TEN

SO SO SO YOU GUYS

As you, hopefully, all know, FIRST has released their first game clue of the 2010 competition!!!

If you haven't heard of it yet, check it out here!!!

What is your interpretation of the clue???

LOVE,
Leena!

Jennifer Answered:

The clue this year is very troubling. I have no idea what the piece is. I like to think that it is a piece that belongs to the kit of parts or for the robot itself. Maybe the piece is like a piston to push something up or to the side. Maybe it slides across the field.

I guess we'll have to wait and see til the next clue comes out or when the game is released.

Blog Question # 9

Usually with the turn of the New year, everyone wants to know, "What's your New Year's Resolution?" AAAH! That age old question never dies!!

Well, considering that this will be going up on the last week of the year, here's a better question, "What do you want to do, or will you do, before this year ends?" Forget about the New Year and college apps for now, just think IN THE NOW and what you want to do this last week of 2009. Then GO FORTH AND COMMIT THE ACT!

Jofungus!!

This was Irene's answer!

Hm, I don't have much things I want to do since I'm satisfied of how wonderful this break is so far. But I do want to complete a 500+ jigsaw puzzle, ice skate, and hangout with friends.

What I will do is :
-watch the ball drop in Times Square (T.V. of course-I'll be so sick if I were to stay there out in the cold for a whole day.)
-wish everyone a happy new year
-hopefully finish reading more than one book (It feels great to read again after for so long. It's a new found appreciation in something that you've never noticed before.)
-Since my cousins are staying over until Tuesday, I hope to go to Times Square, F.A.O. Schwarz (Best toy store! I've always wanted a dollhouse from there but they're so expensive and I don't have enough space to accommodate it.), Disney Store and around Flushing like Totos. And making sock puppets with them!
-Maybe start my work so I don't have to cram everything in on Saturday and Sunday?
-Sleep!

Now that I look at it, this break is short and I wished it was longer. At the same time, it makes me more motivated to do all the things I hope to accomplish.

I'm a tad sad that yesterday's rain melted most of the snow.

Question #8

Hello!

This week's question is from Jennifer:

If you could spend a day with anybody in the world (past, present, real, and/or fictional) who would it be AND what would you do?

This was Jennifer's own answer!

For this question I was inspired by NYU's supplemental question. It's pretty much the same except its more general because it doesn't have to be a person from/associated with New York. I won't recycle my answer, so I pick Flash.
Flash seems like a fun-loving person. He's the type to lighten up moods and become very engaged in things. If I could spend a day with Flash I would first circle the world on his back because he's so fast and it will only take seconds, at most minutes. After completing the circumnavigation, I would visit specific places to have fun. I would visit Canada for snowball fights, snowboarding and other snow activities. Then I would visit Australia for some surfing. I would then make my way over to Tokyo to try on some of the fashions as well as different stores to bring home some souvenirs for my anime loving friends, because they will never forgive me if I missed out on the opportunity. After making fools of ourselves in India by attempting to learn the traditional dances, we would zip on over to England, just to take pictures of us being as tall as Big Ben. Heading over to the Caribbean and South America we would enjoy the carnivals in the streets and dance to the beat of drums. Although it cannot last for a week, I would have probably had the best day ever, experiencing and absorbing many things while having the time of my life.

The FeMaidens Celebrate Christmas!

Take out your calendars girlsss!!
December 22nd is the day of the Robotics Christmas Party!

There will be food, music, karaoke, AND..you guessed it!
Your very own chance to dance with a guy on the robotics team!

It is a semi formal event so dress nicely :) Skirts, dresses, stockings, you name it!

See you there!
- Tiffany, Senior '10

TWO BLOG QUESTIONS IN A WEEK!??!?!? WHAT IS GOING ON!?!??!

Yep! There's another question for you guys this week! This one's from Nicole!

What would you like our teams animation to be about? What would the plot be?
The video can only be 30 seconds long (including credits.) More info can be found here.



