Two Beaumont students to present robot at L.A. conference

Margaret Schiffer '17, and Rosie Sirk '19, are headed to Los Angeles to present their work as part of the Beaumont School Robotics Team.

Two Beaumont School students will showcase their work as part of the school’s Robotics Team during the upcoming SolidWorks World Conference in Los Angeles, Feb. 5–8. Beaumont senior Margaret Schiffer and sophomore Rosie Sirk will present their robot, Stobor, during the conference. They are the only Cleveland-area students to take part in the event.

Schiffer and Sirk will represent the National Robotics League (NRL) at the conference. NRL will conduct a mini-competition during the conference, which will take place in front of 5,000 people at the conference general session on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

In addition, Schiffer and Sirk will have the chance to showcase their robot and computer-aided design (CAD) drawings at an exhibit booth during the four-day conference.

As members of Beaumont’s Robotics Team, Schiffer and Sirk work with mentors at Christopher Tool and Manufacturing in Solon, meeting every Saturday morning, 7–11:30 a.m. Their coaches are Beaumont faculty members Stephanie Moran, Yvonne Schiffer and Gretchen Santo.

“This is an international conference which gives our girls the unique opportunity to demonstrate their skills, show their leadership capabilities and showcase their superior communication skills, all while celebrating their successes with robotics,” said Santo.

Santo noted that Beaumont’s involvement with robotics began with Roger Sustar, former chief executive officer of the Mentor-based company Fredon. Sustar, in conjunction with the Alliance for Working Together, spurred interest in, and sponsored, local robotic competitions; helped connect student teams with co-sponsors; and provided mentors for Beaumont students as they work on their robots.

Two years ago, Beaumont School opened a $9.5 million state-of-the-art STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) academic building, which houses eight STEM classrooms. For the past 17 years, the Ohio Academy of Science has recognized Beaumont School with the Outstanding School Award for overall excellence in science achievement and the science department faculty with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Youth Science Opportunities.