Nichols School proudly announces that Phil Coburn, science department faculty, has been honored with the Woodie Flowers Award at the Miami Valley Regional robotics competition in Cincinnati, Ohio.

This award celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.  Dr. William Murphy founded this prestigious award in 1996 to recognize mentors within the First Robotics Competition who lead, inspire, and empower using excellent communication skills.  Dr. Murphy wanted to bring attention to the eloquent and effective communication skills of Dr. Woodie Flowers, so this award was created.

Each year, this award is presented to one adult mentor at each Regional Competition.  This is a student nominated award that is presented to one mentor, out of 50 participating teams each year.  As a Robotics Team mentor, Mr. Coburn teaches the students the skills they need to build and program a robot.  They teach students about STEM education outreach, planning and executing service projects, branding, marketing, scouting, and presenting in front of a judge.  Mentors are tasked with teaching students how to establish goals, set and meet deadlines, manage inventory and understand how to juggle all of these critical variables.

This award is a testament to Mr. Coburn's commitment to our robotics program and his passion for empowering his students.  He has truly inspired students to embrace innovation and has instilled invaluable qualities such as teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance in his students.