BE CREATIVE!!!!!!!!

This was Irene's Answer!

Oh I thought of something! A team member walks into the shop and encounters all the these problems of "what not to do" in the shop and there's going to be another person who does "what to do" in the shop. The video will go back and forth between these two people. It can be fun since those people can be creative on the facial expressions or exaggerate it. :)

Yay! 12 more days until Christmas! & the holiday party is coming up!
My favorite part before Christmas is writing cards, wrapping gifts, and feeling the holiday spirit. It never gets old.
I wish it can snow soon.

Weekly Question #6

Hey guys, it's Leena!

I'm just posting up the weekly question that Irene emailed to me. :D

So, Irene asks... *drumroll please!!!*

"If you had one day to do whatever you want, what would you do?"

This was Leena's answer!

Well, considering the past two weeks have been pretty crappy (oops, I mean, poopy)... you would think that I would want to actually GO somewhere but no, simply because my problem is a bit more specific. Between studying for the endless exams I've been having, doing hours of homework, staying late for robotics, and studying for the SAT that I signed up for on December 5th (somebody, shoot me now!!!!!!!!), I don't think that I've had more than five straight hours of sleep in a single night and, mind you, that was on a good night. And YES, that includes weekends. Essentially, I am sleep deprived.

So, really, I want nothing more than to crawl into my bed and sleep for fifteen hours, give or take a couple.

OH! But no, sorry Leena, no can do, because you have another test tomorrow and you still have to take another SAT practice test. Too bad.

This was Olivia's answer!

This week's question (one of several, as it turns out) comes from one Irene. I actually know Irene really well (hopefully, anyways), and she's a wonderful person who comes up with tough questions that I usually can't answer (like in AP Chemistry, for example.)

But if I had a whole day to do whatever I wanted, I'd really want to spend it with the people who I care about. I'd really like to hang out with my friends for a whole entire day (with at least one visit to Chipotle, because that place is beyond awesome!) where we could eat whatever we wanted! Maybe we could take a road trip or just sight-see together, joking and laughing the whole entire time like we usually do in school (just without the traveling, obviously).

Oh! And we would totally also go to Shake Shack too. They have the best burgers and stuff ever. Plus they're green!

Maybe in some fantasy land of mine, all of my friends would be interested in robotics, so we could go to a regional and cheer on our time as we win!

Question #5:

Hiiiiii everyone!!!! This is Francesca!

I've been honored with the privilege of choosing the blog question for this week and I thought that I would make it something fun. Soooooo, the cold weather which has been plaguing us for the past week as well as the enormous amount of homework which everyone seems to have had me thinking about (or more like praying for) the next long vacation. Therefore your question is:

If you could go ANYWHERE on vacation where would it be and what would you do there?

Be creative and I hope to see you all on Tuesday!

This was Irene's answer!

I really really want to go to Alaska. I'm the person who loves nature such as watching sunsets, cloud watching, hiking a mountain, and taking pictures of scenery. With this being said, I care a lot about the environment. It makes me sad that some places can't be visited someday because of global warming, because of all the carbon dioxide factories and cars have been producing. I want to do something that will save the environment. I know Alaska may be cold during the year, or not as warm as the weather in New York, but I absolutely love the cold weather. But I would very much look forward to a trip to Alaska. I want to explore it on a dog sled. Sounds exciting right?

New Forum!

Salutations on a lovely Saturday afternoon!

I added a new forum so register an account and post on there! There's a lot of things you can post up there :)

See ya there!
- Tiffany (roses4twin)

Question #4

HI everyone!!!!!! It's Amy!

Sorry, my question is so late.

I really want to know, other than buttons, does anyone have an idea of what else we can give out? Last year, people gave out small moon rocks and I thought that was cool. I was wondering if we can do something like that too and if we're going to make it, I think we should get started soon or at least get started on brainstorming...

This was Olivia's answer!

Well, that's a pretty good question. Call me stumped for having taken this long to answer.

