Welcome to HYDRO DYNAMICS 2017
The boys of Redstone Robotics Incorporated held their first practice of the season yesterday to go over the new Challenges and think of possible projects for this year's "Hydro Dynamics" theme. We viewed the following videos to help prepare us for the coming season:
Introduction to Hydro Dynamics (link) -- The theme this year is HYDRO DYNAMICS, where we learn about water – how we find, transport, use, or dispose of it. This is a great topic for our kids since (a) we have lead/copper in the water at our schools, (b) we live very close to Washington Park Reservoir, which is undergoing an 8-year, $500 million renovation project, (c) Portland has one of the oldest and freshest unfiltered, surface water systems from the Bull Run Watershed, and (d) the Northwest has “cheap” power due to an extensive hydroelectric system.
The Hydro Dynamics Challenge (link) -- We need to build and program a robot to accomplish as many tasks as possible including, moving items into certain areas, turning valves, pressing levers, lifting objects, and collecting items. (challenges)
Explanation on Robot Point Values (link) -- We get points for accomplishing each of the tasks with our robot. One part of our qualifying score is whether we get more points on this challenge than the other teams. (guide)
Oregon Experience "Bull Run" (link) -- Portland's pristine water supply did not happen overnight but is the result of 150 years of planning and execution. Currently, the Bull Run watershed pipes 120 million gallons of water per day 50 miles to several above-ground reservoirs on the East side and two in Washington Park just outside RRI headquarters. The water bureau is spending several hundred million dollars to construct a new 12.4-million gallon, seismically-reinforced below ground reservoir in the same footprint of existing Reservoir 3(upper) with a reflecting pool/water feature on top.
The FIRST Lego website is reprogramming their registration site and expect it to be up and running in late September. At that time, you should sign up your kids (again) to participate in the activities for this coming season.:
Log-In at FIRST website: https://www.firstinspires.org/;
Complete YOUR parent/guardian user profile information on the website;
Once you have done this, you may select the "Complete Youth Team Member Registration" button from the Dashboard;
Click the "Add Youth" button to add your youth. You will then be prompted to complete their user profile; and
Apply to their Team Number [Redstone Robotics Incorporated number is 27308].
Finally, there are several FIELD TRIPS we can take to further explore the issue of finding, transporting, using, and disposal of water, including:
--Bull Run Watershed Tour (link);
--Bonneville Dam Tour (link);
--Learning About Water Testing at Our Schools (link); and
--A tour of the Portland Water Bureau (link).
***The Hydro Dynamics Legos have now arrived at RRI headquarters and are looking for several intrepid volunteers to help put them together. See you later today!
