Boston University is now on BCT!
Boston University’s College of Engineering is offering their guided tour 12:30pm to 1:30pm on Friday, July 10, 2026. Please register early as that tour’s capacity is very limited. Please go to the BCT registration page to see the tour description and to register.
An alternative to the College of Engineering tour is the more expansive tour offered by BU Admissions to learn more about BU’s other colleges including its largest the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), with more than 20 departments. CAS is where you’ll find undergraduate programs in the humanities, natural and computational sciences, and social sciences. Those generalized 2-hour tours, which have starting times at 9:30am, 10:30am, 1:30pm and 2:30pm, include a 45-minute information session before a 75-minute walking tour. Book early!
We now offer STEM-focused guided tours for up to 4 world-class universities in one day. Most BCT participants do a day trip but consider a full BCT/Boston JerkFest 3-day experience (Thu-Sat nights). Self-guided tours of any of the universities could occur on Saturday morning. Hotels in Cambridge and Boston are more expensive this summer so book early and consider the outlying areas convenient to the Boston subway system. Click here for information and tickets for the 13th annual Boston JerkFest food and music festival.
Northeastern University is now on BCT!
Northeastern University is offering their guided tour 9am to 10:30am on Friday, July 10, 2026. Students and parents now have an option to MIT’s morning tour. Please go to the BCT registration page to see the description of the Northeastern University tour and possibly register.
BCT 2026 - Book MIT & Harvard Tours Now!
BCT - Boston area College Tour - a free STEM talent pipeline initiative for current 9th & 10th grade high school students, is now open for registrations for MIT and Harvard tours on Friday, July 10, 2026. Go to 2026 BCT - Boston area College Tour — Robotics & turkey to register or see tour details.
STEM is hot! In 2025, the average starting salary for an MIT senior entering industry was $145,820, up from $126,438 in 2024.
Talented students receive in-person exposure to determine fit with the universities and decide whether to apply for admission. Note that MIT and Harvard are tuition free for admitted students whose family incomes are under $200,000.
Most BCT participants do a day trip but consider a full BCT/Boston JerkFest 3-day experience (Thu-Sat nights). Hotels in Cambridge and Boston are more expensive this summer so book early and consider the outlying areas convenient to the Boston subway system. Click here for information and tickets for the 13th annual Boston JerkFest food and music festival.
Special features of the 2025 MIT tour were:
a 60-minute activity session only for high school students while parents toured the MIT Museum, and
a 45-minute lunch and talk session where high school students and parents could pose additional questions to four rising 2nd year MIT students and a PhD alumnus (pictured in the above gallery and wearing name tags). LinkedIn profiles of the MIT students and alumnus were shared a few days earlier with tour participants to facilitate more effective networking.
The 2025 MIT & Harvard tours had presentations by admissions officers Trinidad Carney at MIT and Ian McLean at Harvard. One-hour campus tours were conducted by current college students.
Here’s a video recap of the 3-day 2025 BCT/Boston JerkFest experience. Video captures only a fraction of the experience. For example, I tasted the best ever jerk chicken meal. It was plated by Chef Audley “Ras Skills” Mills, the winner of the Jerk Chef Cook-Off Contest!
Robotics & turkey 2025 Post-Conference Press Release
For Immediate Release: December 1, 2025
Robert D. Jones
Hand & Mind LLC
203-550-3051 mobile
ARCHAEOLOGY OR UNDERSTANDING OUR STORY THROUGH PHYSICAL REMAINS WAS CENTRAL AT ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025, THE 3-DAY YOUTH ROBOTICS CONFERENCE IN TRELAWNY, JAMAICA FEATURING 4 SPEAKERS, AN ENGAGING FIELD TRIP & RESILIENCY AFTER HURRICANE MELISSA.
The international conference broadens the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talent pipeline by engaging children aged 9-14 yrs. old, particularly girls and children of color.
