Co-Founder of the internationally recognized Humberview Robotics
team.
Values
The values that guide and shape me.
Passion
Love what you do and do what you love.
Positive Attitude
Approach everything like it's an opportunity.
Constant Growth
Constantly be learning and trying new things.
Adventure
Don't be afraid to explore and take chances.
Excellence
Quality and hardwork speak for themselves.
Leadership
Never be afraid to lead and take responsibility.
Behind The Keyboard
A Systems Design Engineer
Stefan Pleava
Engineer, Developer, Designer
About Me
I am a passionate person and love to
pour my heart into whatever I do. I enjoy experiencing new things and being in way over my
head. I love making every little detail come together seamlessly and I take pride in
creating
experiences that make people say ‘wow’.
Contact Me
Interested in reaching me? Drop me a line.
WATiSpend
A mealplan tracker for uWaterloo students.
Intro
WATiSpend is a service that shows
students how much they should be spending per day on their mealplan. There is a
dedicated
website that you should check out to find out more.
Why
The purpose of WATiSPEND is to
enlighten students about their spending habits and mealplan.
How
By showing students how much they
are spending per day and per week we allow students to have a better insight into their
spending habits. They'll also be shown a list of every purchase made on their WATCard.
Value
It will offer students recommended
daily spending limits so as to better manage their meal plan money. It is hard to think
about long term budgeting but WATiSPEND does the thinking and planning for you.
Screenshots
You can download it now on the App
Store
for free!
Systems Design Engineering
Learning how everything works.
What is Systems?
The running joke is that no one
knows since we all get asked this by almost everyone we meet. Systems design
engineering to
me is stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. Asking yourself why and how
things
are connected. It requires a multi-disciplinary approach to learning. Since you become
educated about a diverse range of subject matter, you become able to make deeper
connections when analyzing ideas.
What I Like to Learn About
I am interested in learning about
how things work and how various pieces come together to make a whole. I like looking at
the
bigger picture and making everything come together. I am really interested in
intelligent
systems and creating things that are able to sustain and improve themselves. I love
good
design and learning about what makes the products I love so great.
The Alpha Dogs
Humberview Robotics
Overview
There are few experiences during
highschool that shape your future. Robotics was one of those for me. In my last year,
my
friends and I embarked on a journey to found a robotics team at our school and compete
in
the FIRST Robotics Competition. What started out as a dream quickly became a reality
after
our manufacturing teacher got on board. The team quickly grew to become the largest in
the
school and we raised enough money to build a robot and compete at a regional.
If that's where the story stopped, it'd be pretty cool but it isn't. We brought home 3
awards and came just short of qualifying for the world championships. Defeated but not
beaten; we scrambled to get together the thousands of dollars needed to compete in
North
Bay. Phone calls were made. Cheques were written. By the end of it all, we were on a
bus
about to try our luck again. The event was tough but we came back home with another 3
awards and a ticket to the world championships!
A very clear and distinct memory for me was getting off the bus and being handed forms
to
go to St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Kipfer had a strong hunch that we'd pull it off and was
already prepared with the paper work. We found just enough money to get us all down
there
and ended up having the experience of a lifetime.
We didn't just start a team though. The Alpha Dogs created a community where students
are
given opportunities to work with things that most students won’t be exposed to until
they’re outside of school. We have our own student made website,
award winning business plan, outreach program and so much
more. We make reveal videos, marketing materials, and participate in community events
where
we show off what we've done and promote our sponsors.
What I learned
I know our 2014 robot inside and
out. Which screws need to be tightened before each match, the exact speed of our
flywheels
for every shot we would take, how the sensors on our robot worked, how many shots we
could
take before running out of air pressure, each rule that we needed to comply with and so
much more. I lived and breathed robotics for the duration of the 6 week build season. I
learned that passion and the right people are a recipe for success.
If you’ve never worked with a mill, lathe or band saw you will be intimidated, excited
and
and curious when you step into the shop. I wasn't expecting to work in the shop as much
as
I did but Mr. Tibor and Mr. Ziskos helped me learn so much about creating and
assembling
metal parts. They gave me a new found appreciation for the craft and helped me become
more
confident in my metal working abilities.
Another lesson is that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The unity of software
and
hardware is of vital importance in robotics. If either break, then you're left with a
box
on wheels. That's if you're lucky. The hard lesson of letting go of a feature and how
to be
meticulous and organised when wiring were some of the lessons I learned from another
mentor
Bart.
I remember crafting the presentation that we delivered to potential sponsors,
rehearsing
it, tweaking it and then finally getting to deliver it for the first time. It was
incredible hearing that we received a grant of $10,000 dollars from the Bolton Rotary
Club
and the experience made me much more confident with public speaking.
Lastly I remember having the opportunity to present our robot to not only knowledgeable
engineers but to elementary and middle school kids. Seeing the fascination and interest
in
their eyes and knowing that our team is able to inspire them is an incredible feeling.
Awards
Greater Toronto West Regional
Highest Rookie Seed Award
Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell
Automation
