SAS and Us

Connecting to the Compass

Building a robot in six weeks requires all members of Singularity to use all of the 4 C's daily and helps teach everyone the eight student attributes. 

Members must communicate clearly and efficiently about progress to keep the team running smoothly. One great example of this is stand-up: when a member of each subteam updates the rest of the team on what they did at that meeting. We do this at the beginning and end of every meeting and it keeps the whole team on track. Additionally, a large part of FIRST is outreach, showing the community what FIRST and robotics can do. As a team, we present to different groups, including the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce and other younger robotics students, about how robotics will impact the future. Team outreach helps students become better communicators so that the community can see the impact we make.

Of course, collaboration is a key part of all robotics teams. Members work together in every aspect of the team, from building the robot to making it move. All of our subteams must work closely to ensure that the whole team runs smoothly. Finally, alliances work together at competitions to create a strategy for each match.

Robotics students use critical thinking and creativity every day. Each year, FRC teams receive a new challenge and have six weeks to design a robot that can complete it. This challenge and deadline are the same for teams across the world, making Singularity globally connected. About a quarter of our build time is spent brainstorming and prototyping and we love using creative, new ideas in our robot design. When faced with the challenge, we create multiple ideas and discuss the pros and cons of each before coming to a solution. This process teaches the whole team to be complex thinkers & problem solvers as well as creative innovators as we find inventive solutions to the challenge.

As a student-led team, our subteam leads are collaborative leaders; working together to keep the team running smoothly. Everyone on the team is able to step up in the absence of our student leads, showing that all of our members are motivated & self-directed. Since our team is student-run, the business team handles the majority of team finances and other team logistics making Singularity members financially & digitally literate.

Overall, the SAS Compass's 4 C's and 8 Student Attributes are an integral part of our team and we will continue using and teaching these skills into the future.