The 3rd annual Robotics & Turkey Conference (R&t) returned Thanksgiving weekend—Thursday, November 27 to Saturday, November 29, 2025—at the all-inclusive Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Jamaica. The resort sustained only minimal impact from Hurricane Melissa in late October 2025 and fully reopened on November 7. Some of the Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery projects supported by R&t participants are cited in the opening message in our conference journal and in the video posted below:
Hurricane Melissa Relief: Cambria School of Excellence brings school supplies to Beulah All Age School
Featured in Forbes and endorsed by the Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services at MIT, R&t blends robotics, research, and cultural exploration. This year’s theme mirrors the 2025–26 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) robotics season: “UNEARTHED: Explore the artifacts of the past to uncover clues about how we live, learn, and celebrate.”
The 3rd annual Robotics & turkey had an in-person audience of +30 representing 17 different robotics teams from United States (11) and Jamaica (6). US-based robotics teams represented were KIPP NYC (7), Cambria Warbots, Bronx EFKs, rookie team Novel Minds, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team Saunders Droid Factory. Jamaican teams were New Day Primary, Beulah All Age, Pike Primary, Operation Rescue Christian School, Campion College FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), Jamaican National FIRST Global Competition (FGC) team. Forty-seven % of the in-person registrants were female.
The conference opened Thursday evening with Evelyn Thompson, former head conservator at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, receiving the 2nd annual Pioneer Award which recognizes her three decades of expertise in archaeological preservation and education.
Evelyn Thompson receiving 2nd annual Pioneer Award
Dr. Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby, archaeologist and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, followed the presentation of the pioneer award with her lecture and “hands-on presentation entitled “Archaeology Unearthed”.
Robert Jones led an early Friday morning workshop on improving robot design presentations using tri-fold poster-boards and providing audience feedback to a robotics team’s draft innovation project presentation.
This was followed by the early Friday morning speaker session where Ms. Thompson delivered a lively presentation entitled “Conservation & Robotics”.
Principal of Eagle Wings School, Mrs. Consuelo Ricketts and her husband Mr. Neville Ricketts with Mr. Orville Daley (Coach of Jamaican National Team, FIRST Global Competition), Mr. Rithvik Gogineni (member of Campion College FIRST Technical Challenge and member Jamaican National Team FGC), and Mr. Robert Jones. Despite Eagle Wings suffering hurricane damage, the school plans to start a FLL robotics team
The Friday late morning speaker was Alexander Lowe, an 11th-grade student at Saunders Trades & Technical High School in Yonkers, NY. A former FLL participant and member of his high school’s FRC team Saunders Droid Factory, Alexander presented his 2025 summer research on “Vision-Guided Autonomous Navigation for Robots Using AprilTags and PhotonVision” conducted under the mentorship of an MIT Computer Science PhD student. A Jamaican school delegation won Alexander’s Spike Prime robot kit that he offered as a quiz prize.
Together, Dr. Atkinson Swaby & Ms. Thompson led an engaging field trip Friday afternoon to Seville Heritage Park, home to Taíno, Spanish, and British colonial sites. Later that evening, after dinner, conference participants divided into 3 groups, prepared field-trip reports that will be shared by our conference delegates to their entire home teams.
Tony Reid of NYC-based Drone Cadets LLC virtually delivered a pre-recorded video presentation on “Eyes in the Sky: How Drone Technology is Revolutionizing Archaeological Discovery.” That was viewed and appreciated by conference participants late Friday night.
The highlight of the 3rd and final day was the networking session where participants broadened and deepened relationships. Some participants received college and graduate school application advice while others brainstormed leads for summer job and internship opportunities. Some of the advice and work leads are advertisers in the conference journal. Lilieth Jones, mother of Robert Jones, provided inspiring personal remarks that closed the conference.
Networking
R&t hosts FLL robotics team delegations from Jamaica and the United States (primary, prep, elementary, and middle schools), including winners of Jamaica’s 2025 FLL Championship and finalists from New York City’s 2025 FLL Championship. Each delegation typically consists of a student, parent, and coach. There are over 45,000 FLL teams worldwide.
