We head out of a busy and energetic February (see highlights below) and spring into March planning for our new digs right across the hall from our current location.  We’ll have limited programming in March, as we start laying out a floor plan for the new space, taking inventory, reorganizing, and packing for the move.

However, our FIRST Robotics Competition team #5276, the Edgar Allan Ohms, is working hard the first part of the month to be ready for their Tallahassee Regional competition at FAMU, March 16-19.  And we’re also looking forward to the Soaring City Innovation Partnership Launch on March 31 heralding the start of a lot of exciting new developments in University Mall (soon to be RITHM at Uptown) and in and around Uptown Tampa itself.

First Friday at the Fab Lab

For our March First Friday livestream, we met new Community Partner, Brandy Jackson, CEO of Scoutlier, a learning management system we’re exploring for our STEM and Entrepreneurship programs.

March Programs

This month, AMRoC is closed to the public March 16-19 as we accompany our high school level robotics team to the Tallahassee Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Regular hours may vary as we plan for our upcoming move.
Please get in touch via our Contact page to schedule meetings or inquire about open hours or programming this month. We do have a few programs on the calendar this month though:

  • March 11 & 25 – Open Make by Reservation 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm –   If you’re interested in working on a project or refining build and design skills RSVP in advance on AMRoC Open Make Reservation Form
  • March 23 – Teacher’s STEM Education Play Date! 4 pm to 7 pm There’s no charge for this guided and open play for educators, who can explore hands-on STEM experiences like building with LEGOs, 3D printing, programming, robotics, drones, CAD, electronics projects & more! Educators ID required for participation.    RSVP here.
  • March 26 – Uptown Tampa Meetup – 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm – Join us every 4th Saturday at 6 pm to talk about all things Uptown! Hear the latest on redevelopment plans, meet residents and small businesses, and help us build a resilient, informed, and connected Uptown Community!  Learn more and RSVP here.  

AMRoC Spotlights

February was jam-packed with events and outreach, from the Florida State Fair STEAM Fest exhibit where we not only showcased AMRoC programs but also hosted two robotics competitions: the Florida VEX U State Tournament and the State Fair Frenzy Beetle Weight Combat Robotics Tournament – to the Synapse Summit and the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Gala, AMRoC was on the road and making an impact beyond the Fab Lab all month long.

We even got some love from ABC Action News while we were there!

 STEAM Fest at the State Fair Tournaments

The VEX U State Tournament featured University of South Florida teams facing off against Florida Polytechnic University teams.  Here’s how the awards broke down:

  • Excellence Award: Polytechnic-Poly1
  • Tournament Champion: USF-BMES (shown at right)
  • Robot Skills Champion: USF-BMES
  • Robot Skills Runner Up: USF-BULL
  • Judges Award: USF-BULL
Combat Robotics

A dozen combat robotics teams took part in our inaugural State Fair Frenzy Beetle Weight tournament.  Here’s the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for each weight class in that fun event, that was co-hosted by Battlebots team Gruff – based right here in Tampa Bay – with support from our media partners, PLUGHITZ Live.

 

Fairyweight (150g)
1 Columbus Crusher
2 Buckeye Bot
3 Orange Gator

Antweight (1lb)
1 Insomnia
2 Chop Saw
3 Element 115

Beetleweight (3lb)
1 Junior
2 Hubert
3 Katrina

Synapse Summit

In February, we also headed over to the Amalie Arena for the Synapse Summit, where our AMRoC HADO team hosted some energetic AR active gaming showcased on the Jumbotron to thousands of Synapse guests.   We enjoyed helping anchor the Soaring City showcase area on the Ice Level of the arena throughout the day.

Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Gala

February was also special because our FCDI/AMRoC Fab Lab team was honored to attend the 2022 Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Gala, recognizing inductees from 2020-21, which included inventor and FIRST  founder, Dean Kamen.  Foundation for Community Driven Innovation (FCDI) Executive Director Terri Willingham accepted Mr. Kamen’s award on his behalf, a deeply meaningful honor given the depth of Mr. Kamen’s influence on FCDI programming from ROBOTICON to AMRoC Fab Lab itself.

It was a special joy to see shared at the Gala the tribute video created by our AMRoC and PLUGHITZ team, featuring FIRST alumni we know and love, with footage from FIRST Looks videos and ROBOTICON.

Celebrating Mr. Sean

A very special shout-out this month, to Sean Carr, who just graduated from the University of South Florida with his Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, and now heads off to the University of Florida for his graduate program. Better known as “Mr. Sean” to his fan club – our VEX IQ elementary school robotics team members – he’ll be greatly missed. Best wishes, Mr. Sean, from all of us at AMRoC Fab Lab!

Big Idea Brew Club

Registration is now open for our newly relaunched Equity in Entrepreneurship program, featuring three distinct opportunities for nascent, very early-stage Uptown Tampa entrepreneurs to learn how to successfully run their own business!   The first of these programs is the Big Idea Brew Club kicking off in the spring. Learn more and register at Equinent.org

AMRoC Research and Development

Stuck on design or programming problem? AMRoC R&D Labs is available for consultation and hire to solve business and creative needs and challenges across a diverse field of expertise for  public, private and government sectors.

Professional fees benefit youth programs, in addition to solving your work challenges.  The team is currently working on technology solutions for marine, communications, and aerospace projects, and welcomes the opportunity to work explore creative solutions to your business challenges, as well!

AMRoC Fab Lab resources include CNC milling, laser cutting, 3D printing and rapid prototyping, CAD design services and more.

Visit our AMRoC Services page to learn more and schedule an appointment.