June 8, 2022

BotsBurgh donates $4,000 to USC Robotics

Botsburgh, originally established as a community-based robotics team, recently donated $4,000 to support the development of the USC Robotics Club, which serves Upper St. Clair students in grades five through 12.

Prior to the launch of USC Robotics, Botsburgh had provided students with the opportunity to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). Comprised of Upper St. Clair students and their parents, Botsburgh raised $8,000 to support the 2020 and 2021 FTC seasons. Botsburgh now competes as one of several USC Robotics teams.

Leading the fundraising efforts for Botsburgh were Upper St. Clair High School senior Varun Damarla and freshman Komel Nulwala. The students created a sponsorship packet that highlighted BotsBurgh’s agenda to expand robotics-focused STEM education within the Upper St. Clair community. In return for financial and material support, BotsBurgh pledged to acknowledge sponsors on its competition robot, engineering lab notebook, and other outreach materials. Sponsors included Locomation, RoCo Global, Eaton, and Arconic along with donations from family and friends within the community.

Entering its second year, the USC Robotics Club has adopted BotsBurgh’s sponsorship model in order to expand the scope of STEM education in the Upper St. Clair community. USC Robotics is led by Tracy Smith, high school physics and robotics teacher.

Planning is underway for the 2022-23 school year. More than 200 middle and high school students have already enrolled in the USC Robotics Club for the fall.

For more information about USC Robotics and/or sponsorship opportunities, contact Mrs. Smith at tsmith@uscsd.k12.pa.us or visit www.uscrobotics.org.