But buttons are always a collectible item at Regionals, regardless of whatever else is going on. It's one thing that all teams have in common, and I think it's pretty important that we're at least unified on the button front, should all else fail, I think. I still have all the buttons that I got at New York, Connecticut and Atlanta for the 2009 season. It's a pretty interesting feeling.

I do, however, want to really take pictures with every mascot from every team that has one. I think that'll be pretty awesome. But back to the question!

Well, I'm pretty good with crocheting and sewing, so I was thinking that we could possibly knit or crochet little "Iron Maidens" like the ones on our t-shirts. I think that'd be a pretty easy way to remember us, especially if we stitch the team name onto the skirt or the body. Or maybe the Iron Maiden could be wearing a team t-shirt! The only issue there though is how we're going to make enough to make people happy. But we'll work that out as time goes on, if the idea even works.

I know that in Chinatown, they sell those little voodoo doll keychains. They kind of look like the picture below (I don't actually own one). But they're made out of winded string, so if we could give out our team mascot as keychains, I think that would be pretty cool though. They might even be a little easier than making stuffed Iron Maidens, I think.
Umm, it's possible that we might be able to give out items based on the game for this year. But since we don't know what that is yet, my ideas are pretty limited. But we could totally make something based on the game, and that might be a good reminder to senior members (like me!) of the years I spent in robotics and the games that we participated in.

Sounds fun!

To Do List / Idea Blog

The team really need to use this time before build season to get everything and anything PR and Media related out of the way!!

Please help us develop and execute a list of things to get done! Thank you!!!

- Tiffany

(NOTE: I'm not trying to say we don't do anything. We do a lot and most of us are extremely busy but build season is going to be 10x busier...)

---
To Do List (Deadline: December)

- Get in touch with Credit Suisse
- Get new sponsers (with bake sales out of the way, they're our only hope), Vivian has the list of the sponsers we want so we need to get started NOW. We should get the Society Women Engineers out of the way FIRST.

- Host seminars for prospective Engineers (school wide and NYC school wide) To raise $$ we can have a $2 admission fee or a donation at the end of the seminar according to how helpful they found it to be (ie pay $5 if you thought it was really helpful, pay $0 if you didn't). We will talk about schlorships related to FIRST and how to become a good candidate for engineering schools/programs.

- Make buttons (we have a ton of new button ideas and many more! We're planning to do a "Help us go to regionals! Goal: $5000, 20% of our proceeds will go to the American Breast Cancer Society ($1000)" Funds + Charity + Sponser!!

- Make a team flag (flashy, attractive, need I say more?)

- Make DIY awards for other teams (eg. the EVA AWARD Charlie got for being the best payload specialist!)

- Make/Order team uniforms (our current idea for now: cloaks + jumpers)

- New website layout! Add a splash of what the Fe Maidens are about!

Last but not least...

-ADVERTISE THE TEAM!!!
Make cool posters, tell your friends, show that we're a family, and show our fun side!!

If you guys have any other ideas or stuff we have to get down, COMMENT BELOW!!!

Question of the Week #3

Hellooo, it's Vivian. :) I'm so excited that our second official meeting is going to be on Wednesday! Okay, so Qurat asked me to make up a question for Week #3 and I honestly had no idea what to ask you guys. But since I checked my email right after I finished watching The Orphan (which scared the bejezus out of me), your weekly question is...

What are you extremely terrified of? (And WHY?)

Here is Jennifer's Answer!

Hmmm ... tough question ... tough question. So many answers ... time to list and explain =D

Love
It's probably a common fear for everyone but my fear is to die without being loved by someone. I'm not talking about family or friend love because almost everyone gets that. I guess I'm afraid of that because its a feeling that's indescribable and I would like to experience that feeling. It must be an amazing feeling if there are books, movies, fairytales etc on it. Even though I could be rich (and I really want to be rich), loneliness will make it seem as the money isn't worth it.

