Onshape User Groups Supporting the Future

#FIRST Team 7599 Students from Cristo Rey HS. From left to right - Jaden Jordan, Amirah Morris, Antoine Dantzler, Justine Jones, Nathaniel Touch, and Patrick Ulad-Lieu. Not pictured is team mentor Devon Perkins.

It’s no secret that I think local user group chapters are the backbone of the CAD community. In addition to the incredible learning opportunities, the face-to-face networking adds a dimension that simply cannot be achieved online or via email. Local chapters make betters users, and better users produce better products.

I’d like to give you one more reason to attend a local Onshape User Group meeting – our future. Onshape User Group leaders have been welcoming high school robotics teams to attend and present at recent meetings. I was fortunate to be in Philadelphia when the Cristo Rey HS FIRST Robotics team 7599 was invited by group leader Marcus Bernstein to tell their story. These young men and women did not disappoint.

They told the story of an under-funded, rookie team that finished dead last in their initial competition, picked up a Rookie Inspiration Award along the way, and then finished up the 2019 season by winning a regional championship. Their journey required patience, perseverance, and a lot of hard work.

The team credits much of their success to Onshape CAD and fellow Onshape users. The ability to collaborate with each other anywhere on any device is important, as all the students participate in work programs during the school week. More and more FIRST teams are using Onshape to design their robots, and Onshape User Group leaders (and former FIRST participants) like Marcus are sharing ideas, tips, and even creating models the students can use in their designs.

Everyone agrees that getting young people interested in engineering and design is a good idea. The students at Cristo Rey impressed the attendees with their story, and with their designs. It was enough to compel two professionals in the audience to volunteer some time as mentors.

Everyone can learn something at an Onshape User Group meeting, but you can also be inspired in other ways. If you ever worry about the future of engineering and manufacturing, listening to some of these young people can put your mind to rest. We are in good hands.