The Green Machine on June 15th visited its sponsor, Seagate, for a day of robot demos and a facilities tour. The team brought its 2017 season competition robot, Zeppelin, for a demo to Seagate employees and guests as part of Seagate’s Employee Appreciation Day. On this day the company showcased the work performed by employees over the last year, as well as the community outreach activities in which it has participated.
Several area Seagate employees mentor FIRST teams. Visiting Seagate facilities with our robots is one of the best ways for teams to spotlight and showcase the results of mentors’ hard work with their teams. The Green Machine is proud that two of its mentors, Riyan Mendonsa and Jan Wu, are with Seagate.
“Having a demonstration of the robots built by the next generation of STEM students is of great interest to us, and all of the employees would love to see how the funds that Seagate and other benefactors have provided have been put to good use,” said Mendonsa, a controls and magnetics researcher at Seagate.
Another benefit to having Seagate as a sponsor is that the teams have access to guided tours of the facilities. “The facilities tours display how many principles in FIRST Robotics apply in the real world,” said Wu, a FIRST alumnae and Seagate process engineer. “The facilities are a physical model for the intersection of business, engineering, and science that being in robotics introduces.” In many respects, seeing the manufacturing facilities is “an incredible opportunity to see what the future holds in the type of workplace students may enter,” she added.
Team members were excited to tour the Seagate facilities and demo their robot. Opportunities to connect with sponsors, like this event with Seagate, mean that the team is able to continue to foster positive relationships with mentors and sponsors. “This is fantastic opportunity to show our sponsor what we do,” said team co-captain Harini J. “[We get to] connect with them on a personal level and show them how their [support] helps us make great things.”