Roller Coasters
The feeling is insane. I feel like I'm going to fall off the ride and plunge to my death in excruciating way. The anticipation of the drops and twists and turns make me want to hightail it off the ride and I've been told that I might end up hyperventilating because I have tendency to hold my breath. As much as I want to experience the adrenaline rush it's just not a fun experience for me.

Heights
I may be tall but I feel like I will fall and land in an painful manner. Its a big difference for me. I don't really mind it to a certain extent because I can get over it but the thought is still there. Maybe I have vertigo.

Things that fly
I hate birds, they freak me out. Their sudden movements often cause me to flinch. I refuse to touch one or be near one, however in New York, it's impossible. I fear that one day I'll be attacked by them because they have become increasingly close to humans and several birds have grazed my head slightly T_T.

More Buttons!

I (Tiffany) created these button images a long time ago but since Qurat posted our handwritten ones, I thought I'd share these as well!

Share your own button ideas/sayings!
I'll be adding more onto this post as time goes by :D






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Added 10/09/09.

Button Ideas

How much time do we spend in robotics?

Hey, Qurat here!

A little statistics:

From:
01/03: 10 hours
01/05 - 01/09: 15 hours
01/12 - 01/16: 15 hours
01/20 - 01/24: 33 hours
01/25 - 01/31: 30 hours
02/01 - 02/07: 34 hours
02/08 - 02/14: 45 hours
02/15 - 02/18: 41 hours

T(Jan): 103 hours
T(Feb): 120 hours

TOTAL HOURS SPENT DURING 2009 BUILD SEASON: 223 hours

% hours in school building: ~96%

% hours on weekends: ~32%

% hours during school vacations (not counting weekends): ~27%

**Note: these calculations do not take into account actual time spent during the school day on robotics

Team Question of the Week #2

Hey you guys! It's Tiffany here! The first month of school just finished and Robotics season is starting in a few months so in order to get things started, my question for you guys is this (and don't think too hard now):

What would you like the team outfit to be?

From jumpers (techno vibe) to renaissance styled dresses (very medieval) to rocker looks (to match the team name), there's a whole lot of ideas to choose from! Use your creativity and describe or show images of what you would love the team to wear for this year!

Have fun with it!!

Here is Olivia Hon's answer!

Team outfits are always tricky. You want to be original, yet fresh. You don't want to overdo a new idea, but you also want to make your own spin on it too. It's very tough to stand out in an already creative crowd, which means that sometimes, the only thing you really can do is just run with some crazy idea and make it work.

Me? I'm not a fashion guru. I barely have any fashion sense beyond knowing that for every dark color you wear, you had better wear something bright so that you don't look depressing. That and black goes with everything, except for when it doesn't. (See what I mean?) So maybe this isn't exactly the greatest question ever to ask something like, well, me. (Jeans and sweatpants are really great in that they go with everything. Do they look good all the time? Nope. But that's why jackets are handy.)

So there you have it: my idea. It's pretty simple due to my lack of fashion talent. You've got two versions of color schemes here. The one on the left is a bit more simpler, although I really like the shirt. Of course, our actual team t-shirts would be used, although this wouldn't be so bad if we could get our team name on the t-shirt. Purple duct tape anyone?

The second one isn't all that bad either, although it gives a definitely more punk-rock/rocker edge to it, which is appropriate given that we are the Iron Maidens. I just wanted to display all three of our team colors. Otherwise, thanks for tuning into my rather dismal, boring, selection of possible team clothing.

Polyvore, by the way, is an interesting site if you want to plan out your outfits, or look for ideas. None of it is really my taste, but hey!

First Vlog/Blog Question

Hey guys, Qurat here!

I think it's time for our first question for the members' blogs.

And the question is, drum roll please...

Why did you join robotics? Who convinced you to join? What would you say to other people about joining robotics?

