Listen in as Mitzi and I preview the Library's April events, and maybe an April fools trick plays in there! (audio)

FM #1160 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1160 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with Mitzi Gousie, Programming and Outreach Librarian with the Franklin Public Library. We had our discussion at the Franklin TV Studios on Monday, March 18, 2024.

 

We talk about 

• Reviewed the regular open hours, and month ending holiday times

• Library events for April 2024

• Special events

• Kiddos, or “littles”

• Family

• Adults

The show notes include links to the Library page and to the calendar of events where registration for some of the events is required/recommended..

The recording runs about 32 minutes, so let’s listen in. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1160-franklin-public-library-april-2024-event-highlights-03-18-24

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Mitzi Gousie’s email -> mgousie@minlib.net 

Franklin Public Library page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library 

Library Calendar of Events ->  http://www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/F/FRANKLIN/ekp.cfm 

Stellarium - open source sky viewing software https://stellarium.org/

Eclipse viewers -> https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/viewers-filters 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

one of the Library's April events we cover

Sense and Sound Robotics team, based in Franklin, won the MA FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship

Sense and Sound Robotics, a community-based FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, won the Massachusetts State Championship on March 9 and is advancing to the World Championship in Houston next month to represent the Commonwealth.

The team is made up of 8th through 12th graders from surrounding communities who compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge, a robotics competition where students learn to think like engineers. Teams design, build, and code robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform, powered by Android technology, and can be coded using Java. 

Sense and Sound Robotics group

A new challenge is presented annually, requiring a new robot build and hours of testing and problem solving. Team members build 2-3 times per week in a lab in Franklin, MA, where they are mentored by local engineers. The students are responsible for all aspects of the robot build and coding, including tracking their efforts in an engineering design notebook. Older students also mentor younger students in physics, math, computer programming, and engineering to create a successful design. 

robot with the 1st place trophy

Each match is three minutes in length and includes a 30 second autonomous period where the robot must be preprogrammed to complete certain tasks, followed by a two and half minute driver-controlled period. 

In this year’s challenge, robots had to pick up and stack different colored multi-sided pixels in various patterns on a backboard. During the last 30 seconds of the match, the robot had to launch a paper airplane into a landing zone and then suspend themselves from rigging on the playing field.

As a community-based team, the Sense and Sound Robotics does not receive any funding from the school or town, and so they have launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $33,000 necessary to compete at Worlds. Expenses include team registration, travel for the team, transport for the robot and supplies, and additional robot parts needed to compete. Both corporate sponsorship and individual donations are welcome. 

Sense and Sound Robotics is a 501c3 organization. You can donate to the team or learn more about sponsorship at www.senseandsoundrobotics.org. You can read more about FIRST Tech Challenge at www.firstinspires.org.

4H Alarm Robotics does more than keep education alive at the Brick School (audio)

FM #1131 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1131x in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with FIRST Alarm Robotics held in the Franklin TV & radio studio Jan 4, 2024. Steve Dunbar, Business Manager and Pallavi Naravane, one of the group’s mentors.

Our conversation touched on the following:

• So what is 4H Alarm Robotics 2079 all about?

• How did you get involved and what is your current role?

• How many members do you have and where are they from?

• What the team has done over the past year.

• What else can you tell us that could get folks to check out 4H Alarm Robotics?

• Where can they get more information?

The conversation runs about 30 minutes so let’s listen and find out about Alarm Robotics. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1131-4h-alarm-robotics-2079-01-04-24

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4H Alarm Robotics 2079 on the internet->

• Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/AlarmRobotics2079/ 

• Web page https://www.alarmrobotics.com/ 

Team page at FIRST Robotics -> https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/team/2079

FIRST Robotics Competitions -> https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc 

Town Council meeting in 2019 when the lease was signed

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/town-council-recap-ag-commission-fire.html

Additional photos from the 2019 Council meeting -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/EW1Uwevtc73Xx7BP6

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

4H Alarm Robotics does more than keep education alive at the Brick School (audio)

ALARM Robotics hosts a Hackathon at the Franklin Public Library

39 kids in the age group of 3rd to 8th grade gathered together in the huge community room to program projects in Scratch on a rainy afternoon. The theme of the event was Halloween. Participants were grouped in teams of 3. 

