Mars robotics students to host STEAM event at Pirates game
Baseball and robotics don’t always have a lot in common.
Visitors to PNC Park on Sept. 4 will get to see both.
Through a showcase event entitled “Full STEAM Ahead,” members of the Mars Robotics Association and other regional robotics teams will share their science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) skills with families before a Pittsburgh Pirates game.
Upward of 12 FIRST Robotics teams hailing from across West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania will bring robotics displays Sept. 4 to PNC Park for Pittsburgh Pirates Kids Day. The game begins at 12:05 p.m., and outdoor pre-game activities begin at 11 a.m. on Federal Street.
Visitors will be able to drive robots on a floor map of Mars and the Moon created by the Aldrin Family Foundation, write a message to be sent to the Moon on a future mission by Astrobotic, and see the product of young robotics team members’ efforts during the showcase.
“Part of our underlying program is to connect different teams, as well as professionals, to emphasize to students that, hey, these careers are fun,” said Jeff Beckstead, robotics team president and mentor.
“We’re putting on displays for youth who are interested in STEAM, to get them involved,” said Lindsey Gourash, lead of outreach with the Mars Robotics Association. “Students have been involved in every aspect of the project.”
A link to discounted tickets for the upcoming game is available on the Mars Robotics Association Facebook page.
The Mars Robotics Association has its own unique assignment for the upcoming festival. The group plans to build a robot that will throw the “first pitch” of the game.
“There have been games in the competitions where they’ve had to throw balls or rings, but only a few feet, and they’re whiffle balls,” Beckstead said. “It’s starting from those concepts, but how do they make that go farther, with a baseball? There are some challenges there that they’re working through, but it’s a good learning experience for them.”
Gourash described building the robot as “definitely a challenge.”
“A lot of physics is going into this, to get the wheels to spin up to velocity,” she said.
Another robotics team will be building a robot that launches T-shirts into the crowd and will compete against the Pirate Parrot mascot.
Projects like this one and the competitions that the team participates in during the school year fit into the team’s mission to prepare students for the real world, Gourash added.
At the event, local science and technology companies also will make presentations on STEAM careers.
“We want to get people introduced to STEAM, for younger ages and people who might not have access to it, to just get it visible, for people to know that the programs are out there,” Gourash said. “That’s why we’re bringing in tech companies, to show youth what’s possible.”
