Volunteer - Make a Difference

Interested in Robotics?  Interested in helping out?  Botball is always looking for volunteers.

There are several volunteer opportunities available:

• Form a Team
• Mentor / Coach a Team
• Be a Judge at the Hawaii Regional Competition
• Be part of the Tournament Staff at the Hawaii Regional Competition

If you are interested in any of these, please email: hawaiibotball@gmail.com

Form a Team (time required: several hours a week, usually more, but totally worth it)

• For the ultimate experience, form a team and join the competition.

Mentor / Coach a Team (time required: 1 - 2 hours a week)

• Several teams expressed an interest in having Mentors.  

Be a Tournament Judge (time required: 8am to 5pm on May 16th)

• Table Judges: The tables judges manage the single and double elimination runs at the tournament table.  Don't worry, no experience is necessary.  At the start of the day, the table judges are given a training / overview session of how the tournament works, are shown the game board and scoring items, and practice using the scoring rubric.  Table judges help to ensure the competition runs smoothly, the students start by setting up their robots and calibrating their sensors, while they are doing this, the judges check that the robots meet the height requirements, as well as fit in the starting box.  After both teams are ready, they shake hands, and the computer controlled game starts, and the 2 minute competition begins and everyone watches how the robots compete.  After the game ends, the judges then use the scoring rubric to count how many points each team has.  The judges confer with each other, and count all the points, and get a total.  They then review the results with each team member and have them sign off that they are in agreement with the total.  If questions come up, the head judge (Dr. Miller - Founder of Botball) is on-hand to make the final arbitration.  The winner is announced and the two teams congratulate each other and take their robots off the game board.  The table judges then help to reset the game board back to the original position ready to start the next competition.
  
• On-site Presentation Judges:  Documentation is an important part of botball.  During the competition, each team gives an onsite presentation that describes their project.  The presentation judges listen to each presentation and evaluate the results based on a standard scoring rubric.  No experience is necessary.  At the start of the day, the on-site presentation judges are given an overview of the tournament, and walked through the general documentation process, and taught how to use the scoring rubric.
  
• Special Award Judges: Botball likes to recognize student achievement.  At the end of the tournament, special awards are presented.  The Special Award Judges are responsible for evaluating the student teams to see how they meet the criteria for each award.  There are technical awards recognizing technical achievements such as "best design", "most innovative", etc. as well as non-technical awards such as "Spirit of Botball" for teams that represent the Best of Botball.  Having some technical background makes it easier to evaluate the programming / engineering aspects of the student's robots.  During the beginning of the day, the Special Award Judges are briefed on the various awards and judging criteria

Join the Tournament Staff (time required: 8am to 5pm on May 16th)

• On Deck / Pit Monitors: To help ensure smooth tournament flow, team members are called up to be "on deck".  This means that they are waiting in line for their turn.  The "Pit" is the student only area where students work on their robots.  Volunteers are needed to help facilitate the on-deck process and to help monitor the pit areas.