You know what? Thanks. That really helps. Next time I'm caught in a storm, I'll know to avoid a tent. No, really, thanks.At the end of last month, the Herndon High Robotics Team had the opportunity to run a booth at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. If you are wondering why a robotics team would be invited to participate in a folklife festival, you're not alone. Technically, NASA, our primary sponsor, was invited which coincided well with its 50th anniversary. As near as I can tell, NASA was invited because it has some compelling stories to tell (of which robotics is one). Who else had compelling stories to tell? Texas and Bhutan, apparently.
Some pictures:
The Mall was boiling - very hot and humid - during the Festival.
Our booth, with the ever-popular Square Bot demo game we bring to all of our outreach activities.
A robotics student resenting the fact that I roped him into posing next to a mock-up of the Mars Rover for a blog pic.
We shared a tent with these guys. Of course, the professionals think they're so much cooler than us amateur roboticists!In addition to running the booth, a few students participated in a panel discussion about what it's like to be on a robotics team. The representatives from our team did a great job! I just wish our competition, participating on another stage (see below), hadn't of stolen the spotlight.
Makin' it look easy...
Our competition: NASA scientists running the current Mars Rover mission, Phoenix. I tell ya: those guys got the ladies!Finally, the only other interesting thing happening at the Folk Life Festival...
How's this for overcompensating? A Buddhist Temple! Bhutan obviously felt self-conscious about sharing the Festival with NASA. 
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