Participants showed up with their laptops and settled down on the rug with their planning sheets. Teams designed video games, animations and interactive projects using Scratch 3.0, a block based programming language developed by MIT Media Labs. There were 8 middle school teams and 5 elementary school teams. Volunteer judges judged the projects after 3 hours of project time. 

ALARM Robotics hosts a Hackathon at the Franklin Public Library

There were projects with ghost jump-scares, games where you had to avoid skeletons, trick or treat candy games, Jack-o-lantern animations and many such creative projects. For many students this was their very first Hackathon experience. All hands went up when asked if they had fun and learned something new!

The ALARM Robotics team organized and hosted the event with help from the Franklin Public Library. 4H ALARM Robotics, is a community FRC team (FRC stands for FIRST Robotics Competition) from Franklin. ALARM Robotics is a non-profit robotics education club set up at the historic Brick School. ALARM Participation medals were given to all participants and Awards were given to 1st-2nd-3rd place teams in both elementary and middle school divisions.

Food was donated by the local Piezoni's and Dunkin Donuts (West Central St).

Ms. Felicia Oti, the Director of Franklin Public Library, addressed the young programmers and urged them to keep learning technology and programming and give back to the community by volunteering.

ALARM Robotics has been conducting community robotics events at the Franklin Public Library, they conducted the Robo-Racer Workshop in September, where participants challenged themselves to build racers without wheels. 

Up next they will be coaching 2 FIRST LEGO League Explore teams beginning Wednesday, Oct 25th. The session is 12 weeks and for kids in 2nd to 4th grade. 

Photos from the event can be found in one album ->   https://photos.app.goo.gl/EJr3gHwF5fqVyCG69

Snapology Space Wars Robotics - registration open now for 4th to 6th graders beginning Jan 2023

NEW ROBOTICS CLASS: Registration now open!

Snapology Space Wars Robotics: 

In this Star Wars-inspired program, your padawan learner will explore the basics of robotics while digging into their favorite parts of the Star Wars movies - the machines! 

While working with a partner to complete various challenges, your student will be taught how to effectively utilize sensors, how different mechanical components work in their robots, and how programming is a challenging but rewarding skill that they can master with just a little practice. 

May the force be with them as they build and grow!

Register online ->  https://franklinma.myrec.com/info/default.aspx  

Shared from ->  https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck8ru8FLvrP/

Snapology Space Wars Robotics - registration open now for 4th to 6th graders beginning Jan 2023

"human operators will do little to offset the biases of AI programming"

"The New York police department has acquired a robotic police dog, known as Digidog, and has deployed it on the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and, most recently, the Bronx. At a time that activists in New York, and beyond, are calling for the defunding of police departments – for the sake of funding more vital services that address the root causes of crime and poverty – the NYPD’s decision to pour money into a robot dog seems tone-deaf if not an outright provocation.

As Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, put it on Twitter: “Shout out to everyone who fought against community advocates who demanded these resources go to investments like school counseling instead. Now robotic surveillance ground drones are being deployed for testing on low-income communities of color with underresourced schools.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/02/nypd-police-robodog-patrols

Check out the FHS Robotics channel on YouTube!

"Check out the Franklin High School Robotics Channel! Don't forget to like and subscribe!" https://youtu.be/rPoDlmAN41M



Shared from Twitter:
https://twitter.com/FHSRobotics3/status/1249056287708643329?s=09


–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 
Website: https://sites.google.com/franklinps.net/fhsrobotics/home 
Email: fhsrobotics99@gmail.com 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FHSRobotics3

FHS robotics team takes 2nd Place at WPI #SavageSoccer

via Twitter we share some success for the FHS robotics club from the weekend:

Incredibly proud of FHS Robotics! Yesterday we had 2 teams compete in #SavageSoccer at #WPI and had one robot make it to the finals, ultimately coming in 2nd! #STEAM #teamwork pic.twitter.com/b0ujGOOebO

— Alyssa Taranto (@MsTaranto) November 17, 2019

What is savage soccer?

"Savage Soccer began in 1995 and has continued since as an annual event hosted at WPI. Initially created as part of a university project (IQP), it is now coordinated each year by WPI students in their free time.

