Category: STEM

Robotics Contest: Home Again, Home Again

jconrad / / Arduino, Robotics, STEM

The team is home safe and sound.  We picked them up at GSP around 6pm.  They’re excited but exhausted.  Aldo made it home as well–no problems getting through security at La Guardia.

At the time of this post (about 8pm) there are still no formal press releases from either Atmel or Maker Faire, but the team reports that Maker Faire did an intensive photo and video shoot of the awards/demonstration ceremony.

We are very proud of the team!

Have Arduino, will travel…

jconrad / / Arduino, STEM

As I prepared for the AAPT Beyond First Year conference (see the next post, above), I had some trepidation about how to get my show-and-tell Arduino PID gadget to Philadelphia without incurring the wrath of the TSA!  Turns out, it wasn’t that big a deal, at least not for me, thanks in part to the fact that I had read the extensive discussion of this issue at the Arduino forum.  I’m glad I took the time to follow the recommendations there.  All I endured was having to wait a few minutes while the TSA did the chemical swab wipedown of the hardware.  Other attendees at the conference weren’t quite so lucky; several experienced long delays, and one grad student had components confiscated from his carry-on luggage!

Caption
Waiting for my flight from GSP to Philadelphia. Here's the carry-on luggage box with my Furman business cards plastered all over the box...
Here's the carry-on luggage box with my Furman business cards plastered all over the box, and with a copy of the poster session paper inside.
... and with a copy of the poster session paper inside so that TSA might be reassured!