Last week, Greendales FTC Robotics Team, A.L.I.E.N., competed in the Frozen Frenzy competition and qualified for State for the fourth year in a row!

A.L.I.E.N. Robotics team, representing the community of Greendale, is a nonprofit organization that provides STEM education to students in the community through many services such as workshops, classes, and camps. 

The team has worked hard over the season to get where they are, having to work around big obstacles. “There can be too much static on the field, or the field is shifted over an inch, or things can just disconnect,” senior Ava Scheuer said

Program advisor Aleks Skibicki describes the team’s evolution. “This team started out small in numbers but big in ideas, so they’ve always had to work together to succeed–there just weren’t ever enough members that they couldn’t afford not to. In fact, one of our early mottos was ‘Everyone does Everything’ since every member of the team was involved in every aspect of the team,” he said. 

Being unique plays an important role in A.L.I.E.N.’s success. “I think the biggest thing that sets us apart from other teams is how much of the robot is made for costume-unique parts,”  Senior Evie Skibicki says. “We have more than 30 3d print costume parts on our robot that have gone from my iterations. In total, we have fabricated more than 100 parts for our robot design this year!” 

Women in STEMM is a huge importance to this team’s atmosphere. Scheuer describes what women’s representation means to her. “I believe it is very important to show representation because that is how you get more girls involved! If they see themselves as having a place, they are more likely to participate,” she said. 

After starting the Women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine) club at GHS, Scheuer continues to strive to create more equal representation of girls and boys in STEMM. 

The competition is set for March at MSOE. The team will have from now until then to work on bringing home a first place finish.