On
Thursday, March 14, 2019, eleven Byron-Bergen fifth grade students and seven
Senior High School students in grades 9 through 11 joined hundreds of others
from Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties at Genesee Community
College for STEAM JAM and Tech Wars.
Tech
Wars, now in its twelfth year, annually invites students to compete in
activities to challenge their innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness.
Jr./Sr. High School Technology Teacher Jay Wolcott, who has a background in
commercial manufacturing, was one of the originators of the competition and
annually judges the SUMO bots event. Other events include CO2 car
races, architectural CAD design, logo design, and the regatta - during which
students ride full-size cardboard boats across the GCC pool.
“Tech
Wars encourages students to think outside the box while still maintaining the
required parameters,” says Wolcott. “We want something different, cutting edge,
but it takes real innovation to solve a challenge in a new way while staying
within the limits of size, weight, materials, or time.”
The
Tech Wars participants vie mostly for trophies and bragging rights but, because
of the generous sponsorship from regional businesses, two students also receive
scholarships.
“Maybe
a student isn’t an athlete,” adds Wolcott, “but at Tech Wars they can compete,
use their skills, and be part of a team.”
First-year
Sr. High School Technology Teacher Meshari Alnouri attended his first Tech Wars
this year. Although mostly there to observe and become familiar with the
events, his students participated in the High School Mystery Event.
"The
Mystery Event was a great experience for my students," says Alnouri.
"Between participating and watching the rest of the competitions, they’re
excited to prepare for next year. I’m excited to help them hone their skills
and expand their vision of what’s possible."
STEAM
Jam is a new event with ninety Elementary School student participants from
eight districts. It is the collaborative project of the regional STEAM
teachers’ cohort. Byron-Bergen STEAM Lab teacher Craig Schroth was one of the
driving forces behind this year’s event.
“STEAM
Jam is a celebration,” says Schroth. “We designed three tasks for the students
to complete which encourage them to get excited about science, technology,
engineering, arts, and math. It is also a great opportunity for the Elementary
School students to see the older kids at Tech Wars. We hope that they will
carry their enthusiasm with them to Junior and Senior High School.”
"I
had so much fun at STEAM Jam!” said Fifth grader Gianna Graff. “One of my
favorite parts was being able to see the older kids compete in Robot
Soccer. Now, I am so excited for Tech Wars when I get older."
The
STEAM Jam challenges asked students to use design to create a swag item
incorporating their school logo and an LED light, construct a tower out of
cardboard boxes capable of supporting a toy basketball hoop and surviving a
“slam dunk”, and code a robot to launch a ball through a hoop from various
positions.
“It was a place where I could use my creativity, engineering
skills, and artistic abilities,” said fifth grade participant Simone
Scharvogel. “I can't wait to go back!"