Savage Soccer is designed to help students learn about basic robotics principles and teamwork. The original focus was a way to get students 'psyched up' for the FIRST Robotics Competition. From its inception through the 2001 game, it challenged students to modify a radio controlled car with authorized parts that could best perform certain tasks like moving ping pong balls into goals while avoiding obstacles and other hazards. In 2002, the kits became more advanced as we started using the Robovation/Vex kits to make for a better competition and a more realistic version of FIRST. Each year the game is modified to present new goals and challenges for teams to test their creative abilities."

Continue reading about Savage Soccer at WPI  https://users.wpi.edu/~savage/About/

2nd place team (Twitter photo via @MsTaranto)

 

“We live in the hub of the robotics universe”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The site of a long-vacant drug manufacturing plant on Otis Street is getting a new life.

Amazon.com Inc. announced plans on Wednesday to construct a $40 million Amazon Robotics Innovation Hub at the former AstraZeneca site at 50 Otis St. and bring 200 new jobs to town. The 35,000-square-foot facility will be in addition to the Amazon Robotics facility in North Reading that will together serve as the e-commerce giant’s epicenter of robotics innovation.

“We are going to completely re-do that site,” said Tye Brady, Amazon Robotics chief technologist, in a phone interview with the Daily News. “I can guarantee it’s going to be a world-class, state-of-the-art facility.”

The innovation hub will feature corporate offices, research and development labs and manufacturing space. The new location will allow Amazon Robotics to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support and test teams in the state. Crews will design, build, program and ship robots all under the same roof that will improve delivery speeds for customers around the world, said Brady."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20191106/amazon-to-build-robotics-innovation-hub-at-former-astrazeneca-site-in-westborough

This is good news. There are robotics groups in local schools. There is also the robotics group that has moved into the Red Brick School to utilize that facility for their robotics activities.

For more info about 4H Alarm Robotics 2079 visit their page   https://www.alarmrobotics.com/

"The Alarm 2079 robotics team is a competitive high school robotics team"

Town Council recap: Ag Commission, Fire Captain sworn in, robot enters the Chamber, Electric Youth perform

The Town Council meeting Wednesday was one of the most varied and entertaining meetings in a long time.

FSPA's Electric Youth sang a song as part of their annual visit before heading to their annual tour in Europe.

FSPA's Electric Youth sang a song as part of their annual visit

Fire Captain Darrell Griffin was sworn in by Town Clerk Teresa Burr

Fire Captain Darrell Griffin was sworn in by Town Clerk Teresa Burr

The Agriculture Commission presented an update on what they have done since they were formally approved last year.

Franklin Agricultural Commission Update from Franklin Matters

The 4H Alarm Robotics Club presented an overview of their operation and educational mission. They will lease the Red Brick School as their base of operations in Franklin. They had been located in the old Thompson Printing building (until it was torn down) and recently in another location in Bellingham but wanting to return to Franklin.

After the Council approved of the lease arrangement, their robot entered the Chamber to deliver the pen for the signing ceremony. With some technical difficulty they did demonstrate the robots movements and capabilities along with how the team operated under pressure and recovered from problems.

My notes from the meeting can be found in the links here:

• Live reporting: Town Administrator's Report to Clo...
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-town-administrators.html
• Live reporting: Legislation for Action
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-legislation-for-action.html
• Live reporting: Presentation - Red Brick Schoolhou...
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-presentation-red-brick.html
• Live Reporting: Presentation - Ag Commission
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-presentation-ag.html
• Live Reporting: Swearing in - Public Hearing on 19...
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-swearing-in-public.html
• Live reporting: Town Council - June 5, 2019
• https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/06/live-reporting-town-council-june-5-2019.html

Have you met Marty?

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:

"It was just a scrap of paper on the floor of a Stop & Shop supermarket in Quincy, near the produce section. But for Marty, no matter how small the scrap, it was one piece too many. At the sight of it, Marty froze and called for backup. 

Marty is not some teenager working an after-school shift. It is 140 pounds of plastic and metal, with glowing lights atop a towering frame with big cartoon eyes, and cameras and lasers to spot garbage, spills, and other stuff that shouldn’t be in the aisles of a supermarket. 

The $35,000 machine is one of about 500 robots that Stop & Shop’s owner, the Dutch company Ahold Delhaize, has deployed in some of its US grocery stores. And in the process, Ahold is doing its part to normalize robots in public places."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/05/26/robots-becoming-more-normal-retailers-roll-them-out/NWKMrr1XyrDOUd8X9vSUZM/story.html

Have you met Marty?