MARS benefits from generous community and corporate support which allows the team to exist and achieve its goals. In an effort to give back to our community, the team seeks opportunities to pursue service and outreach. Brief examples of current projects are listed below. Local organizations are encouraged to contact us with community service needs or for a robotics presentation. We're working on getting the pictures to show up again, we've had photo gallery issues.
To see photos taken at an activity, click on the picture shown next to the event description.
Service Projects
MARS Robotics: Helping Keep Earth Habitable!
St. Paul of the Cross Church Computer Ministry: MARS is honored to assist with this computer repair/ rebuild program. Donated and discarded systems are thoroughly examined, wiped and reconfigured for use by low income families and charities. We've been helping continuously since 2006, nearly 4 years!
Friends of Jupiter Beach Clean-up: This active volunteer organization (learn more at www.friendsofjupiterbeach.com) has been cleaning Jupiter’s beaches monthly for over twelve years. We've been doing the cleanups since early 2007 and have demoed our robot their as well. MARS participates as a group to assist friends and neighbors in maintaining the natural beauty of the local area. The Team was featured in a photo in their Oct.-Dec. 2006 quarterly newsletter (View PDF).
Total Trash Collected : 2,689 Pounds
Resource Depot: "Learn and Teach How to Turn Waste into Wonder": MARS donates unused or excess materials when appropriate to this non-profit organization that distributes safe, reusable materials to the Palm Beach County community for creative learning experiences while preserving the enviroment. We've also benefitted by using their free recycled resources for parade float construction and art projects. Located on 3560 Investment Lane, West Palm Beach, FL 33404; 561-882-0090, their website has been down, but is usually accessible at www.resourcedepot.net . MARS is "on-call" to help maintain their robotic mascot "Curby" (see what this interesting robot is capable of here: http://www.robotronics.com/products/33.html ).
Individual MARS Members Serving Others: In addition to MARS team service efforts, the club promotes individual volunteerism. Students have benefited from assisting groups such as The South Florida Science Museum and Stuart Methodist Church's FIRST Lego League Team. This website encourages student involvement in helping our community by maintaining a page identifying community service opportunities for individuals beyond team scheduled projects and gives contact information.
Volunteer requests are highlighted here.
Technology Presentations and Robot Demonstrations
MARS Robotics Community Outreach Mission: Inspiring others to discover the rewarding world of innovation and engineering.
Palm Beach County School Board Presentation, Annualy since February 21, 2007: MARS and Team 179, Children of the Swamp, explain FIRST and the impact of being involved with high school robotics programs. Their 2006 robots are displayed and shoot a few balls. Board members are given invitations to the FL Regional Competition and all the viewing public watching the local public affairs cable channel 19 are invited. In 2008, MARS went with Swamp Team 179 to show the school board our achievement in winning the Chairman's Award, and again in 2009 to show our Judges' Award while Swamp displayed their 1st place banner. We continually lobby for increased presence of FIRST and show the benefits of the program.
To view video captured from the live broadcast of the meeting on cable channel 19, follow this link: http://www.marsbot.org/node/789 .
Town of Jupiter's 30th Annual JTAA Holiday Parade, Since December 2006: The team participated in its first parade. In keeping with the theme: "The Music and Magic of the Season", MARS created an animated robotic "Frosty the Snowman" tossing poofball snowballs at team members from a "snow-covered" winter scene. Over 40 versions of the Frosty song were played during the 2-1/2 mile route. The event's judges awarded the MARS float 2nd place for "Originality". The parade also served as a drop off site for the Marines "Toys for Tots" program. The team contributed several unwrapped, new toys. We've done the parade annually since 2006 (4 years now) and won 1st place in 2007.
Experimental Aircraft Association, North Palm Beach Airport, October 2006 Meeting: MARS senior members provided a power point presentation and encouraged pilots to try their skills driving the team's 2006 robot "Ball-istic". Following the demo, MARS was given a hangar tour and shown EAA's aircrafts and current projects.
The Team was featured in their November Newsletter here.
Cub Scout Demonstration, September 2006: Trinity Methodist's Cub Scout Pack participated in robotics activities during their picnic at Mirasol Park. MARS involved scouts age 6 to 11 in four activites: robot claw relays, vex driving challenge, an intro to our 2006 robot including "poofball - dodgeball" and catapult activities. Scouts learned about types of catapults (handout from the event), including the one on our robot, and made small models to satisfy a requirement of the Webelos Engineering Activity Badge.
JHS School Advisory Council Updated, September 2006: At the first SAC meeting of the 2006-07 school year Mr. Zachariah did a quick presentation recapping how MARS did last year and thanking the committee for their support. Attendance was high, and lots of positive feedback and attention were given to FIRST and MARS Robotics.
JHS Warrior Welcome, Since August 2006: Jupiter High School held its annual "Warrior Welcome" orientation meeting for new students on Saturday, 8/12/06. New parents and students were made aware of MARS Robotics through an informational display, brochures and business cards that were passed out directing the reader to check-out this web site. The team was well represented and attracted attention driving our 2006 robot and shooting some poof balls. We've gone to Freshman orientation at Jupiter High Since 2006 and Dwyer High Since 2008 with our Ball-istic robot.
Palm Beach Section of ASME, Inlet Grove High School, May 2006 Meeting: Held at team 179's Swamp, MARS participated with teams 179 and 180 in a robotics demo and discussed the FIRST program. The association's mechanical engineers were shown 2006 Aim High robots in action and team representatives stressed the students' appreciation of the support shown by ASME toward the FIRST program.
MARS End of Year Team Appreciation Social/ Open House, May 2006: Sponsors, mentors’ and students’ families, local businesses, our Palm Beach County School Board Representative and the faculty and SAC Committee of Jupiter High School were invited to an Open House showcasing the team’s year. A completely student produced power point presentation and DVD were shown and visitors were given a chance to drive the robot. Supporters were recognized and mentors/sponsors received DVDs as a thank-you.
Annual Drop It, Build It, Fly It Competition, South Florida Science Museum, April 2006: An informational table was manned by student team members and parent boosters. A computer photo display, RC toy robots, FIRST brochures and 1/3 scale fully functional VEX model of our 2006 Aim High Robot were displayed.
Unique Outreach/ Team Promotion
MARS: Enjoying the Earth while spreading awareness of the Team's Existence!
Creation of MARS Team Geocache (GC106Z2), January 2007: Following a team-building event where members learned what geocaching is, how to use a GPS with the http://www.geocaching.com/ website, and successfully found 7 caches in the community, the team created its own cache. Now geocache enthusiasts worldwide can hunt for a team maintained, deviously devised cache while visiting the Jupiter/Tequesta area of South Florida. *The specific geocaching cache info and logs from people who find our cache can be seen here: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9cb8a9b9-4bc3-41ca-9ddf-b9045639a78c
