Debugged S4 E7: Building Bots and Shaping the Future

Hello! Welcome back to Debugged, the Congressional App Challenge’s alumni-led podcast that connects the country’s youth with technology by debugging the intricate world of computer science.

In this special episode, guest host Suhaani Sodhi chats with three Congressional App Challenge alumni and fellow Debugged team members about the fascinating field of robotics! Suri Le learned about the App Challenge in seventh grade, and started robotics around the same time. Aarav Kansupada participated in the App Challenge for the past two years, and started robotics in fifth grade. Tushar Mehta is an App Challenge alumni from 2022, and has been doing robotics since fifth grade.

To start off the interview, the alumni discuss how they got involved in robotics! Aarav talks about being inspired by an after school LEGO camp in middle school, where he got to make cool things with friends. Tushar also cites his passion for LEGOs in elementary school, and talked about how FIRST Lego League combined his interests for LEGO and coding, making for a great experience. Suri then discusses how teachers have a big involvement in robotics, and how a teacher of hers encouraged her to join.

Explaining the game, Suri compares the three different levels of FIRST Robotics: the Lego League, the Tech Challenge, and the Robotics Challenge. She then explains how each season has its own unique theme. Tushar shares how he fell in love with FIRST because of the sky being the limit with how you can build your robot, and getting to see everyone’s creativity and ingenuity shine at competition. Suri also touches on gracious professionalism, and how it creates a loving and nurturing community among FIRST participants.

Aarav and Tushar then goes on to discuss how FIRST is not all about tech, it is also about business and finance. Running a robotics team is expensive, and you need to learn how to find sponsors—which they share advice on how to do! Learning these non-technical skills, and as Tushar adds on, how to network, is a reason for everyone should join a FIRST team, or just get involved in the robotics community in general.

Finally, Tushar and Suri share advice for starting robotics teams based on their experience. Tune in to this exciting episode of Debugged to learn more about what it’s like to be part of the robotics community, and how you can get involved!

More about Debugged

Founded in 2021 by the Congressional App Challenge’s Alumni Advisory Board, Debugged is a unique podcast experience that seeks to redefine STEM education, shine a light on diverse voices, and further the narrative around a myriad of computer science topics. By highlighting trends in the industry, breaking down complicated concepts, and interviewing high profile guests, listeners are given the opportunity to delve into the world of technology in an analytical yet engaging way.

Debugged is free to stream on your favorite platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more via Anchor.fm! To be the first to know about new episodes, and to learn more about the team of eleven alumni behind every one, follow @cacdebugged on Instagram and X. Thank you so much for your viewership; we hope you enjoy the episode!