Miss Daisy Travels to Singapore
In a warehouse, just 80 miles north of the equator and exactly halfway around the world, a wooden crate sat waiting for the arrival of its owners. In August 2006, a group of students from a robotics team in Montgomery County would travel to the City-State of Singapore to claim this freight.
Inside the crate was a student-built, 130-pound robot affectionately nicknamed Miss Daisy. This machine was the product of a partnership between Wissahickon High School and the North Montco Technical Career Center. Not only was this machine built for entry into the FIRST® Robotics Competition, but it was also designed as a tool for inspiring others to pursue careers in the technological fields. The machine had already proven itself on the field of play by winning at several regional competitions, and was preparing to embark on its first international journey of inspiration.
How a group of students from Montgomery County, known collectively as Team 341, found themselves in Singapore is a story unto itself. Team 341 is recognized both locally and internationally for mentoring new robotics teams. In 2004, three Singapore schools, the Millennia Institute, Temasek Secondary School, and the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Secondary School, contacted our team seeking advice on how to become involved in the competition. Over the course of two years, the relationship developed beyond basic advice and mentorship, into a true partnership of schools. This partnership has grown around a common passion for technology and a deep cultural curiosity. The bond has been further strengthened by a common philosophy. Although the central focus for both teams is the construction of a competition machine, both organizations believe that this mission is secondary to the goal of building people. Therefore we decided to visit our international friends.
The students of Team 341 arrived in Singapore with goals surrounding academic, technical, and cultural exchange. Students and teachers participated in classes in the three different partner schools. Many of the classes, such as Science, were very similar in content to U.S. classrooms, but the physical environment was dramatically different. The open, airy campuses were filled with flowers, fishponds, and coconut trees. There were also unique subjects such as Mother Tongue classes, where Singaporeans learn the language of their heritage: Mandarin Chinese, Malay, or Tamil. American teachers were very interested to learn about Singapore's world leadership in mathematics and Singaporean teachers were fascinated by the student independence built into our daily lessons. Teachers from each school also met to discuss best practices and agreed to continue exchanging curriculum.
Detailed technical exchanges were also built into the schedule. Each school visit was highlighted by a school-wide robotics demonstration. The team performed for crowds of approximately 1500 people at each school. With high-energy robotics videos and audience participation, the team set out to inspire the crowd. Additionally, the team conducted a two-hour robotics seminar at the Singapore Science Center for an audience of educators and students. This conference focused on the details of robot construction and the logistics of starting a robotics team. Our students also had the opportunity to visit the Advanced Robotics Laboratories of the Nanyang Polytechnic, where they saw snake robots slither across the floor. In the hopes of gaining financial support for future exchanges, Team 341 also enjoyed the privilege and opportunity to make presentations at the US-ASEAN Business Council, American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, and the United States Embassy.
Cultural immersion was everywhere. Team members went on home visits, ate local foods (barbecued stingray), visited Hindu temples, and toured ethnic enclaves such as Little India. Many nights were spent sharing food and conversation with our hosts outside under palm trees or in open-air marketplaces. The students from both nations became very close and most importantly came to understand each other's daily lives during these evening meals.
Team 341 arrived in Southeast Asia with many lofty goals. Among them was inspiring the people of Singapore to pursue careers in math, science, and technology. But in the end it was the beauty of Singapore and the warmth of its people that inspired each of us to continue building this exchange program. This deeply felt experience has motivated our Singapore partners to make a return visit to Montgomery County this January and our students are counting the days until they will meet again.
To learn more about the Singapore Exchange visit our singapore blog.