Virtual Fundraiser - Robotics & turkey in Jamaica!

The Robotics & turkey Virtual Fundraiser, held on September 15th, totally engaged donors, robotics team members, parents, coaches, and conference keynote speakers in a lively 1-hour program. The fundraiser’s purpose was to subsidize travel for team delegations to the international youth robotics conference over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

There were riveting testimonies by coaches and amusing ones by team members aged 9-14 years old. The Q&A, moderated by Ms. Chitra Nawbatt, investor & growth advisor, was very insightful as each of the 3 conference keynote speakers addressed 2 key questions:

"The robotics conference’s theme is the 2023-2024 FIRST LEGO League’s MasterPiece theme: imagine and innovate new ways to create and communicate art across the globe. Some say the STEM/art integration theme should attract more youth to try STEM. Do you agree with that premise, and if so can you provide any evidence or suggest any tactics?"

"This robotics conference is intentionally in-person with a call of action for attendees to rapidly communicate and implement conference learnings to their entire teams. From your perspective, what are the pros and cons of this format particularly for team members?"

Please view the highlights video to get a better understanding of Robotics & turkey, as well as to see US-based team members clamoring for Robotics & turkey in Jamaica!

Multi-Sensory Communication of the Boston JerkFest Experience

Robotics teams shouldn’t overlook the culinary arts for innovation project ideas as we explore the 2023-2024 FIRST LEGO League’s MasterPiece theme:  imagine and innovate new ways to create and communicate art across the globe.

Art is “a process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to senses or emotions”.  Boston JerkFest 2023, where I served as emcee for the Chef Jerk Cookoff, strongly appealed to all 5 commonly known senses:  sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

By the way, Jerk is spicy Jamaican BBQ.  I’m a pioneer in growing the market for Jerk BBQ.   Thirty-two years ago, while a student at Harvard Business School, I wrote a business plan for a Caribbean restaurant and entertainment concept featuring Jerk BBQ in Cambridge, MA, and successfully started and operated it for a decade.

The 10th annual Boston JerkFest on July 8, 2023 was a great event!  It was held at Harvard University, adjacent to Harvard Business School and the new complex for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.    Many say this year’s JerkFest was better than last year, which was declared Boston’s best 2022 food festival by Boston Magazine.  How can we better communicate this wonderful multi-sensory event beyond a video clip?

Jamaica Hosts Inaugural FIRST LEGO League Competition on May 27, 2023

On a balmy Saturday, at Mona Heights campus of the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, the inaugural staging of the FIRST LEGO League Competition was held.  Organized by FIRST Technology Challenge Jamaica (the authorized FIRST representative for the Caribbean), nine (9) primary schools from across the island participated in the event and were judged for their performance in the robot game, in  robot design and for overall performance including teamwork and innovation.

Seven of the nine participating primary (elementary) schools were sponsored by their alumni associations in the USA who are members of the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations (USA) Inc. (UJAA).  One additional school was directly sponsored by UJAA.

Three awards were presented at the close of the day’s events to:

§  Beulah All-Age and Infant School (Parish of Clarendon) who received the Champions Award. They displayed exceptional teamwork and showed great innovation in their presentation to judges. They not only did well on the field (Robot Performance) but was also a top contender for the Robot Design Award.

§  Pike Primary and Infant school (Manchester) who received the Robot Game Performance Award. They demonstrated an outstanding performance in the robot game and received the most points on the field. Their robot was able to complete the tasks efficiently and flawlessly, showcasing their expertise in programming and engineering.

§  Shortwood Practising Primary and Infant School (Kingston) who received the Robot Design Award. They were recognized for their outstanding robot design. Their robot was not only functional but also aesthetically appealing. Their attention to detail and innovative approach to design were truly remarkable. The other nominees were: Operation Restoration Christian School & Newday Primary.

UJAA has been on the forefront of robotics in Jamaica since 2009. To us, the support of STEM education in general, and robotics in particular, is a way to equip our young people with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. 

We look forward to a significant increase in the FLL Jamaica program in the coming years, and to their participation in Robotics & turkey Conference in November 2023!

View the Opening Program here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/W9ejn9lLZJ8?feature=share

An AI Project Under FLL’s MasterPiece Theme?

Can we develop a new revenue stream for performing artists through Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that augment fans’ post-concert experiences?

That could be an innovation project idea for any robotics team under the 2023-2024 FIRST LEGO League’s MasterPiece theme:  imagine and innovate new ways to create and communicate art across the globe.

The AI augmented fan post-concert experience idea came to my mind as I used Apple’s i-Movie software on my i-Phone to collage my personal photos and video snippets the day after attending a sold-out Grace Jones concert at the 2,200 person capacity Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on the evening of May 31, 2023.  Grace Jones is my first cousin.  Also, Grace is my first major concert since the Covid-19 pandemic ended.

I’m curious as to whether children currently involved in FIRST LEGO League (mostly ages 9-14) can fully relate to the AI augmented fan post-concert experience idea as I surmise most of them have yet to attend their first in-person concert for their favorite performing artist.  When they do have their first big fan in-person concert experience, let us carefully observe how they use the concert photos and video snippets they take.