Don Smith Volunteers at Girl Powered Robotics Event

Don Smith, a senior estimator at MWH, recently volunteered his time at the Girl Powered event at Laredo Middle School in Aurora, CO. The Robotic Lions All-Girl Team partnered with Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and VEX Robotics, Inc. to support Girl Powered, an initiative to engage more young women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through competitive robotics.

In his spare time, Don has engineered and constructed a fully functioning LEGO® crane that resembles a Lampson LTL-2300 – the world’s largest mobile crane. His crane weighs 24.6 pounds, stands 10 feet tall, and can carry 51.4% of its total weight. It took him about a year and a half to design and build the crane. During the Girl Powered event, He demonstrated how the crane works to six different classes throughout the day.

The event also featured an array of other engaging activities, speakers, giveaways and more to excite and further interest girls in competitive robotics to coincide with the International Day of the Girl Child, adopted by the United Nations in 2011 to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

“The REC Foundation is thrilled to announce Girl Powered in partnership with VEX Robotics to advance girls’ interest in STEM through competitive robotics,” said Jason Morrella, President, REC Foundation. “In business and in education, we know that our toughest challenges are best solved with a diversity of opinion. We all benefit by engaging more young women in competitive robotics as these students will become our future innovators and problem-solvers.”