By Tiffany W. (11th Grade)
My name is Tiffany. I’m a rising senior in lynbrook high school, and I’m the current executive webmaster for our robotics club.
What is the official name of the club, and what is your primary mission?
The official name of the club is The Funky Monkeys! Our mission is to provide high school students with an opportunity to apply science, technology, engineering art, and mathematics (STEAM) in both introductory and advanced levels of robotics. We accomplish this goal by participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), where students work with adult mentors each year to build competitive robots suited for a specific theme.
How many members do you have, and what is the typical “vibe” of a meeting?
We have more than 50 members in the club with around 30 people attending competitions all over the world.
The vibe at our meetings (worksessions) is fun, collaborative, and hands-on. Members come together sharing ideas, building robots and solving problems as a team in a very interactive and energetic environment.
We love working together, learning from each other, and most importantly, having fun while building!
What specific branches of science do you focus on (e.g., Biology, Robotics, Environmental Science)?
We focus on robotics and engineering. We believe in learning through hands-on building, teamwork, and problem-solving, where every member has the opportunity to 3D design, machine, assemble, code, and improve our robot! Our activities are always rooted in creativity, applied math, applied physics, and engineering..
What is the most ambitious project the club has tackled this year?
Our most ambitious project this year was designing and building our FRC competition robot. The project challenged us to integrate multiple systems such as drivetrain, intake, and scoring mechanisms. We also developed and successfully implemented a functional turret system, which was a major technical achievement for our club.
What has been the club’s proudest moment in the last 12 months?
Our proudest moment in the past 12 months was successfully building the club’s first fully functional turret and qualifying for the Norcal District Championship. The turret subsystem was especially meaningful because earlier attempts in previous years had not worked, and this year we were able to make it work efficiently. Qualifying for the Norcal District Championship was also a major achievement as it is highly competitive and recognized as a significant milestone for our club.
How does the club contribute to the local or the border community?
The robotics club contributes to the local community through STEM outreach events, mentoring younger students at middle schools in our community as well as promoting interest in science and engineering. The team demonstrates engineering concepts, shares technical knowledge, and inspires students to pursue STEM opportunities like robotics.
What are the long-term goals for the club?
Our long-term goals are to continue growing as a team and strengthening our skills in robotics and engineering. We aim to expand opportunities to increase our impact in competitions while also increasing club membership by encouraging more students from our school to get involved in robotics and STEM activities.
The link to our home page is https://lynbrookrobotics.com/
