IRO Budget Design Contest Launches Friday 3/16/2012

Elections and the Budget Design Contest

Elections - April 25, 2011

Our first annual elections will be held on April 25, 2011. If you are interested in running for a permanent position, please look out for an application that must be submitted. There will also be an update on the constitution (accessed via website) after this coming general meeting whichhas more information on procedure. The positions that you may run for include:

• President:
  The President is responsible for the organization as a whole and is the principal officer. The President will supervise and conduct activities of the organization.
   
• Vice President of Finance:
  The Vice President of Finance is responsible for managing the finances of the organization.
   
• Vice President of Public Relations:
  The Vice President of Public Relations is responsible for communications internally and externally of the organization as well as managing the image of the overall organization
   
• Vice President of Community Outreach:
  The Vice President of Community Outreach is responsible for any events that the organization does with the local community, outside of the University of Illinois.
   
• Vice President of Project Management:
  The Vice President of Project Management is responsible for being in constant communication with projects, presenting to the Executive Board new projects, and making sure all projects are being assisted.
   
• Vice President of Professional Development:
  The Vice President of Professional Development is responsible for arranging events at the University of Illinois for students to learn more about robotics. This includes creating workshops and/or seminars, as well as arranging speakers for visits.

If you have any questions please e-mail Sravan, suryade1@illinois.edu.

Community Outreach

Volunteer for the 4H Tournament

We still need volunteers at the 4H Tournament that is going to be held on Saturday April 14th. This is a good chance to earn points for the volunteer raffle! If you are interested, please contact Joe Jung at jung84@illinois.edu

Volunteer Raffle

For anyone who has volunteered for an IRO event this semester, please send the following information to jung84@illinois.edu so that you can be added to our volunteer raffle:

• Your first and last name
  
• NetID
  
• The name of the event you volunteered for
  
• What you did at the event
  
• How long you volunteered at the event

Workshops/Seminars

Greetings IRO'ers!

This semester we are hosting a budget design contest for all of our favorite members to show off their penny-pinching and design skills.
The contest rules are:

All robots must be designed for $200 or less

The robots must be cool

Entrants must be on teams of 2-4 students

The contest officially launches this Friday, March 16, and the official web site and entry form will be available starting Friday morning.

To enter, you and your team need to submit a parts list, a short description of your robot, and any other supporting materials you would like (CAD drawings, etc.)

Winners of the design contest will be sponsored by IRO to build their robots for final judging, with a terrific prize to be announced.

Spring Semester

New VP of Finance

It is unfortunate to announce that our previous VP of Finance, Uros Kuzmanovic, has resigned due to an extremely busy schedule this semester. In his place, we now have a new member joining the executive board. Please welcome David Turner as our new VP of Finance!

Volunteer Raffle

We are going to be holding a voluteering raffle at the end of the semester where you can win cool prizes! For every hour you spend volunteering for IRO, you would receive 1 point (ticket) towards the raffle. The more points you have by the time of the raffle, the better your chances are to win a prize! So keep your eyes out for chances to volunteer at our upcoming events and go and earn some points!

Bar Crawl

IRO is planning a bar crawl in March! If you are interested, please fill out this doodle so we can figure out the best day for the bar crawl. Feel free to post a comment on doodle as well!

Community Outreach

Volunteer at EOH!

EOH is fast approaching (March 9-10), and we are in need of volunteers for our booth.If you are interested, please contact our VP of Community Outreach, Joe Jung, at jung84@illinois.edu with the day(s) and times when you are available and attend one of the safety mettings listed below.The meeting is mandatory, and you must bring your i-card with you to the meeting.

This is a great chance to start earning some raffle points!

• Monday, Feb.13, 20, 27 & Mar. 5; Noon at 106B1 Eng Hall
• Wednedsay, Feb. 15, 22, 29 & Mar. 7;1pm at 106B8 Eng Hall

Volunteer for the 4H Tournament

We also need volunteers at the 4H Tournament that is going to be held on April 14th. More information will be sent in our subsequent newsletters, and if you are interested, please contact Joe Jung at jung84@illinois.edu

Holidays Approaching!

Next General Meeting - Monday 12/5

Our next general meeting withh be held after next week on Monday, December 5th. The meeting will be from 7:30pm to 8:30pm in Room 103, Transportation Building. We will go over general IRO news as well as activities and events you might expect to see next semester! Everyone is welcome to attend!

