By Lydia Cain, Rookie Media Mentor of The PhyXTGears—
MUNCIE, IN—The Grant County Community Foundation Board has approved a $20,000.00 crowdfunding grant to East Central Indiana Robotics – The PhyXTGears, FRC Team 1720 to prepare high school students for Indiana’s technology workforce through hands-on STEM training. Crowdfunding challenges PhyXTGears to raise $20,000 through the generous contributions of donors and sponsors. It effectively doubles the contribution, dollar-for-dollar during the 60-day challenge starting July 15. To join the challenge, you may visit www.GiveToGrant.org/RoboticsCF to learn about and donate to this Crowdfunding Campaign. Checks may be made out to ECI Robotics and mailed to:
East Central Indiana Robotics
625 Massachusetts Ave
Matthews, IN 46957
According to Meagan Mathias, Grants Manager for Community Foundation of Grant County, “Investing in this organization is an investment in the future of our community. By supporting PhyXTGears, you will be nurturing the talents and aspirations of our youth, empowering them to become the next generation of leaders, innovators, and problem solvers.”
Project Information
Shawn Van Ness, president of PhyXTGears has announced winning a grant from the Community Foundation for advancing STEM education, using robotics, for high school students in the community.
The mission of PhyXTGears is to cultivate excitement, understanding and skill in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) through the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program. Through the use of problem-solving, teamwork, time management, and project development, East Central IndianaRobotics promotes innovation, integrity and passion in all we do, and strives to prepare student leaders in order to positively impact our local community.
At PhyXTGears Team 1720, we give high school students hands-on STEM oriented training in a mentor based, supportive environment. Our students come from multi-ethnic & multi-racial backgrounds, and about ¼ of our students are female. Stop by at one of our regular meetings and you can see the results of our program first-hand. Watch our students run CNC milling machines, design with CAD, work with tools in the wood shop, run a laser cutter, program our robot computer, or manage our website and social media. Our mentors are by their side teaching new skills and encouraging them.
The success of our students is at the heart of what we do, and it’s always nice to receive awards as we compete with other teams. Below is a list of awards received by PhyXTGears over the years.
- 4 World Championship Awards & Invitations
- 7 State Championship Awards (6 State Invitations)
- 8 District Awards
- 10 IRI Indiana Robotics Invitational (win in 2019)
According to Shawn Van Ness, the mission of PhyXTGears aligns perfectly with the Community Foundation’s effort to connect people, resources, and causes to promote sustainable impact for the betterment of Grant County. Because we are a community based organization, our students are more likely to remain in the area after graduation, and already possess the skills necessary to be a productive member of the workforce.
About East Central Indiana Robotics, PhyXTGears Team 1720
Founded in 2006, PhyXTGears is a leader in STEM based training using robotics, providing creative solutions for community high school students. Our parent organization, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology at https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc), is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured after school programs, or through community based teams such as PhyXTGears.
We’re like a sports team, except at our competitions we cheer for our robot. “The only difference between this sport and all the others, is that every kid on our teams can turn pro.” – FIRST Founder Dean Kamen
In 2006, our robotics team was the 1720th team to register under the FIRST® organization. Today there are thousands of teams registered worldwide. We also took on the name PhyXTGears (https:// phyxtgears.org/), which is a mash-up of “physics,” “XT,” “computer,” and “gears.” For business purposes, the name of our non-profit 501(c)(3) is East Central Indiana Robotics.
Interested parents can contact us at phyxtgears@gmail.com. We also need mentors in woodworking, metalworking, CNC,CAD, 3D printing, software, electronics, graphic design, photography, videography, web technology, media marketing andother tech and trade skills. Stop by during our team meetings for a tour. We love to tell our story.
If you own a business and are looking for summer interns please contact us. Our students are highly motivated and already possess the technical and trade skills that will make them a valuable addition to your workforce.