I know it's a simple question that gets asked again and again, but I think it's fitting because Club Fair is next week. For those who don't know, Club Fair at Bronx Science is when all of the clubs set up booths so that freshmen (and sophomores) can find out about and apply for clubs. Since there are over 50 clubs at our school, clubs sometimes have to go to the make themselves known to stand out from the rest. For instance, the Break-Dancing Club always holds a competition, the Cooking Club hands out food, and Robotics always showcase its robots (of course).

Pictures of the Club Fair will be posted next week!

Reply to the Team Question by Leena Chan:

I guess my conscience told me to join robotics. I've always been a geek, I spend my spare time solving puzzles (Sudoku/Word Jumbles/Ken-ken) or catching up on my monthly issue of Popular Science. I don't generally watch TV, but when I do, I flip to the Discovery Channel. The thought of building robots was just so exciting! In my freshman year, I recall hearing from my mom that our school had a robotics team and I literally squealed in anticipation. I couldn't wait to find out some more information and become part of the team. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend club fair and couldn't find out information around the school after that. During my sophomore year, I had not forgotten my longing to be with the team. I went to club fair, grabbed a flyer, and went to the introductory meeting. I was apprehensive at first because no one I knew wanted to come to the meeting with me, so I attended it alone, to my surprise, I quickly found my place in robotics. I was immediately hooked after kickoff. Dean Kamen is the person who sealed me into my position here. His words shook me to the core, my eyes were opened and I look at everything differently now. (I rewatched his speech multiple times and eventually transcribed a part of it, I think I'll post it up here sometime :D)

Though robotics is a lot of work, I don't think I could ever find anything else to replace it. It teaches dedication and passion, something I feel I lacked before I joined the team. Everyone is so amazing, in robotics you find a certain selection of people who are easy to bond with. If you don't immediately, then the time you spend with them will force you to. They really become your family and in a school like Bronx Science, that's something that everyone needs. We go beyond friends, having eaten, slept, and argued with one another. The bonds that you make here will never be forgotten.

So, if you think that you can't use power tools but are mildly interested in joining our team, come visit us anyway! We're much more than drills, hammers, and lathes. F.I.R.S.T. allows people to develop any skill they want to, whether it be public relations, website design, or financial advising. If you want to contribute to the team, you can! Come see us and we'll help you learn everything you want to.

New York State Fair 2009

Team Blog + Individual Blogs!

Hello there...it seems rather quiet on this blog (maybe it's the black background?).

Well I'm Tiffany and I -sort of- just stumbled upon this blog. I have exciting news to tell all of you! We're going to now have individualized blogs that are going to be more laid-back and less professional. We'll take every reader into the lives of each core Fe Maiden. The idea first came up during the New York State Fair when we met and bonded with Team 1511 The Rolling Thunders. What do you do when you make friends with someone who lives hours away? In most cases, nothing and you will never get to talk or hear from them again aside from those annual competitions. Blogs solve that by creating connections among teams.

As women engineers, we want to get our unique perspective of Robotics out there. I hope this idea works out well. I'm personally hyped up for it!! I know all the members of this team, some better than others, but I definitely know that each and every one of them is friendly, approachable, fun, and intelligent. We all have something to say too!!

Comment on what you think of this idea :D

Hi!

Why hello there! Vivian here updating. I’m currently a rising junior at the Bronx High School of Science. I joined the team during the beginning of my sophomore year because one of my closest friends (Shunella) had asked me to in my freshman year. The problem was that I never got around to going to one of the meetings. If I did, I would have found out how close knit both the FeMaidens and the SciBorgs are and how comfortable I felt being part of the team.

Although this was my rookie year, I felt that this was a life-changing experience for me. I walked into the shop not knowing what “riveting” meant but now, I’m being told that I’m really good at using the bandsaw. I would have never imagined that I would be so “into” this type of thing – robot-building, I mean. We left school when it was dark out and we came in on weekends! And when I finally saw our robot (Robert) move, I just felt really amazed that I contributed to a part of it.

