Stem Research Project Help!

[Ppayne2]

What is everyone doing for their project? We are struggling to come up with an idea. And our robot is needing some updates. Any musts or suggestions?

[darkness]

Is this something for STEM folks?

[Foster]

So step one is to use the VEXOS update to get the latest version. (VEXos Firmware Updates - Products - IQ - VEX Robotics) You should do the update, there are major improvements, make sure that your controller is plugged into the brain.

Second, I’m the lead hater of the VEX IQ STEM research project. If you want to do STEM research projects and robots can I suggest FLL? (http://www.firstlegoleague.org/)

I have enough inspiring roboteers to build robots, learn team work, how to communicate with their team, doing strategist opportunities with their team and other teams at competitions, document in a notebook and present to a team of judges.

The STEM project is unnecessary fluff.

Good luck on your season!

[sankeydd]

@Foster

Second, I’m the lead hater of the VEX IQ STEM research project. If you want to do STEM research projects and robots can I suggest FLL? (http://www.firstlegoleague.org/ )

100% agree on this one. If the STEM was so important then why don’t the high school kids do it?

They said this was going to move to an online challenge and if it is part of this competition then that’s exactly where it needs to be. You are going to have a bunch of teams (probably 50-100) at WORLDS just because they can put a video together? And the teams that earned a spot by actual robotics competition will get paired up with them on the field!

No thanks on STEM… I would suggest you just do your science fair project if that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in.

[sankeydd]

@Ppayne2

I see where your coming from. We won the excellence award last year and they said a lot of it had to do with our project, so we were just trying to decide if we should do one, and what to do because we are completely stumped on ideas. Thanks!

According the the judge’s guide, it can have some bearing, but it should never hold “a lot” of influence. Perhaps you were evenly paired with another team, and yours was the straw that broke the camel’s back, making it seem more important in the judge’s mind…

[ChrisR246]

I agree the STEM project seems to have absolutely no relationship to qualifying a team to Worlds or any other competitions. Make it an online challenge, like the Girl Powered Essay or the website etc. Give the MS and Elementary winners a spot each. Then it’s not as impactful on competitors.

[ItsMe]

Guys I don’t think @Ppayne2 is asking weather we think the STEM Research project is important or not, I think they are asking for helpful ideas. But in case if I am mistaken, I agree that the project is not very important, unless it can get you to states (like an IQ comp in my region). For ideas, since the topic is science, have you thought about anything in the agriculture field?

[ChrisR246]

The topic is Science and particularly the use of robots to gather data. I’d start with thinking about how robots might be an advantage in gathering data and go from there.

[the_voi.d]

I agree with @ChrisR246. The STEM project should allow younger competitors a spot, so that they can focus more on important stuff, unlike the HS level where we just mess around.