Our Vision
A Future of Empowered STEM Leaders
We aspire to be the catalysts for change in the realm of STEM. We envision a world where every girl, inspired by confidence and led by her own capabilities, is empowered to be a key player in creating a better world together.
Our Mission
Inspire Girls, Engineer our Future
Our mission is to enabling girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. As an all-girls First Tech Challenge robotics team, we are dedicated to providing a platform for girls to explore, innovate, and develop their skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We believe that by nurturing the talents and potential within each girl, we are contributing to the broader mission of creating responsible and empowered citizens.
Our Goals
Achieve Measurable Outcomes toward our Mission
Be a great mentor to younger teams
Establish ongoing relationships with organizations to further our mission
Increase the number of outreach hours from the previous year
Win the Design Award for our robot
Win the Motivate Award for our outreach
Recruit new members to expand our numbers
Our Team
We are Girl Scout team based in Southern Illinois, in our 5th year of the FTC. Our tem name Polytechnic Puzzle Pieces embodies the unique skills and talents each team member brings and how each individual combine together to create a whole. because we wanted to be more than just a team. We wanted to be friends and to connect, like a puzzle. Each person has a unique skill set (polytechnic), and once joined together (like puzzle pieces), creates our team P3!
Mars
Cad/Driver
Bela
Programmer/Drive Coach
Tara
Builder
Maddie
Builder/Drive Coach
Emma
Builder/Human Player
Merissa
Builder/Project Manager
Tori
Builder/Pit Crew
Liya
Cad/Driver
Olivia
Builder/Portfolio
Coach Megan
Mentor
Coach George
Mentor
OUR OUTREACH
500
Total outreach hours in 2023-24 season
21+
Outreach Events
10
FIRST events volunteered
Science Center First Friday
We demoed our robot at the Star Wars night at the St. Louis Science Center.
Girl Scout Leader Summit
At the Gateway Convention Center our teammates, Bela and Olivia, met with Girl Scout troop leaders to encourage them to start their own robotics teams.
Laverna Evans STEM Night
At Laverna Evans, we introduced elementary-aged students to FLL and FTC through a demonstration.
Scott Air Force Base Air Show
At the air show, we let people drive our robot and piqued kids’ and parents’ interest in FIRST and robotics.
O’Fallon Library
At the O’Fallon Library, our robot was demoed for people to observe and interact with.
Rumble at the Raceway
Our team had the pleasure of run and run the first offseason FTC event for the STL Metro, Rumble at the Raceway.
OUR PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH
23
Professional Connections
70%
of our engineering connections are females
6
Robot Design Reviews
3
Presentation Reviews
5
Portfolio Reviews
OUR ROBOT
5
Robot iterations
16
sensors
6
Arm iterations
12+
claw iterations
1
Gorgeous robot
Meet Joker Beetle
16 sensors on our bot:
- IMU: Used for Roadrunner and shows the heading of the robot
- Distance Sensor (2): Used to detect a pixel in the claw and turns lights green to notify drivers during tele-op
- Magnetic Limit Switch (2): Prevents arm from overextending
- Camera: Used for vision during auto
- Motor Encoders (8): Give feedback on the robot’s position and arm motors
- LED Lights (2): Feedback to drivers on pixel intake and match timing
Additional Insights:
To keep the center of our bot clear, we put all the internal wires, battery, and control hub on the insides and sides of our robot. This allows a clear space for our arm to sit and to keep our battery in easy access.
Drone launcher: Shared by Australian FTC team Blue Bot Builders, the drone launcher is simple in design. A hook snaps off of a rubber band, launching the drone.
Our lights are color coordinated by the number of seconds left in a match. They blink when we’re closer to the end of the match.