Launched in 2023, R&t continues to foster global STEM engagement through competition, collaboration, and cultural immersion. Its companion initiative, the annual Boston-area College Tour (BCT)—occurring the 2nd weekend of July 2026—offers high school students curated tours of MIT, Harvard, and other selective universities, helping them explore academic and career pathways in STEM.
For more information or to join the R&t mailing list, visit www.roboticsturkey.org.
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ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025 YOUTH ROBOTICS CONFERENCE FEATURES 4 SPEAKERS!
Robert D. Jones
Hand & Mind LLC
handmindenrichment@gmail.com
203-550-3051 mobile
ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025 YOUTH ROBOTICS CONFERENCE FEATURES 4 SPEAKERS!
Third annual international conference broadens the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talent pipeline by engaging children aged 9-14 yrs. old, particularly girls and children of color.
Mt. Vernon, New York November 15, 2025
The 3rd annual Robotics & Turkey Conference (R&t) returns Thanksgiving weekend—Thursday, November 27 to Saturday, November 29, 2025—at the all-inclusive Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Jamaica. The resort sustained only minimal impact from Hurricane Melissa last month and fully reopened on November 7. R&t supports selected Hurricane Melissa recovery projects.
Featured in Forbes and endorsed by the Dean of Admissions at MIT, R&t blends robotics, research, and cultural exploration. This year’s theme mirrors the 2025–26 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) robotics season: “UNEARTHED: Explore the artifacts of the past to uncover clues about how we live, learn, and celebrate.”
The opening speaker, Dr. Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby, archaeologist and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, brings over 20 years of experience in Caribbean archaeology and cultural heritage. She is also author of Boianani: A Taíno Girl’s First Adventure and director of the Kulcha Konnection Summer Camp (2018–2023). Joining her is Evelyn Thompson, former head conservator at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, with three decades of expertise in preservation and education. Together, they will lead a hands-on field trip to Seville Heritage Park, home to Taíno, Spanish, and British colonial sites.
Tony Reid of NYC-based Drone Cadets LLC will virtually deliver a video presentation on “Eyes in the Sky: How Drone Technology is Revolutionizing Archaeological Discovery.” This year’s program also spotlights Alexander Lowe, an 11th-grade student at Saunders Trades & Technical High School in Yonkers, NY. A former FLL participant and member of his high school’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, Alexander will present his summer research on “Vision-Guided Autonomous Navigation for Robots Using AprilTags and PhotonVision” conducted under the mentorship of an MIT Computer Science PhD student.
Alexander Lowe
R&t hosts FLL robotics team delegations from Jamaica and the United States (primary, prep, elementary, and middle schools), including winners of Jamaica’s 2025 FLL Championship and finalists from New York City’s 2025 FLL Championship. Each delegation typically consists of a student, parent, and coach. There are over 45,000 FLL teams worldwide.
Launched in 2023, R&t continues to foster global STEM engagement through competition, collaboration, and cultural immersion. Its companion initiative, the Boston-area College Tour (BCT)—introduced in 2025—offers high school students curated tours of MIT, Harvard, and other selective universities, helping them explore academic and career pathways in STEM.
For more information, registration, or to join the R&t mailing list, visit www.roboticsturkey.org.
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Robotics & Turkey 2025 Youth Robotics Conference In Jamaica Is On!
For Immediate Release: November 1, 2025
Robert D. Jones
Hand & Mind LLC
handmindenrichment@gmail.com
203-550-3051 mobile
ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025 YOUTH ROBOTICS CONFERENCE IN JAMAICA IS ON!
Third annual international conference broadens the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talent pipeline by engaging children aged 9-14 yrs. old, particularly girls and children of color.
Mt. Vernon, New York November 1, 2025
The 3rd annual Robotics & Turkey Conference (R&t) returns Thanksgiving weekend—Thursday, November 27 to Saturday, November 29, 2025—at the all-inclusive Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Jamaica. The newly built resort sustained only minimal impact from Hurricane Melissa earlier this week.
Featured in Forbes and endorsed by the Dean of Admissions at MIT, R&t blends robotics, research, and cultural exploration. This year’s theme mirrors the 2025–26 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) robotics season: “UNEARTHED: Explore the artifacts of the past to uncover clues about how we live, learn, and celebrate.”
