Trempealeau County Robotics (TC Robotics) is a First Robotics team that was founded in 2018. Trempealeau County Wisconsin is located in West Central Wisconsin and our community is made up of many rural schools. Currently, our team is made up of students from three different local high schools that come together to form TC Robotics.

Trempealeau County Robotics was founded by Andrew Baker and Betty Baker (no relation) to teach local students about automation and give them an opportunity to explore the multifaceted world of technology.

In this day and age, our mentors feel that it is extremely beneficial to give the next generation of engineers, mechanics, videographers, programmers, promoters, financiers, etc. experience in their future careers.

Our team consists of high school students from Arcadia, Cochran Fountain City, and Gale-Ettrick Trempealeau together to form a diverse, multi-talented team. TC Robotics is roughly divided into four departments: Marketing/Finance, SolidWorks, Construction, and Programming.

The Marketing/Finance group manages the team's money, social media, website, and public appearance. Students in this group learn valuable life skills such as written communication, proper business etiquette, and how to manage money in an effective way.

The SolidWorks group creates parts of the team's robots in SolidWorks and utilize Mastercam; this is essential to the team's ability to recreate parts, or even entire robots. This group equips students with a thorough understanding of design and computer programs, which is useful knowledge in many work settings.

The Programming group writes the code for the constructed robot to run on. Students in this group not only will advance their knowledge of programming, but they will acquire time management and problem solving skills as well.

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The Construction or 'build' group are the individuals who take the designs from SolidWorks and makes the physical, functional robot. These students learn important concepts in the fields of physics and mechanical engineering.

Though these subgroups exist, the lines between them are extremely blurred and many students work in multiple groups depending on the team's overall need. There is a niche in the team for everyone, allowing all members and mentors to contribute and feel valued in some way.

Our mentors are highly appreciated; without them volunteering their time and having the patience to work with the students, our team would not be what it is today. We are especially thankful for Ashley Furniture's support, they are both a huge sponsor of our team, and allow us to use their Automation and Robotics building to house our team. Overall, the addition of Trempealeau County Robotics has enriched our students from small rural high schools with more opportunities to help choose their career paths for their futures.