What's New in 2010?
2009 was a difficult year for everyone. It's easy to get discouraged when things are tough and start thinking that it will always be this way. The truth is, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. We are looking forward to a great new year for local robotics. We are starting the new year with a new focus for our club. This year we will be focusing on informing the community about our club and drawing more active roboticists into our group.
If you would like to help spread the word about our club, you may print out copies of our poster here. Print them out full size for posters or two to a page for fliers then post them or distribute them everywhere.
We also plan to start some club projects to get people invloved such as designing a robotics exhibit for Kid Time and building a club robot that will act as our mascot and represent the club at community events. For more information about our club projects, check out our Project Guides.
We look forward to seeing you in 2010!
What is SORSA?
SORSA began as the Southern Oregon Robotics Club (SORC). It was founded in 2001 by Dan Gates in Grants Pass as a place where those interested in robotics could share their ideas and work together to overcome the obstacles they faced in their own robotics projects.
In 2002, SORC joined the Robotics Society of America (RSA) and changed its name to the Southern Oregon Robotics Society (SORS). Under the non-profit status of the RSA, the SORS began getting involved in the community by providing robotics demonstrations and workshops for local schools, the Grants Pass & Cave Junction chapters of the Boys & Girls Club, Walk-the-Rogue, Josephine County Fair, Breast Cancer Awareness, Boatnik Parades, Asian Festival in Eugene, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, KTVL Kid’s Day and the ScienceWorks Museum in Ashland to name only a few. In 2002, the SORS hosted it’s first RoboMaxx event at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point and RoboMaxx II & III the following years at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in Grants Pass. In addition to its volunteer workshops, the SORS has also raised funds for the Boys & Girls Clubs and Toys for Tots.
Club members Dan Gates and Jon Peterman have appeared on Tech TV’s Screensavers, KVMU Fox Channel 26 and Local Access TV. A couple of Dan Gates’ robots were discovered through the club’s website by Canlaws Productions and were used in the filming of Twentieth Century Fox’s “I, Robot” starring Will Smith. Unfortunately, the footage was not used in the final cut of the movie.
Now the SORS has reformed in Medford as the Southern Oregon Robotics Society of America (SORSA) with a renewed commitment to its original vision as outlined below. We are looking forward to the potential of new membership and community involvement in the Medford area.
What is Our Purpose?
The purpose of SORSA is five-fold:
1) To provide aspiring roboticists a friendly and encouraging atmosphere to exchange ideas and reap the benefit of fellow members’ strengths.
2) To provide inspiration and provoke the imagination of its members.
3) To actively show our commitment to the community by participating in and hosting local events.
4) To offer kids, who may not otherwise have the opportunity, the resources to explore technologies of the future in a way that is fun and educational.
5) And most of all, to have fun building robots.
When & Where Do We Meet?
SORSA meets on the second Saturday of every month in the Arts Room at Kids Unlimited located at 821 North Riverside Avenue in Medford. These meetings are FREE and open to anyone interested in learning about robotics or sharing their knowledge. Children under 15 are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Meetings run from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. COME AND JOIN THE FUN!!!
If you plan on joining us, print out our New Member's Packet here. Fill out the Questionnaire and bring it to your first meeting. There is no charge to attend and participate in the meetings.
Doug Gates, President
Southern Oregon Robotics Society of America
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