A brief history of the Garrett Engineering and Robotics Society (GEARS) Inc. In September 2006 a group of robotics advocates presented the Garrett County Commissioners with the idea of utilizing a portion of an unused county-owned building to host a wide range of Science and Technology activities, including the county’s existing High school and Middle school robotics teams. The presenting delegati
on included members of the business community, local government and the education system. The Commissioners agreed that this was an excellent use for the space, and the county Economic Development Department was tasked with allocating and managing 5000 sq. feet of office and warehouse space for this purpose. To facilitate this endeavor, GEARS was founded in November 2006 by Phil Malone, a Physicist and Computer Programmer with 20 years’ experience in underwater robotics. The GEARS mission is to excite youth about careers in Science, Technology and Engineering. GEARS obtained 501(c)(3) status in August 2007, and the board of directors is made up of the 5 presenters at that original commissioners meeting. In the course of the following year, GEARS organized, or hosted, 14 different robotics/technology activities. These activities involved children from grades 1 to 12, and provided over 600 contact hours, reaching 350 unique youth and involving 2400 man-hours of mentoring. However, the remarkable thing about this achievement is that GEARS is a 100% volunteer based. GEARS receives its funding a variety of ways. Donations from the community form a significant part of our operating budget. Local businesses, community groups and even local government have been very generous. Some Robotics teams (eg: BOE sponsored teams) have their own operating budget and GEARS just provides space and mentorship. Other teams also use GEARS to run fundraising drives. Some activities (like the SeaPerch underwater robotics workshop) are funded through direct participation fees, and others (like the after-school programs) are funded indirectly through grants obtained by groups like 4-H. As a key part of its activities, GEARS hosts several teams that compete in robotics competitions run by an organization called FIRST*. FIRST competitions are international events that begin with local regionals and culminate in the FIRST World Championship, held this year, in St. As a testament to the success of the robotics programs in Garrett County, four FIRST teams coached by GEARS mentors were successful in earning spots at the FIRST World Championship in 2011. Two of these teams were Board of Education sponsored teams, and two were community based teams sponsored by GEARS and 4-H. Not only did the Garrett County teams compete, but each one earned an award at the competition. Note: Only 8 other FIRST teams from Maryland earned the right to compete in St. Each year, local robotics teams add to the GEARS legacy by impacting their community in positive ways, and spreading the message of STEM .