Building the robot was only a part of my insane learning experience. I was forced to interact with people, ask them about their robots and learn from them. I think that was the greatest part about regionals because you could see the pride in their expressions as they spoke about something they helped to create successfully.

In addition to stepping out of my extremely safe comfort zone, I’ve also made friends that will most likely last me a lifetime. We’ve put up with each other for 6 consecutive weeks of chaotic robot-building. And as if that weren’t enough, we’ve had to room with each other for each out-of-state regional (2) all the while lacking a whole bunch of sleep. Trust me on this one: things weren’t pretty. Amazingly so, we’ve still managed to emerge with just a few bruises.

This was my first post (hope you liked it!) and there will be another one to come (most likely from me). But for now, I’m going to bed because I have a volunteer job I have to show up for tomorrow morning. Good night!

If you have the time, visit us @ www.femaidens.org !

My Experience

Leena here again! I am a rising junior at the Bronx High School of Science. I joined the girl’s robotics team at the beginning of my sophomore year and became a part of a close knit and accepting family. Everything that I have experienced through the team has been life changing. In the beginning I felt that being a doctor was the only career choice I had. However, after joining the team, I was exposed to more insight to the many other opportunities available. I have begun to consider engineering, whereas before the idea would have been unfathomable.

The experiences with my team, combined with my encounters with F.I.R.S.T., have helped me gain so many practical abilities. Communication and problem solving are important skills that I have developed through my year. With the help of the team, I will strive to gain the additional skills of organization and time management during the next school year. Juggling my time with the team and with schoolwork this year will be much more challenging than the last.

Joining the team helped me forge friendships with intelligent, dedicated, and friendly students. The team could be likened to a family. Everyone is always willing to help one another and thus a bond is formed which cannot be compared. Students are always drawn back to the team because of the connections that they formed there. Year after year, college students come back to competitions to give back to the team. Having gained so much from the team already, I know that I will become one of those students.

Please visit the team site at http://www.femaidens.org/ for more information. Feel free to comment or e-mail us at femaidens@gmail.com.
Thanks again for following the blog!

State Fair/ Summer Updates

Hey everyone! This is Leena, the current co-captain of the Iron Maidens. Although build season is over and another school year has passed, the members have not stopped working. At the beginning of the month, the Iron Maidens and our brother team (The SciBorgs) hosted a team dinner. We gave our best wishes to the seniors and our thanks to our supportive mentors, sponsors, and parents. We have also already made plans to attend the New York State Fair. We’re going to be presenting August 29th to August 30th, so expect to see us there!

Thanks for visiting our blog! A second update from me will be coming soon. :)
Until then, visit our website at http://www.femaidens.org/ to find out more about our team and what we do. Feel free to comment or e-mail us at femaidens@gmail.com.

World Fair - June 14, 2009

Summer Plans

First and foremost, hi there! I'm Olivia, and I'm currently a webmistress (in a sense) of the Iron Maidens! 2009 was my rookie year on the team, and by far, FIRST FRC Robotics was a life changing experience for me. This week, it's my turn to man the blog, so stay tuned, because there's plenty going on.

Well, the 2009 Robotics Season has been over for a while now, and the girls have been busy working on things for next year. This weekend, we are at the World Science Fair in New York City, promoting FIRST Robotics. You can expect to see us over in Syracuse this summer for the New York State Fair too, so keep an eye out for us, along with our robot from Lunacy!

But besides engaging ourselves into more Public Relations events, we're also working internally within our team to help improve ourselves. Taking the lead from other teams, we are currently in the process of drafting our own business plan, hopefully to be used in time for next year so that we can handle our expenses better. Furthermore, you can expect changes to our official website (linked here, for convenience) including long delayed updates in photos from our 2009 season!

