Rochester

Chrysler Foundation awards $6,625 to AdamBots team

By Mary Beth Almond
C & G Staff Writer

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek high schools’ AdamBots joint robotics team was recently awarded $6,625 from the Chrysler Foundation to help offset the costs associated with participating in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology robotics competition.

The AdamBots team is one of the larger ones in the competition, with 57 students and 30 mentors, according to AdamBots mentor Rick Drummer. Several of the mentors work for Chrysler, and they approached the foundation about adding the AdamBots to their list of sponsored teams.

“We got an email from Chrysler saying we were being considered and to fill out an application, which we gladly did. It was a very nice surprise this year,” Drummer said of receiving the grant. “The money from the Chrysler Foundation will help us enter our competitions, help with the travel, help with the uniforms for the team, and for the parts and the equipment we need to build the robot.”

It takes quite a bit of money to operate a robotics team, Drummer said.

“Just entering your first competition costs $5,000, and then you have to actually buy the stuff to make the robot and compete,” he said.

The AdamBots’ annual budget is roughly $61,000. The team is vying in three different competitions this year, and according to Drummer, just entering those competitions costs almost $10,000.

“It takes about $3,000-$4,000 for all the parts and the equipment it takes to build the robot, and the fact that we are traveling out of state for one of the competitions (plays a part). Students are paying for 100 percent of their room and everything, and then two-thirds of their flight, so we use a little bit for transportation. If we qualify in the state, then we go to the state championship, which we did last year. That’s another competition. And if we qualify in that, we go to the world championship in St. Louis, which we also did last year. That’s where all this money comes in,” he said.

A longtime supporter of FIRST, Chrysler Foundation has provided more than $1.7 million in support for the FIRST robotics program and teams during the past 16 years. Beyond funding, employees within Chrysler Group’s product development program have volunteered to mentor students and serve as competition coordinators for the FIRST program.

“The Chrysler Foundation and Chrysler Group are proud to play a role in encouraging students to explore the worlds of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Jody Trapasso, president of Chrysler Foundation, said in a statement.

Mark Chernoby, head of vehicle engineering and vice president executive coordinator of Chrysler Group LLC, said the automotive company hopes to provide a spark of inspiration to the next generation.

“Bright and talented engineers are vital to our industry’s future, and the FIRST program is an ideal platform for developing a student’s interest and skills in science and engineering,” he said in a statement.

Working side-by-side with adult mentors, students learn basic physics, electrical and mechanical engineering, and machining skills during FIRST competitions. Approximately 25 high school students make up each FIRST team, which has six weeks to design and build a robot to perform a prescribed series of tasks.

Besides the Chrysler Foundation, the AdamBots receive monetary support from General Motors, Plex Systems, SAIC and Wally Edgar Chevrolet.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mary Beth Almond at malmond@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1060.