Commanding Support: Congratulations to World-bound Occam’s Razor robotics team

Occam’s Razor has advanced to the highest level of youth robotics through hard work, attention to detail, patience, teamwork and inquisitiveness, along with their knowledge and research.

The task of an FTC team is to build and program a robot for competition with a set of tasks laid out in the fall to be engineered throughout the year. As the FTC website puts it, “During the preparation period, the young people work as real engineers — they plan, build, program and document the team. They attain solution-oriented, craft, organizational and social skills that they need during the tournament. At the tournament, alliances will be drawn between the teams by chance. Who is successful in the competition has learned to work effectively with others, deny the short term goals and implement them.”

Teams are tested for preparations of both hardware — the robot they have constructed — and software — the program they created to run it. Judges look at design, teamwork and engineering, and the team’s ability to explain their work.

As explained on page A9, the team is now raising funds to make the trip to St. Louis. The Occam’s Razor name comes from the scientific and philosophic principle that the best solution to a problem is the simplest one, the one that asks the fewest questions.

The FTC World trip is an elevated opportunity for these youth, and they and the entire Gorge robotics program deserves the support. HRVHS teams Men in Green and Transformers also advanced to state this year.

For the FTC World trip, support is starting to come in. Not the least of a boost will be $4,000 from the School Aid fruit program, sponsors announced this week. The donation is from the sale of fruit grown at Mt. Hood Organic Farms and sold via local markets. School Aid has been there for nearly 20 years now for local music, science and arts programs.

The high schoolers’ success will inspire other teams to do well in future FTC efforts and the related First Lego League that has steadily developed in elementary and middle schools throughout Hood River County and the Gorge. This happens through the support of parents and other volunteers, as well as local business and industry, much of it through hands-on sharing of expertise bolstering the sheer dedication of these young engineers and scientists.