Public Engagement Grant

Exciting News! 
IRO's recent public engagement grant proposal - Inspiring K-12 Students and Local Community to Engage in STEM Activities through Organized Robotics Program - has recently been approved. We are being funded at the level of $11,500.00! 

Happy Thanksgiving

Next General Meeting - Monday 12/5

Our next general meeting withh be held after Thanksgiving Break on Monday, December 5th. The meeting will be from 7:30pm to 8:30pm in Room 103, Transportation Building. We will go over general IRO news as well as activities and events you might expect to see next semester! Everyone is welcome to attend!

New Officer

One more officer has joined IRO. We would like to congratulate and welcome Milan Dasgupta as our new Media Director!

Available Officer Positions

Corporate Outreach Director
(Committee of Professional Development)
Reaching out to corporations who are interested in giving technical talks, and information sessions

Workshops Director
(Committee of Professional Development)
Scheduling and putting together workshops

FLL Director
(Committee of Community Outreach)
Coordinating mentors and volunteers for FLL Teams and the FLL Tournament

Resume Book

Thank you to everyone that submitted their resume! We're getting ready to send out the book to Qualcomm in the coming weeks, but it's never too late to submit your resume to us at anytime. We will keep the book updated throughout the semesters but this reminder will only be sent out twice a semester from now on.

For those of you who have already submitted a resume, make sure to keep us updated with your new resumes. If you no longer wish to include your resume or wish to retract an already submitted resume temporarily at anytime, please email us at illinoisro@gmail.com with:

Subject: Resume Book Change Request
Content: Full Name, Major, and what you want done with your resume.

For anyone who wishes to submit their resume to us for the FIRST time, please email illinoisro@gmail.com with the following specifications:

Email: You must use your @illinois.edu email address
Title: Resume Book
Attachment: Please attach your resume in either .pdf or .doc and use YOUR FULL NAME as the FILE NAME and make sure it's properly formatted - if we receive a resume that's poorly or not formatted, we will not include it in our book
Content: Please list your
Full Name - As it appears on your resume
Major - Your specific major, not your department
Year (Fr, Soph, Jr, Sr), Expected Graduation Month, Year

Social Events

Since we are nearing the end of the semester with everyone becoming increasingly busy, we'll be pushing our social events to the beginning of next semester. Please don't forget to vote on a event to increase the change of your favorite event happening next semester!

Internship Opportunities with State Farm

State Farm is looking for intern candidates in the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence fields for the Spring and Summer 2012 semesters.  Below is some information on how interested individuals can apply along with some details about the projects.

Upcoming Projects & Intern Positions:

Robotics
One technical intern position for Spring and Summer semesters (Job Opening ID listed below for each semester)

Spring – 25718
Summer – 28089
 

Artificial Intelligence

One technical intern position (Job Opening ID listed below for each semester)

Spring – 25715
Summer – 28088

Brief Description of Work in the Spring:
The two interns would work with the business area of their respective project (Robotics or AI) and a student project lead to help scope that effort.  They would also perform some initial research to help establish a framework of options for where the research & development might be taken.

How to Apply:
Go to http://www.statefarm.com/careers/landing.asp
Under “Become an Employee” click the “Search Jobs” button
Under “Job Search” click the “Begin Job Search” button
Enter the appropriate Job Opening ID into the corresponding “Job Opening ID” text box
Click the “Search” button (search results for this Job Opening ID should then be displayed)
Under “Posting Title” click the hyperlink of the position
Click the “Apply Now” button to apply for the position

If you have any questions, send an eamil to the Systems Analyst/Systems Internship Coordinator - Tyler Haycraft: tyler.haycraft.ma39@statefarm.com.

Community Outreach Events

FLL Tournament Volunteering

We are still looking for more volunteers for the FLL Tournament held at the Urbana Middle School on December 3rd, 2011. All volunteers will get FREE LUNCH! You will be required to volunteer for at least half of the day. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form. 

As a last minute call for judges and referees, if you are interested, you MUST attend the training session held on Tuesday, November 15th. It will take places in Siebel Center Room 1310 and 1320 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. 

The parking lot right south of Siebel is open to anyone from 5:00pm and onwards or you may park on the side streets anywhere east of Goodwin Ave.

Mentors for FRC Teams

Do you still remember the experiences in your high school FIRST Robotics Team? Are you interested in continuing that FIRST spirit by becoming a Mentor for a local team? E-mail Elzabad Kennedy to help out!