Educational Studies PhD candidate Parker Miles mentors members of the K9.0 Robotics team at The School at Marygrove

Educational Studies PhD candidate Parker Miles is proud to mentor the 17 students who comprise K9.0 Robotics, The School at Marygrove’s FIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition team. As he tells the Detroit Free Press, “The kids call me ‘Coach P,’ but I’m more like a cheerleader because the kids know so much more than I do.”

In March, K9.0 Robotics was among 40 teams from across metro Detroit that competed in a FIRST In Michigan District competition held on the campus of Wayne State University. The teams competing at the event received District Ranking Points based on their performance and any awards they received.

Miles tells the Free Press that the competition was long and grueling as the team faced challenges they had never experienced before. One of the arms broke off the team’s robot, coding problems left the robot “stuck in place” for a period of time.

“We had catastrophic failure after catastrophic failure, but the team was so resilient and worked through every problem. It was such a testament to their hard work and character,” says Miles. But their perseverance and team spirit paid off: K9.0 Robotics received the FIRST Impact Award, which is awarded at FIRST Robotics Competitions to “honor the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate.”