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by LISA PRITCHARD MAYFIELD Robots today are a part of life. From constructing cars to vacuuming your floors, they're no longer the stuff of science fiction. A group of Bibb County students, along with various members of the community, are making sure local schools are in the middle of the robotic revolution. Team RoboBibb is an example of how industry, secondary education and higher education can work together. The team is a collection of students from Bibb County's seven public high schools who work with community mentors and university students to meet robotic challenges. The team was formed as a result of conversations among Monica Smith of the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mercer University's engineering school, GA FIRST and the Bibb Board of Education. According to Joe Finkelstein, business and computing teacher at Howard High School and Team RoboBibb lead advisor, "Monica had seen her son, Jeremiah (who is attending MIT this fall), involved with a previous team from Howard High when he was a freshman and was interested in helping to support a county team for students and the community." This is the first season for the team, which has set a high standard for its members with a series of goals. Those include exposing students to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM is the common acronym), raising test scores and graduation rates, giving students involved with STEM the opportunity to compete and be successful, enhancing academic rigor, providing opportunities for Bibb 'bots The nuts and bolts of building a robot students to mentor and create community-service opportunities. They also built a robot. Students are joined by an advisor from their school who acts as both a school coordinator and mentor for the team. Dedicated mentors include Ed Powell and Chuck Hammock of Andrews, Hammock and Powell Inc. Mercer University has provided support through its MIRL Lab and the university's engineering department, offering training and technical support. The team began meeting last summer, when it participated in daylong workshops provided by Mercer. During the fall, the group met on a monthly basis to develop a team. They also enjoyed some interesting activities, including a meeting where a GBI officer brought along a bomb robot. After the kickoff in January at Georgia Tech, the team began meeting several times a week to initially formulate ideas and begin building its robot. In March Team RoboBibb participated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, the Peachtree Regional. Sixty-five teams competed, and the local 25-member team did very well. It was awarded the Rookie All-Star Award at the Peachtree photography by ANDREW MAYFIELD 42 l MACON MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2014