Log In
Giving Back

Supporting a Stronger Technology Community

At SIM Memphis, giving back to the community is at the heart of what we do. Our goal is to encourage young men and women in this area to Seriously Consider Technology Careers; By giving them a chance to Experience The Fun And Excitement that comes with learning the know-how to use and produce technology.

Teen Tech Camp

We started our first Teen Tech Camp (TTC) in 2005 at the Benjamin Hooks Library in Memphis; we now have this in five locations and have crossed the state border. This is a week-long camp where kids ages 12-16 learn everything from creating computer games and cell phone apps to building amazing robots, designing technology that can be printed on 3D printers, and much more. During our time doing TTC, almost 1,000 boys and girls from our communities have benefited and participated. Additional camps not directly associated with SIM have been sponsored as they follow SIM Memphis example. Our kids are #1 priority. 

For more information, to sign up, and for additional details of these events, please reach out to Ed Charbonnet or David Ulloa . 

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis Lego Robotics

A LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot costs $350.  A set of batteries costs $10.  The excitement on a young boy’s or girl’s face as they see the BOT move for the first time under the commands of the program they built is PRICELESS!  Working with BGCM – The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, SIM has funded two clubs to start a LEGO Robotics program.   It started in January of 2015 at the Bernal Smith Club on Ross Road and the Ira Samelson Club near Grahamwood School.  Student ages range from as young as nine years old and up to fifteen years old.  They learn to make the robot move forward, backward, turn, follow a line, recognize colors, and follow a programmed path to achieve a goal.  And they do all of this without writing a single line of code.  It is all done by connecting various objects together and setting their parameters.  Our hope is that we can get young students to develop an interest in technology careers by seeing how much fun they can be and discussing how rewarding they can be.

First Lego League Regional

We are one of the significant sponsors of the FIRST LEGO League Regional Competition run by the University of Memphis, where over sixty teams compete each year during January.

Here, the LEGO bots race to complete as many missions as they can in 2.5 minutes; missions are entirely autonomous, and the bots come in a wide variety of creative designs. As part of the competition, each group has to make a presentation about the design to the judges, which will give a score for their presentation skills.

Memphis Business Academy

Since 2017, we have engaged in yet another fantastic opportunity at the Memphis Business Academy (MBA).

At the MBA, the VEX Robotics program is being used to build a variety of robots and drones, and due to the annual low cost of the program, we can reach about 160 students a year. These drones are not built from kits, but are designed using CAD and then printed on 3D printers, then assembled by the students. Students compete in internal and external competitions.

White Station High School

We started investing in the White Station High School back in 2014. The school participates in the First Robotics Competition (FRC), to build their robots, students have to use real industrial components; they have to design, build, and Program their models in a time frame of 6 weeks.

When we started 4 years ago, WSHS had everything piled into 5 tote boxes. Year by year, they have added to their furniture and equipment, now have 2 big rolling cabinets and numerous well-organized drawers and trays, along with table drills and saws

This program impacts about 30 students each year, participating in two three-day-long regional competitions. In 2018, the team advanced to the World Championship, which was hosted in Houston, TX.

Additional Communities Outreach Involvement