As the end of the school year (and finals!) approaches, many of us on the Iron Maidens have looked back on this past season as a large learning experience. Nearly all of us are excited to return next year to something that we love to do. To commemorate this past year, the Iron Maidens, along with our brother team, the SciBorgs (Team 1155) will most likely be hosting a dinner to cap a terrific year by both teams. Hopefully, all of us will be able to return to FRC next season, so everyone had better watch out! We're not out of the game yet!

Expect another update here soon, either from myself or from another Iron Maiden who will no doubt offer their own unique perspective! Happy post-season!

Fun at the Competitions

Mina's Perspective

Mina (our driver):

I joined the Robotics Team in my senior year. Those cute posters to join the Iron Maidens Robotics Team have a lot of persuasion!

Although I've only been on the team for a year, it definitely was an enriching and fun year. I helped create a moving robot (who we named Robert, dibs by "Grandpa" Jason) and had the opportunity to drive it in the New York and Connecticut Regionals.

Although we did not place as well as we did last year, we still had a great time. The games were intense and fast paced—although watching the whole match on a video is a different story—and there were a variety of robots at the competition. Some were shooters, others were dumpers, and the rest were pinners.

Outside of the competitions, I tightened the bond with the team and met new people from the other teams. Before the Connecticut Regional, we had a sleepover at Mindy's house where we baked snacks and played games.

A word of advice, sleep more than an hour the day before you leave for a regional out of state! Believe me, I speak from personal experience! Sleepiness however is not a factor in the robotics competition. There is too much happening around you to feel tired at all. Robotics is time consuming but it is worth the effort! As for the preparation for the robotics competition, be well organized especially with time. You never know if the robot is really finished, little kinks sometimes appear, and you need time to smooth them out.

Since this is my first and last year on the Iron Maidens, I will say that I will miss the girls a lot. I look forward to coming back to the school to see you guys again and see how the team's doing.

Project Dynavox

Hi everyone! Irene and Amy are typing this blog.

Irene -
I'm currently a junior and I've been part of the Girl's Robotics Team since sophomore. I'm in the Construction Department and I'm pretty good at filing metals. Oh, if we ever a bake sale, I can bake yummy oatmeal cookies and a lot of people buy them! One of my favorite things in the Robotics Team is going to the competitions even though I'm exhausted at the end. If you see me in the lunch table, I'm usually eating a delicious sandwich that my mom makes and Olivia always comments on its (big) size.

Amy -
I'm a freshman and became interested in robotics through my friends. I hope that everyone will join this project and give to people who have troubles communicate with others. These people are just like us, and even though they have communication problems, we can still help them!

Dynavox is something we should all be involved in! :D

DynaVox (both) -

We will be teaching people how to program devices from Dynavox, which helps people who have trouble communicating with others. It is very simple and quick to learn. No experience is needed. It can also cause people to feel accomplished because they are helping others! (=

We hung posters in the hallways and made daily school announcements about it.
Our school's ARISTA, the national honors society, is also part of this project and students can get credit for participating. Hopefully, we can recruit more people to come especially the freshmen who not quite involved in any after-school activities.

A Short Introduction

Hi!

My name is Qurat and I have been with the FeMaidens since they first started in December 2006. Although I was not really involved until halfway through build season (a term that will soon define), robotics has become such a large part of my life that I now notice random engineering stuff in public--such as the rivets in the MTA subway cars and buses.

Here's a little of our team history:

We are a FIRST Robotics Competition team. FIRST's mission is "to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."

Barry Weinberg donated $6000 to NYC-FIRST to start an all-girls' team. The Head Coordinator, Ana Martinez, then contacted the Bxsciborgs, FIRST team 1155, who had several girls' on their team interested in starting a new team.

The FeMaidens originally consisted of eight seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. The team now has one senior, twelve juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen.
We also have 6 mentors: Michael Rainford, Jonathon Cook, Dorothy Fibiger, Nancy Philip, Elizabeth Lin, and Jessica Sattinger.

All of our history can be accessed at our FIRSTwiki and our website.

Feel free to comment. To contact us, just email us at femaidens@gmail.com.