Ryerson Rams Robotics Field Study

Robotics has, for the vast majority of my life, been a topic of strong personal interest. Being welcomed onto the Ryerson Rams Robotics (R3) team has been a very special opportunity for me. As a member of the science team, I have had the chance to apply the knowledge I have gained during even the early stages of my undergraduate career to solve the problems associated with the science tasks of the University Rover Challenge (URC). Ultimately, the URC science task is to determine the capacity for Martian soil to hold and support life. From the rover, soil samples will be extracted. These samples will be taken back to a command station for further testing by the science team. \\ I have been responsible for the research and application of pH, temperature, electroconductivity, humidity, carbon and carbon dioxide quantification in soil samples. These responsibilities include researching the equipment best fit for taking these measurements and their integration onto the rover where applicable. For example, the team found it would be most efficient to measure the pH for soil samples on the rover. Taking this into consideration, I attempted to design procedures that would allow these measurements to be taken without human intervention. To …show more content…
It has also been teaching me to keep a reliable record of information and research at all times. My career goal, like many others in undergraduate science, is to enter medical school. I think that conducting research whose viability has, in respect to the URC, high stakes is shaping me into an overall better student and researcher as it keeps me aware and motivated. As a result, I feel as though I am becoming a more ideal and well rounded candidate for medical or graduate