Mastercam the leading CAD/ CAM software from CNC Software, Inc., was the sponsorship partner of Team Witch Doctor in season 9 of Discovery’s BattleBots series. Team Witch Doctor competes in the BattleBots competition on the Discovery channel and is led by Andrea Gellatly. This collaboration greatly helped the company culture and laid down a robust platform to promote the advantages of STEM education.
Gellatly is the leader of a team, which comprises Mike Gellatly (her husband), Rick Pease, Jennifer Villa, Katheryn Sharp, Steven Sharp, Christian Chiriboga, and Paul Grata. With the aim to involve more youth in STEM, the team actively promotes educational efforts and robotics. They have also begun MakeMIA Makerspace, a non-profit makerspace in Miami, Florida for new robot builders. Peter Mancini, Education Product Manager for Mastercam, remarked that the partnership with Team Witch Doctor has resulted in extra visibility for promotion of the advantages of STEM education and career in manufacturing to students.
BattleBots is extremely famous. Witch Doctor was extremely successful. Fans consider these to be their favorite. Robotics was a successful launch pad for Andrea and the teammates. When the youth viewed it, they became inspired.
In the entire season, Witch Doctor had an undefeated run into the finals. Here, the robot finally finished in the second place after a tremendous match with Bite Force. The competition has various battles during which robots are tremendously damaged. Witch Doctor was able to repair rapidly owing to the presence of replacement parts from the Mastercam Manufacturing lab.
Many Team Witch Doctor members interacted with CNC Software employees at the CNC Software headquarters in Tolland, Connecticut. A demo of the robot’s velocity and skill was given to the employees. These members appreciated everybody’s support and spend quality time with the Application Engineers in the Mastercam Manufacturing lab to thank the group for assistance with the design and production of part of the fuel system.
We really couldn’t ask for a group better aligned with Mastercam’s efforts to attract young energetic minds to our industry. The fact that it’s a woman-led team adds icing to the cake. Women are underrepresented in these fields, and Team Witch Doctor is a fantastic example of what is possible for anyone with an interest in STEM and manufacturing
Meghan West
President & CEO, Mastercam
Meghan West, President, and CEO of Mastercam commented that it was exciting to collaborate with Team Witch Doctor. This involved viewing sessions and live chats, and we take pride in the accomplishments of this season. This group was best aligned to entice young energetic minds to the industry. Moreover, it is a women-led team, which is the icing of the cake. These fields underrate women and Team Witch Doctor has led by example in proving that anybody with an interest in STEM and manufacturing can accomplish great heights.
For more information about Witch Doctor and BattleBots, visit https://battlebots.com/robot/25345/
