LASSI - LADIES ADVANCING STEM and SOCIETY Inititive
LASSI is an initiative to encourage female students to speak up. Here, posts will contain information about different experiences and skills learned at the shop. We just happen to be female.
Everyone matters!
Spotlight
The Highlanders will spotlight different ideas or topics, so check back frequently.
LASSI's Tip
09 Sept 2022 General MachineryThe horizontal band saw is constantly being used in the shop. This machine is where the process of making parts begins. We use this to cut most of our stock for our robot. It is the first machine we teach new mechanical students. Along with teaching how to use it, we present a foundation of our safety expectations (safety glasses, no loose clothing, ect.) that students learn to grasp. Through learning the horizontal band saw, the idea of measurement is advanced. For example, we teach about kerf, the width of the material removed when cutting. This concept is essential because accuracy is critical in creating a part within tolerances
What's HAP-'ining'?
09 Sept 2022 How to Connect?
The Highlanders HAP (Highlanders Accessibility Program) spotlights our FREE program. We make our team available to ANYONE who wants to learn STEAM through robotics, making out team truley unique. We encourage enyone to join and get ready to have some fun!
Contact UsJoin our Family
09 Sept 2022 FOP - Spotlight - Family
The Highlanders are a community based team made up of 6 different schools and 5 different cities, and we even have a team member located in another country! Come join our team/family!
Contact UsVertical Band Saw
09 October 2022 Tools!
The vertical band saw is used in a different way than the horizontal band saw. Extra safety precautions are needed, and there's a contrast in the way the operator manipulates the part. Keeping a close eye on the distance between your hand and the blade is crucial. When cutting items on this machine, our fingers are at higher risk because we are manipulating the part and pushing it into the saw. If our hand were to slip…well, let's not go there it’s pretty ugly. This machine has been used to cut an assortment of things over the years. One of the most incredible things I've recently seen made with the vertical band saw is a ratchet wheel by Zoya, a student a part of the mechanical subteam. She made 2 practically identical ratch wheels using a printed part drawing, her hands, and the vertical band saw. This part was about 2 inches in diameter. Zoya expresses this about her experience, ”It required a lot of focus and attention. You had to be careful with working with something that detailed”. The vertical band saw is a machine that can be used to make a variety of things despite how simple it looks.
Contact UsCoding a robot
17 Nov 2022 FOP Coding
With so many different robots, everyone has one to program and learn with and I have been coding with Symatar. Learning how to program a robot can be difficult but it is worth it to see the result of what your code has done. I am getting help from our mentors and other programmers to understand code, get the robots down, and problem solve/fix bugs. A big part of programming is bug fixing, which can take a while but sometimes the problems are so simple that one forgotten semicolon can be the issue. While learning, you can see that some robots drive differently than others(Different ways to turn or how many wheels) but the code is pretty similar anyways. Programming can seem easy or scary to some, but if you have the right resources and kind people to help you you can get the hang of it.
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