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1 4 S T U F F M A D E I N M A I N E \ F A L L 2 0 1 9 robotics A nnie deCastro didn't know she'd love robotics as much as she would until she followed her parents' advice and joined the Northern Force robotics team from Gorham and Falmouth high schools four years ago. "I thought it would be a bunch of nerdy guys and not a lot of fun," she says. "I joined my freshman year and I couldn't have been more wrong." Part of a national program known as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), Northern Force de- signs and builds robots in competi- tion with teams from elsewhere in the region or from further afield. There's a different theme every year, like "Deep Space" in 2019 and "Infinite Re- charge" planned for 2020. DeCastro was Northern Force's captain her junior and senior years at Falmouth High School. Despite the time commitment and having to give up indoor track, deCastro considers robotics her best high school activity by far, and one that helped her decide on a col- lege major. The 2019 high school graduate will study mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "I went into high school not entirely sure about my career in- terests," she says. "By the end of it, robotics really put me on this path of engineering." Getting young people interest- ed in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), is indeed one of the core goals of robotics, a branch of engi- neering that involves the con- ception, design, manufacture and design of robots. The Robotics Institute of Maine, a nonprofit housed at and administered by the Manufacturers Association of Maine, is dedicated to providing middle and high school students the opportunity to explore robotics in a competitive yet supportive environment. It does that by working with both the FIRST and VEX robotics competitions to ensure that every Maine student has the opportunity to participate, learn and grow. Ev- ery year, it works with thousands of students and hundreds of teach- ers to expose young Mainers to a hands-on STEM education, includ- ing girls who might not otherwise pursue that path. Nick Stinson, director of design engineering at ON Semiconductor in South Portland and a Robotics Insti- tute board member, says the insti- tute supports robotics programs in two primary ways: by giving grants to help teams defray the costs of programs and by providing financial and logistical support in running statewide competitions that are a critical piece of the whole program. Though Stinson is not a mentor himself, he has several colleagues who are, and says that one of the motivations behind the company's involvement is preparing more women for STEM professions. "The pipeline of available candi- dates is not very robust, so this is a CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 » I went to high school not entirely sure about my career interests. By the end of it, robotics really put me on this path of engineering. — Annie deCastro Falmouth High school 2019 graduate and University of Michigan freshman in mechanical engineering P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F F A L M O U T H S C H O O L S robotics RAMPING UP IN MAINE By Renee Cordes FIRST Robotics Team 172's robot for Aerial Assist (2014) Youth competitions bring hands-on STEM learning to life FIRST Robotics 570,000 students 67,000 teams 100 countries VEX Robotics 1,000,000 students 24,000 teams 60 countries At a glance