Wilton, CT –– During the fall months, the club will build a robot and in the process learn about using social media, budgeting, fundraising, creating promotional materials for marketing, and of course, working as a team.
According to Adam Amin, a wilton High School student and head of fundraising for the Singularity Technology or the Wilton Library Robotics Club, "[The club is] looking for help to build its own robot to enter the state competition for the very first time. Anyone can help by contributing tools or funds for buying supplies, and we are even offering the opportunity to put our sponsor's name on the team t-shirt and/or the robot."
"The initial cost of creating a robot from ground up is approximately $3,000," said Susan Lauricella, the head of Teen Services at Wilton Library who is mentoring the students. "Although the library has some "seed" money for the project, the team members will be going out into the community to raise the funds required for the competition's entry fees and materials. The financial support can be in the form of donations and discounts from companies where the kids will be purchasing supplies, to outright contributions from engineering-type businesses, or from anyone who sees the long-term value in supporting this endeavor."
The robotics team got underway this spring when Ms. Lauricella, her husband Paul, an engineer, and a neighbor, Keith Andresen*, a retired engineer, put their heads together to create a program for "tech heads" or "geeks." Breaking into a smile, Ms. Lauricella remarked, "Yes, Paul thought we were missing an opportunity to engage kids who weren't necessarily poetry kids (referring to her Poetry in Motion program at the library) or crafters." When the call for whiz kids went out, the response was quick and enthusiastic. The club is comprised of fourteenstudents from Middlebrook Middle School, Wilton High School and Weston High School. One of the students, Elaine Hong from Weston, noted, "I joined the Wilton Library Robotics Team with hopes to learn more about robotic engineering, explore a career field I may pursue, and participate in a competitive challenge alongside other passionate students." In addition to the Lauricellas and Andresen, the volunteer coaches include Thomas Kozak, a Wilton Library technology expert and Malcolm Whyte, a retired engineer from Wilton who has worked on many community building projects, including Wilton Library's expansion.
Pictured (l-r): Back row: Paul Lauricella, Keith Andresen, Isaac Pak, Elaine Hong, Adam Amin, Jordan Reichgut, Albert Wei, Daniel Cui, Thomas Kozak, Charlie Jankowski, Nora Hoch; Middle row: Charlie Higgins, Kyle Rubin, Susan Lauricella, Malcolm Whyte; Front row: Jake Brophy, William Hall. Not pictured: J. P. Clarke, Nickia Constantine