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Resource 1 Sponsors a Successful OPEF 2018 Battle of the Bots

by Resource 1 on April 26, 2018

 

battle of the bots

 

Resource 1, a leading IT consulting firm in the Chicagoland area, was a platinum sponsor for the Oak Park Education Foundation (OPEF) 2018 Battle of the Bots that took place on Saturday, March 3rd. In addition to maintaining their partnership with the OPEF, Resource 1 provided judges to ensure this all-day event encouraging STEM education was able to fully provide local students with an educational and memorable experience.

This year’s tournament, held at Percy Julian Middle School, was a record breaker with 42 student teams competing with VEX Robotics-powered creations. Participant teams were interviewed by judges early in the morning, and then judges watched each team’s robot performing their tasks. The VEX Robotics challenge game “In the Zone” had students programming their robots to move heavy mobile goals and lightweight scoring cones in a tiny arena. Each team came up with creative solutions to achieve those objectives and pushed the boundaries of their problem-solving skills in the process.

“The number of STEM jobs in our workforce is increasing, and we want the next generation to be empowered to succeed in those positions,” said Jim Gardner, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Managing Director of Resource 1. “That is why we support opportunities like the 2018 Battle of the Bots. The OPEF nurtures a passion for STEM education that is praiseworthy and provides students of all ages with experiences that have the potential to positively shape the rest of their lives.”

“We really have appreciated the contributions of Resource 1 and what they’ve brought to our VEX Robotics program and Battle of the Bots this year,” said Tracy Del’Angela Barber, Executive Director, OPEF. “Robotics is a great way to learn new life and career skills, all while having a blast building robots.”

Judges inspected each robot according to a defined criterion, evaluated teams based on their adherence to that checklist, and awarded winners based on excellence, robot skills, design, thought-process, and sportsmanship.

“I was amazed by the level of preparation, teamwork, and gumption the students displayed throughout the event,” said Paul Sabatino, Account Executive at Bullhorn. “The spirit of ingenuity and competition were alive.”

“I loved seeing teams’ ideas come to life during the engineering design stage, showing the creative capacity they will have for solving complex problems in the future,” said Dane Hawk, Field Service Manager at Omron Automation.

The final matches showcased four of the six schools involved in the competition, with all of the finalists taking the OPEF Battle of the Bots to a new level of competitiveness and intensity. The crowd was so immersed in the final game of the final match that you could hear cheers and gasps echoing through the room. It was a truly memorable event.

“During the interviews, you could really tell how much all the children had learned from the experience about the practical applications of STEM disciplines, as well as how to work together as a team,” said Patricia Braun, Senior Vice President of Northern Trust. “I was especially encouraged to see so many young ladies involved and excited about the project, as not enough women have been attracted to these disciplines historically.”

For more information about donating to the OPEF VEX Robotics program and how Resource 1 is showing support, visit https://www.opef.org/vex-resource1/.

ABOUT RESOURCE 1

Founded in 1982, Resource 1 is an established Information Technology consulting firm that provides Staff Augmentation services to corporations across North America. We pride ourselves on our ability to fully understand our clients’ technical infrastructure and business objectives. Our extensive experience in full life-cycle software development and systems level support/integration positions Resource 1 to service multiple client initiatives as a single source provider of IT human capital. Where other IT staffing and service suppliers see the industry business model as transactional in nature, Resource 1 takes a relationship based approach to business and processes that go far deeper than any of our competitors. The result equates to client and consultant service levels that are well above industry standards. For more information, visit www.r1consulting.com/ or call 630-575-5155.

ABOUT THE OAK PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Oak Park Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that brings artists, architects, scientists, and technology experts into K-8th grade classrooms at every District 97 school. Our professional partners share their passion for learning while conducting hands-on projects with more than 4,200 students last year. The Oak Park Education Foundation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization. OPEF also runs BASE Camp, an exceptional summer enrichment program delivered in a fun, collaborative environment. BASE Camp helps to fund OPEF’s free in-school programming.