The opening speaker, Dr. Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby, archaeologist and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona, brings over 20 years of experience in Caribbean archaeology and cultural heritage. She is also author of Boianani: A Taíno Girl’s First Adventure and director of the Kulcha Konnection Summer Camp (2018–2023). Joining her is Evelyn Thompson, former head conservator at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, with three decades of expertise in preservation and education. Together, they will lead a hands-on field trip to Seville Heritage Park, home to Taíno, Spanish, and British colonial sites.
R&t hosts FLL robotics team delegations from Jamaica and the United States (primary, prep, elementary, and middle schools), including winners of Jamaica’s 2025 FLL Championship and finalists from New York City’s 2025 FLL Championship. Each delegation typically consists of a student, parent, and coach. There are over 45,000 FLL teams worldwide.
This year’s program also spotlights Alexander Lowe, an 11th-grade student at Saunders Trades & Technical High School in Yonkers, NY. A former FLL participant and member of his high school’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, Alexander will present his summer research on “Vision-Guided Autonomous Navigation for Robots Using AprilTags and PhotonVision” conducted under the mentorship of an MIT Computer Science PhD student.
Launched in 2023, R&t continues to foster global STEM engagement through competition, collaboration, and cultural immersion. Its companion initiative, the Boston-area College Tour (BCT)—introduced in 2025—offers high school students curated tours of MIT, Harvard, and other selective universities, helping them explore academic and career pathways in STEM.
For more information, registration, or to join the R&t mailing list, visit www.roboticsturkey.org
2025 Commemorative Journal
Dear Family, Friends and Supporters,
U.S. and Jamaican delegations are preparing for the 3rd. annual Robotics & turkey Conference being held over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, Thursday, November 27 to Saturday, November 29, 2025 at the all-inclusive Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The international conference’s audience is FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team delegations primarily from Jamaica and United States that consist of a team member, their parent, and a team coach. There are 45,000 FLL teams worldwide.
To mark the occasion, we will be publishing a commemorative journal that will include our program, biographies of our presenters, and messages or ads from you – our family, friends and supporters. Please join us in celebrating this annual event, and lend your support by advertising your business, giving a ‘shout out’ to a FIRST LEGO League Team, share your contact info via Business Card, or provide a short message. We’ve created a Journal Contract to facilitate your support. Please note that our deadline for your AD is Monday, November 10, 2025. If you have any questions, please contact us: Robert Jones (203) 550-3051 or Lesleyann Samuel (301) 704-6307.
You will, of course, receive a final copy of our 2025 journal. For reference, here are links to our 2023 journal: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/7ed94f97fe.html and 2024 journal: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/2b9c48e309.html. The 2023 & 2024 conferences were resounding successes. https://youtu.be/QZcb5f2AvEc
Thank you in advance for your support!
Robotics & turkey International Youth Robotics Conference Team 2025
Stay in touch – Subscribe to our Website: https://www.roboticsturkey.org/
The Stakes Are High!
Last week I helped a group of Black parents in The Bronx start and self-fund a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics team for their middle school children. This action was taken to counter the loss, due to financial constraints, of at least 3 school-based teams of color in the NYC area over the past 13 months. The loss includes the last team of color to win the NYC championship - IS 192Q in Saint Albans, Queens.
The stakes are high! I was reminded of that when I absorbed the key points delivered by 3 Noble Prize-winning economists at the MIT Alumni Leadership Conference I attended on September 26, 2025.
Please consider a donation to Robotics & turkey 2025. We effectively broaden the STEM talent pipeline by engaging children aged 9-14 yrs. old, particularly girls and children of color. In the testimonial video below, we feature New Day Primary School that won 1st Place in Robot Performance at Jamaica’s 2025 FLL Championship, as well as Cambria School of Excellence in Queens, NYC that advanced to the 2025 NYC FLL Championship. Enjoy the excitement!
