PKY robotics team standout among youngest ever to pass mechanical design exam

The word on the (education) street is that school Robotics programs are a splendid pathway to careers in the vital STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math for today’s youth. At P.K. Yonge, UF’s K-12 developmental research school, there is a clear example of this pathway playing out early in the life of one PKY junior.

Eleventh-grader Logan Hickcox recently became one of youngest people in the nation to pass the Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate exam—and with a perfect score! This certification is an industry standard that allows holders to use this computer-based mechanical design program on a professional level.

Logan joined the P.K. Yonge Roaring Riptide FIRST Robotics Team 4118 as an 8th grader and in just a few weeks he was hooked. The ability to work alongside professional engineers and graduate students, to develop skills in communications and business relationships, and develop relationships with other Robotics teams across the state have helped Logan select an interesting path for his future.

The Blue Wave team, with a strong female representation, has led to numerous students reevaluating their academic choices and entering engineering programs at UF. We expect to see Logan in an engineering program in the not too distant future.

Watch a video about Logan’s high school experience: http://media.pkyonge.ufl.edu/#logan

Watch a video about the Roaring Riptide robotics team: http://media.pkyonge.ufl.edu/#robotics