responsible for reaching out to area businesses, providing them with business acumen.
It was through this outreach that we first learned of Cavalier Robotics. They were aware that The Association for Packaging and Processing (PMMI) has a U Skills Fund matching grant program and reached out to us. This PMMI program provides matching donations for companies that contribute to organizations that promote STEM to students. As soon as we learned about their mission, we decided to donate.”
Drake: “They seem like a great group. So, what do you see as the future of our partnership with Cavalier Robotics?”
George: “Even though this is our third year sponsoring Cavalier Robotics, due to Covid we were unable to give them a tour of our facility until just this month. We showed them our machine shop, a Fanuc delta robot that is part of our loader, and ended with a discussion about engineering careers. The students were impressed by what they saw and we were impressed by them. They were engaged and asked very good questions.
We not only plan to continue our partnership with Cavalier Robotics, but are actively seeking ways to expand it. Our engineering intern this summer had been a member of Cavalier Robotics; he was an excellent addition to our team. If the team needs assistance with creating parts for their robot sometime in the future, we are here to help. This is a great group and we are proud to do what we can to encourage their interest in science and engineering”
To donate or to learn more about Cavalier Robotics, go to www.carobotics.org.
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