1 Hr. Virtual Fundraiser
Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 4-5pm EST.
Event has ended. Here is the recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei7sCGCVpRE
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84632467171?pwd=VqgxChpUEi9sSdo Amn8BsDKET4cS2U.1 Meeting ID: 846 3246 7171 Passcode: 206933
❖ Subsidize travel for team delegations to international youth robotics conference
❖Delegation - team member (aged 9-14 yrs old), their parent, and team coach
❖ Testimonies by delegations
❖Videos of conference speakers (roboticsturkey.org/2025speakers)
❖ Fundraiser moderated by Robert Jones, conference co-founder
❖ To Donate
Zelle to Robert Jones at 203-550-3051 with memo “Robotics & turkey 2025”
Questions? Email handmindenrichment@gmail.com.
Fiscal sponsorship by New York Solar Energy Society and
Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA), Inc., both 501(3)(c).
Room & Conference Registrations Open!
Click here for resort room registration. First come, first served basis. No hotel room blocks being held.
2025 conference registration of USD 60 per person is open. Fee increases to USD 100 per person on or after October 1, 2025. Click here to fill out form and pay by credit card.
ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025 SPEAKERS & FUND- RAISERS
For Immediate Release: August 6, 2025
Robert D. Jones
Hand & Mind LLC
handmindenrichment@gmail.com
203-550-3051 mobile
ROBOTICS & TURKEY 2025 -- 3-DAY YOUTH ROBOTICS CONFERENCE IN MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA – ANNOUNCES SPEAKERS AND FUNDRAISERS
Third annual international conference broadens the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talent pipeline by engaging children aged 9-14 yrs. old, particularly girls and children of color.
Mt. Vernon, New York August 6, 2025
The 3rd annual Robotics & turkey Conference (R&t) will return Thanksgiving weekend—Thursday, Nov. 27 to Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025—at the all-inclusive Ocean Coral Spring Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica.
R&t has been featured in Forbes and is endorsed by the Dean of Admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
This year’s theme aligns with the 2025–26 FIRST® LEGO® League season:
“UNEARTHED: Explore the artifacts of the past to uncover clues about how we live, learn, and celebrate.”
Opening session conference speaker is Dr. Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby, Archaeologist and Lecturer at University of the West Indies (UWI) at Mona. She brings over 20 years of experience in archaeology, cultural resource management, and heritage education. A passionate advocate for Indigenous Caribbean heritage, she’s also the author of Boianani: A Taíno Girl’s First Adventure and director of the 2023 Kulcha Konnection Summer Camp.
Joining her is Evelyn Thompson, a conservator with more than 30 years of experience and head of the conservation department at the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. She has taught at MICO University and guest lectured at UWI.
Both experts will guide a conference field trip to Seville Heritage Park, a significant site featuring remnants of the Taino village of Maima, Spanish colonial structures, and a British sugar plantation.
R&t hosts FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) team delegations primarily from Jamaica and the United States—each typically consisting of a student, a parent, and a team coach. R&t is truly a unique cultural and educational experience within the global FLL ecosystem of +45,000 teams.
Registration and Travel Costs
Conference Registration: $60/person by September 30; $100 after.
TLM (Transportation, Lodging, and Meals):
From NYC: Approx. $1,185/person (double occupancy)
From Jamaica: Approx. $425/person (double occupancy)
Children (ages 3–11): ~50% discount on lodging and meals
Maximum: 4 adults per room
Teams may qualify for a TLM subsidy by participating in one or more of our 2025 fundraising events:
August 13 – In-person fundraiser in New York City
August 22 – In-person fundraiser in Martha’s Vineyard, MA
September 17 – Virtual fundraiser
Click here to RSVP or donate at the Aug. 13 or Aug. 22 in-person events.
Launched in 2023, R&t continues to celebrate and cultivate a global, inclusive STEM future through international exposure, robotics competition culture, and cultural immersion. Previous conferences have been praised for innovation, engagement, and unforgettable educational experiences.
To learn more, register, or join the mailing list, visit: 👉 www.roboticsturkey.org
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