MESSAGE FROM BOTSIQ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Engagement, excitement, empowerment, and education are the cornerstones of the BotsIQ high school manufacturing workforce development initiative. A program of the Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation, BotsIQ captures students’ imaginations as they design, build, and compete with their own robotic creations, all the while building knowledge and skills for rewarding manufacturing and STEM career opportunities.

This spring, BotsIQ celebrated its 15th year of developing and inspiring high school students from across southwestern Pennsylvania. Despite the global pandemic, BotsIQ continued to provide its services to over 60 schools and nearly 1,000 students. As schools shifted to remote learning, BotsIQ provided support with its online training program, BotsIQ Academy, and developed new resources to engage students through hands-on engineering and design lessons. This year, nearly 90% of students learned at least one technical skill such as machining, welding, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer-aided design and more than 85% of BotsIQ students indicated they are interested in or planning to explore a manufacturing or STEM-related career. Since its inception, more than 10,000 students have benefited from BotsIQ. Today, the program is 10 times its original size, has its own fan base and mobilizes hundreds of volunteers each year—including manufacturing professionals and BotsIQ alumni who lend their support. BotsIQ is proud to be a leader in workforce development and STEM education for our region.

On Monday, August 24th, community, manufacturing, and business leaders will gather at Westmoreland Country Club for an exciting day of golf benefiting the Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation and BotsIQ. It is our sincere hope that you will participate by donating a gift certificate or item to raffle at our event. Your support helps BotsIQ to continue to grow, train, and connect with more students and continues our mission to educate students about manufacturing and STEM careers.

All donations are tax deductible. Our tax ID number is 43-1955325. If you have any questions, please contact Michel Conklin at [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Michel Conklin
Executive Director, BotsIQ

Donate to BotsIQ

All donations to BotsIQ go directly to supporting the program.

SWPA BotsIQ is a program of the 501(c)3 organization Pittsburgh Chapter National Tooling & Machining Foundation. All donations are tax-deductible.