Comicpalooza

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From June 17 to June 19, Texas Torque joined Spectrum, the Disco Bots, the Leopards, the Awty Bots, Pearadox, and Jersey Voltage to demonstrate our 2016 robot, Impulse, at Comicpalooza in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

For the three days of the event, Impulse performed well for interested spectators, helping the team captivate the crowd. Some members of Texas Torque and other teams played a casual game of laser tag, demonstrating that robotics kids can have lots of fun while they work. Between speaking about FIRST, operating the robot, making repairs, and having fun with other teams, Texas Torque had a terrific time.

Throughout the demonstration, Texas Torque didn’t just show off an impressive robot; we showed the amazing teamwork it takes to build such a robot, the passion to spreading FIRST to a broader community, and the ability to create meaningful friendships with other teams.

We would like to thank team 3847 Spectrum for arranging the event and inviting us to demonstrate together!

Armstrong, Bush, and Book Fair Demos

On Thursday, February 18, members of Texas Torque demonstrated our 2013 robot, Sonic, to crowds of elementary school students at Armstrong Elementary’s annual math and science night. We were able to give the kids an exciting introduction to robotics, as well as point them in the direction of Armstrong’s own FLL teams.

The next Thursday, February 25, we brought Sonic to the Bush Elementary Science Night. At this event, we were able to drive Sonic around the school’s gym, show the students and parents what Sonic could do and how those things were done, and spread the word about FIRST.

On Saturday, February 27, our county book fair was held at the same school in which our headquarters are located. Because of this, we were able to show not only Sonic, but also robots from other years such as Rev1 and Apogee. We spoke with students of all ages, from elementary to high school, and provided information about FIRST and its various programs.

We at Texas Torque greatly enjoy community outreach events and are grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in these demonstrations. The team looks forward to future opportunities to make FIRST loud!

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Fourth of July Parade

This past Fourth of July, Texas Torque along with a number of FLL teams across Conroe ISD, displayed robots on a beautiful float organized by the Village of Indian Springs board members. A step up from last year, Texas Torque paraded not one, but two robots! Crowds cheered as Rev1 and Sonic performed their neat actions, combined with a mad flurry of distributing stickers and cards to everyone. Definitely the best way to spend the Fourth of July, Texas Torque loved this opportunity to share the excitement of FIRST and STEM with the community.

A special thanks to the board members of the Village of Indian Springs, Texas Torque loved to see the crowds enthusiasm for robots, and hopes to put on a great display in the upcoming years!

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Angel Reach Home Renovation Project

Texas Torque is well known for its active role in the community, and this summer has been no exception. Texas Torque students banded together this past tuesday in order to help the Angel Reach Foundation with a home renovation project. Starting early in the morning, members of the team could be found all over the renovation site, helping with everything from demolishing flooring to repainting walls and ceilings. All of the attending team members found the experience very rewarding, and Texas Torque plans to assist the Angel Reach Foundation with even more projects in the upcoming months.

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Texas Torque students help out at a home renovation project for the Angel Reach Foundation.

Women’s Shelter Volunteering

The past two Tuesdays, Texas Torque students and alumni have been hard at work making a difference in the community. Team members have accomplished this through the dedication of their time at “Something Special”, a discount store benefiting the local Women’s Shelter. Texas Torque students were able to help out with many of the on-site projects that needed doing, such as packing and labeling inventory, reorganizing the store, and bringing in large donations of items. This volunteering has quickly become a weekly event, and the team hopes to continue it far into the school year.

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Texas Torque students in “Something Special”.

Superintendent of CISD Visits TTWHQ

This summer, Texas Torque had the pleasure of hosting a visit for the CISD Superintendent, Dr. Stockton at the Texas Torque World Headquarters in The Woodlands College Park High School.

Team members took great joy in showing Dr. Stockton around our workspace, introducing him to the subteams that keep our organization running smoothly. The Superintendent also had the opportunity to talk to individual team members about their daily activities, so that he could better understand just how much of an impact Texas Torque has on its students.

Toward the middle of our meeting, outreach sub-team members Jeffrey Zhang, Reagan Spexarth, and Lexalee Flanagan gave Dr. Stockton a brief presentation over the possibility of a STEM center available to students of CISD. This STEM center would allow Texas Torque to expand past the constraints of our current lab, as well as to encourage greater participation in BEST, FLL, and VEX robotics. The team is currently working on location and layout, but still plans to present this STEM center proposal to the CISD Bond Committee this coming fall.

At the conclusion of our meeting Dr. Stockton drove our 2014 robot “Rev1” around the field set-up, even getting the opportunity to help shoot game pieces into the goals.

Texas Torque looks forward to a continued relationship with the Superintendent, as well as the current  potential of a CISD STEM center to be built in our district.

Texas Torque students explain the different functions of the robot to Superintendent Dr. Stockton.