Pitsco Blog | Competitions

FIRST® Tech Challenge teams: We’re here for you!

Posted by Preston Frazier on January 22, 2019

They say this time of year is for professional football and college basketball. Depending on your favorite team, this might be the case. However, as one of Pitsco’s educational consultants, I beg to differ. This is the time of year for gears, motors, beams, channels, and wheels!

FIRST^® Tech Challenge season is in full swing, and many teams are deeply entrenched in the engineering design process, making modifications and slight adjustments to their already robust robots. If you remember from my travels to Minnesota, this year’s competition takes teams to the Moon in an out-of-this-world competition.

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Topics: Competitions, TETRIX Robotics, Future Ready, Technology, ROBOTICS

Dragster competitions: Making it to the starting gate

Posted by Preston Frazier on December 14, 2018

“The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.” – Howard Cosell

Fun. Exhilaration. Adrenaline. Victory. Defeat. These are a few words that describe competition. Whether you’re aware of it or not, competition is happening around you every day, and it’s human nature to want to compete in some form or fashion – not only in sports, music, and work, but in everyday life.

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Topics: Hands-on Learning, 21st Century Skills, Engineering, Dragsters, TSA, STEM, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, Competitions, IN THE CLASSROOM

Robotics: Connecting school, work, life

Posted by Patty Cooke on October 18, 2018

Administrators and teachers in the Yakima (WA) School District are determined to give their students every opportunity to succeed – in school and in life.

Already home to an extensive CTE program, the district has decided to give students even more opportunities by expanding their robotics programs. To that end, they’ve added nine TETRIX^®MAX R/C Getting Started Packages, two Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue Challenge Sets, and 20 TETRIX MAX Dual-Control Robotics Sets to their program.

We had the chance to speak with CTE Technical Support Specialist Eric Franz about the district’s intentional efforts to grow robotics opportunities for students.

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Topics: Hands-on Learning, TETRIX Robotics, 21st Century Skills, USAR, STEM, Technology, ROBOTICS, Competitions

CO2 dragster competition puts employability skills at the finish line

Posted by Jessica Born on October 05, 2018

Think back to middle and high school. Were you a part of a club or two? Or maybe you were involved in basically everything that was offered? Have you ever reflected back to the time you spent in those organizations and the impact that experience had on your education and future? Maybe it was insignificant or incidental. But, maybe, the experience was pivotal to the person you became or to a career interest decision you made.

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Topics: Hands-on Learning, Maker Ed, 21st Century Skills, Future Ready, Dragsters, TSA, STEM, Collaborations, Competitions, BEYOND THE CLASSROOM, Middle School, High School

Measured for success

Posted by Preston Frazier on July 14, 2018

It seems like every day is a holiday these days, but we’re not complaining. Let’s take a look at a day that really measures up.

On July 14, 1868, a gentleman by the name of Albert J. Fellows of Connecticut revolutionized an item we keep in our toolbox with his patent for a spring-click tape measure (Wired).

Rulers have been around since the days of the Romans, so Fellows isn’t the inventor of the tape measure. And he’s not even the originator of the steel spring measure; he improved Englishman James Chesterman’s steel band measuring chain, which was created in 1829 specifically for surveyors. The issues with Chesterman’s creation were its size and bulk, which also made it expensive. Fellows added a clip that kept the tape from retracting as well as a few other construction improvements, and the arrangement qualified him for his patent. So today’s tradesmen and craftsmen can thank Fellows for the modern tape measure.

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Topics: Hands-on Learning, Activities, Dragsters, STEM, IDEAS & INSPIRATION, Competitions, Middle School, IN THE CLASSROOM

FIRST® Tech Challenge teams: We’re here for you!

Dragster competitions: Making it to the starting gate

Robotics: Connecting school, work, life

CO2 dragster competition puts employability skills at the finish line

Measured for success

SUPPORT

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FIRST® Tech Challenge teams: We’re here for you!

Dragster competitions: Making it to the starting gate

Robotics: Connecting school, work, life

CO2 dragster competition puts employability skills at the finish line

Measured for success

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SUPPORT

GET PROJECT IDEAS, EXCLUSIVE OFFERS, AND MORE!