Woodie Flowers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Woodie Flowers
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Flowers gives his signature thumbs up at the 2006 FIRST Championship in Atlanta, Georgia
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Woodie Claude Flowers
November 18, 1943 Jena, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Died | October 11, 2019 (aged 75) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Louisiana Tech University (B.S., 1966) MIT (M.S., 1968), M.E. (1971), Ph.D. (1973) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mechanical engineering |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Woodie Claude Flowers (November 18, 1943 – October 11, 2019) was a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was known for his work in engineering design and creating new products. He also inspired many young people to get excited about science and technology.
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About Woodie Flowers
Woodie Flowers was born in Jena, Louisiana, on November 18, 1943. His grandfathers, Woodie and Claude, inspired his name. His father, Abe, was a welder and inventor. His mother, Bertie, was a teacher.
From a young age, Woodie showed a talent for building things, just like his dad. He even became an Eagle Scout! When he was seventeen, a serious car accident changed his view on violence. It made him strongly dislike any activity that involved crashing machines on purpose.
His Education and Teaching
Woodie went to Louisiana Polytechnic Institute and earned his first degree in 1966. Then, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he earned several advanced degrees, including his Ph.D. in 1973. His Ph.D. research was about a robot-like prosthetic knee.
After finishing his studies, Flowers became a professor at MIT. He helped teach a popular class called "Introduction to Design and Manufacturing." This class, known as 2.70 (now 2.007), was special. It had a fun competition where students built robotic devices to solve a challenge.
Woodie took over the class in 1974. He made it one of the most popular classes at MIT! He changed the challenge every year, making it more exciting. The competition was even shown on the TV show Discover the World of Science. It became so popular that people jokingly called it MIT's true homecoming game.
Inspiring Young People with FIRST
In 1990, Woodie Flowers started working with Dean Kamen on a project called FIRST. FIRST aims to encourage young people to explore science and technology.
They took ideas from Woodie's MIT class and created the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) in 1992. In FRC, teams of students design and build robots to compete in a new game each year.
Woodie introduced the idea of "gracious professionalism" to FIRST. This means competing fiercely but also being kind and respectful to others. It's a very important part of the FIRST culture. Woodie was a National Advisor for FIRST every year. He was often an MC at FIRST events and was seen as a hero by many.
In 2017, Woodie Flowers was honored by being inducted into the STEM Hall of Fame. He passed away on October 11, 2019, in Massachusetts.
The Woodie Flowers Award
In 1996, the FIRST Robotics Competition created an award in his honor: the Woodie Flowers Award. Woodie Flowers himself received the very first award that year.
Since then, this award has been a way for FRC teams to recognize amazing adult mentors. At each FRC regional competition, one nominated adult receives the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. These finalists then have a chance to win the Championship Woodie Flowers Award (WFA) at the annual FIRST Championship.
