STEM student at Innovation Academy on the Engineering pathway. I build robots, physics simulators and apps, and I want the things I build to help more people get into STEM.
I'm a builder. Robots, mobile apps, basketball plays: I like making things from scratch and figuring out how to make them better.
I've done FIRST robotics since 5th grade. I started in FIRST LEGO League, helped found an FTC team in 7th grade, and I'm now captain of a brand-new FTC team, Trionix #36477. When my team needed a way to practice strategy without a field, I built a simulator. That became GenetonSim, a physics-based FTC simulator that's now on the App Store and Google Play. This season I built a second one, BIOBUZZ Sim, a 3D simulator that runs right in the browser.
Outside robotics I'm on my school's fencing team, I play drums and clarinet, and I read a lot of fantasy. World-building in a novel isn't that different from world-building in a physics engine.
Scroll down and my robot drives through each milestone.
I joined FIRST LEGO League and got hooked on making a machine do exactly what I planned. Our team won the Robot Performance Award at the State Championship, held at Georgia Tech, and the Innovation Project Award at Regionals.
A big second season: two Robot Design Awards (Regionals and State), the Core Values Award at Super Regionals, and 2nd place in Robot Performance at both Super Regionals and State.
I moved up to FIRST Tech Challenge as a founding member of a new team. There was no robot and no playbook, so we built the team culture, the engineering process and the robot ourselves.
We needed to practice strategy but didn't have a field, and our next meet was one week away. I built a 2D simulator in MIT Scratch in that week by breaking the project into small tasks I could finish hour by hour. My team used it.
In our rookie season Geneton won the Control Award at the New England Premier Event (Courville Division), which recognizes smart use of sensors and software. We also won two Think Awards for our engineering portfolio.
Scratch couldn't handle the physics I wanted, like realistic movement, collisions and ball dynamics. So I taught myself Flutter, Dart and Python and rebuilt the simulator from scratch as a real app.
I published GenetonSim on the App Store and Google Play. v1.0 came out on January 12, and I shipped three more updates based on user feedback over the next three weeks. One of them fixed a rule bug so you can't score from outside the launch zone, the same as in real FTC matches.
In our second season Geneton won the Inspire Award, FTC's highest team honor, at the Douglasville League Tournament. We also won a third Think Award at the Georgia Championship.
I was selected for the STEM Gems summer camp at Georgia Tech. In July, Team Trionix took STEM to Kathmandu, Nepal, with robot demos, unplugged coding and quizzes for 194 students at two schools and 20 robotics professionals.
I started high school at Innovation Academy on the Engineering pathway and became captain of a new FTC team, Trionix. I organize and plan the team and work across the build, programming, outreach and portfolio sub-teams. I also built BIOBUZZ Sim, a 3D driver-practice simulator for the new season.
My goal is to study engineering at university and build technology that levels the playing field, so any student can practice, learn and compete no matter what equipment they have.
An FTC robot simulator for phones, tablets and Macs. Teams can practice strategy without a physical field, without wearing out hardware, and without a $2,000 setup.
Built fast with blocks so my team could practice before a meet.
Rebuilt with a real physics engine, AI opponents and leaderboards.
Live on iOS, Android and Mac, and updated based on what players tell me.
A 3D driver-practice simulator I built for Trionix and the new FTC BIOBUZZ season. It runs in any web browser, with nothing to install.
Scratch 2D prototype → GenetonSim (Flutter mobile app) → BIOBUZZ Sim (3D in the browser)
Designing competition robots in Fusion 360 on the goBILDA platform, from CAD models to the finished robot, working with the build and programming sub-teams.
Team Trionix →The one-week 2D simulator that started it all. It proved the idea worked and showed me which skills I had to learn next.
Read the story →I've gone from competitor to co-founder to captain. Each team taught me something different about engineering and about leading people.
A new nine-student FTC team in Alpharetta. Our mission is to "turn curiosity into engineering."
We built a Fulton Science Academy team from nothing, and it won awards at every level we competed.
This is where I learned the engineering design process and FIRST's Core Values.
FTC results are listed on FIRST's official record for Team 26507. Team awards are shared with my amazing teammates.
"You can't be what you can't see." I want to help more kids, especially girls, see themselves in STEM.
With Team Trionix I helped run three events in Kathmandu, Nepal: our "ROBOTS!" presentation, unplugged coding activities, quizzes and live robot demos. We reached 194 students at two schools and 20 robotics professionals.
A season-long mentoring partnership. Trionix helps RAN coordinate support for robotics teams in the region.
GenetonSim and BIOBUZZ Sim let any team practice on a phone or in a browser, even without a field or a big budget.
Spent time with residents at a local senior living center as a companion.
Handed out pet-waste bags at local parks to help keep them clean.
Made sandwiches and goodie bags for people in need in our community.
I see learning as a ladder: get good at the basics, find where they stop working, then climb to the next level.
Fulton County's STEM magnet high school in Alpharetta, GA. I'm on the Engineering pathway.
Principal's Honor Roll ×18. Took high-school-level honors courses starting in 6th grade.
Captained the MSG basketball team at FSA. Won the "Rising Star" and "Most Improved" awards.
Three years of concert band on clarinet, six concerts, a Silver-ranked band at Southern Star, and UGA band camp. I also play drumset.
I'm on my high school's fencing team. I've performed in two musicals and worked tech crew for two more.
Harry Potter, Brandon Sanderson and The Odyssey. Stories with big, carefully built worlds.
These are the next steps I'm working toward.
Build a strong rookie season and a lasting team culture.
Use IA's fabrication labs to link my simulators to real robots.
Advanced math and summer engineering research.
Run workshops that help younger girls get started in engineering.
Coaches, mentors, teams, or anyone who'd like to talk robotics, simulators or STEM outreach: I'd love to hear from you.
sophiaranjitkar@gmail.com