IN Peters Township October/November 2019 | Page 55

In addition to the high school team, the Titans offer numerous
tudents from schools throughout the
camps and workshops for students in grades K to 12. The cost
Pittsburgh area come together twice a
to be on the team is approximately $200 per student. The team
week as the Titanium Titans—a high
is a student-led, mentorship-based program that enables and
school robotics team that brings STEM to
encourages students to take ownership and grow as leaders and
the masses.
thinkers. The main structure is made up of three student project
The Titanium Titans began as a rookie
managers with various team leads underneath who keep the team
team in the FIRST Robotics Competition in
running like a well-oiled robot. Students also decide topics for
2013, working out of a mentor’s garage. The founding group of
and teach summer camps and various workshops throughout the
students and mentors were seeking to build their teamwork and
year. During build season, students design, build, and program a
technical skills before pursuing further education and joining
robot along with all other competition aspects.
the workforce, while having fun building robots and the thrill of
“One thing that makes the team extraordinary is that we are
starting a business at the same time.
entirely student led,” says Peters Township sophomore David
Since then, the Titanium Titans have expanded to focus
on building a sustainable
workforce equipped to
tackle the problems of
the future, while inspiring
students to have the greatest
positive impact possible
on their community. The
group includes students
from more than 10
surrounding communities of
the Pittsburgh area.
The group is primarily a
high school-level robotics
team and accepts applications
from students in grades
8 to 12. The team strives
to provide STEM-related
outreach programming
to students of all ages and
guidance for community
members in forming younger
FIRST teams, including
FIRST LEGO League.
“The Titanium Titans are
a great group of people from
all walks of life who come
together to build something
better—a robot, yes, but also
the community in general,”
says Miguel Moya, an 11th
Titans working hard at this year's summer camp.
grader at Peters Township
High School. “Every year,
when our team goes to a competition with nothing but the
Bunton. “The mentors are there to help us, teach us and guide
robot we built and each other, it’s one of the best experiences
us, but at the end of the day it’s the students running the team.
of my life. You just can’t find something like FIRST Robotics
It’s amazing to be given the chance to prove that even though we
anywhere else.”
are only teenagers, we are capable and ready to make the world a
“Anybody and everybody is welcome and encouraged to join
better place.”
our robotics team or to find another FIRST Robotics team that
The Armory Youth Center in Canonsburg graciously
is right for them,” says Tabitha Beck, a senior at Peters Township
provides the group with a place to do their work. During the
High School. “Many might think that the team is only for those
summer and fall, the group meets twice a week on average. The
interested in robotics, however in order to sustain the team, we
team competes in four to six competitions per year, and always
work to raise money and educate the next generation. We also
attends the Greater Pittsburgh Regional and an additional out-of-
work constantly to bring STEM education to those who either
state regional.
don’t have access to it or are unaware of how they can contribute
their talents to the STEM community.”
Continued on next page >
PETERS TOWNSHIP
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