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FIRST Team stories inspire

May 20, 2014, 3:00 am
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Need a story that will inspire you and rekindle your faith in humanity?  Then spend some time hanging around a FIRST event.

Every time I find myself at an event - whether it's a small, regional qualifier, or a high-profile event like the World Championship - I hear amazing stories about life-changing projects undertaken by FIRST Teams and students.

Many of these stories are about FIRST Teams having a huge impact on the home front.  Many others highlight the global reach of the four programs.  At this year's World Championship, I heard two amazing and completely different stories about FTC Teams having an impact at home and abroad that I'd like to share.

The first came to me through a couple of our dedicated volunteers - Andy Marshall, from National Instruments, and Luan Heimlich, our Australian Affiliate Partner from Macquarie University.  They conveyed to me a story from the 2013 Asian-Pacific Invitational, a top-ranked team chose a lower-ranked team from another country and went on to become the winning alliance.  That lower-ranked team happened to be from a reform school, one step away from prison.  Upon their victory, however, they returned to what was essentially a hero's welcome.  Those team members are now on track to leave reform school and re-enter society as productive individuals!

I heard another story about Iowa's FTC Team 5466, The Combustible Lemons.  This team is starting the NXT Re-purpose Project; an initiative aimed at getting unneeded NXTs into the hands of kids who wouldn't normally have access to robotics learning.  Their test run of this project involved sending a kit, which included a solar-charging backpack and an old FLL field setup kit, to a school they are connected with in Ghana.  After success there, they are moving forward with the project and are asking other FIRST Teams to connect with them to donate old NXTs, sensors, laptops, etc., that will then be donated to a community in need.  
     


The Combustible Lemons are currently focusing on community organizations in the U.S. that work with under-served populations.  To learn more about this project, visit www.ftc5466.com.

Of course, these are just two of the hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing stories that come out of the FIRST programs every year.  If you've heard a great story like these, I want to hear it!  Leave a comment below, e-mail stories@usfirst.org or Tweet to @FTCTeams.
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FTC brings robotics within reach

May 28, 2014, 3:00 am
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When Mississippi non-profit Scientific Research, or SR1 for short, opened its doors in 2005, they faced an uphill battle in their mission to change the culture of education for students in a state ranked last in math and science scores.

But as SR1, based in Ridgeland, a northern suburb of Jackson, matured and met with success in their target areas of health, education and technology, founder Tamu Green began looking for ways to branch out and provide hands-on experiences.  His search led him to the FIRST Tech Challenge.

The program seemed like a good fit to Green, who said the students he works with have little exposure to science, technology, engineering and math when they come to his after-school program.  After talking with the Mississippi FTC representative at the University of Mississippi, Mannie Lowe, SR1 started its first FTC robot team, Team 6205, SCARLET (Science Creations Are Real Let's Evolve Together).

"It was tough at first," said Green, who has a background in information systems. "They had no clue about engineering or robotics, but we sat back and let them bump heads and make mistakes."

The hardest part for the Team's Mentors was to get the prioritization of the students in the right place. Green said the students were quick to toss in the towel at first. But, as they got more and more involved in robot building, their dedication began to increase.

Soon, Green said, the students were showing up on Saturdays and gave up other fun activities to be a part of the Team. They learned it was OK to ask questions and developed the perseverance to stick around and find the answer.

One especially important question they learned to ask was "why not me?".  As the students came together as a team and were exposed to professional engineers, they began to realize that engineering isn't just for nerdy kids.

Green said that in Mississippi, women are still discouraged from pursuing STEM careers. Despite this cultural dogma, even the girls on Team SCARLET began believing they could enjoy and pursue science and engineering.

Jasmine, a second-year veteran of SCARLET, joined the team in 10th grade with an attitude and little knowledge of engineering.  Now she's the Team's co-captain and plans to pursue civil engineering after high school.

"As an African-American female, I wouldn't normally be thought of in this role," she said.  "It was helpful to see it as an option."

It was the opportunities afforded her by FTC and SR1 that opened her eyes to the fact that she could do engineering.  In addition to the exposure to the STEM learning she wasn't getting from school, FTC and SR1 were providing opportunities for mentorship from women engineers and local universities like "Ole' Miss."

Green says the students on his FTC Team also gain valuable social skills and cultural exposure they wouldn't normally be able to have in their high schools.  The students on SCARLET represent three different high schools, so right off the bat they have to learn how to work as a team with people from different areas. On top of that, the experience of competing at tournaments gives them exposure to different regional and cultural segments and to learn the valuable lessons of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.

Ultimately, SR1 has used FTC to expand the horizons of students on the team, giving them a broader perspective on the world around them. They are now equipped with life skills they can use in any environment and a specific set of knowledge they can use to pursue an education and career in a STEM field, should they choose.

Green is pleased with the results he has seen from FTC, which include increased academic performance in his student's school work. He wants to increase participation in FIRST programs at SR1 and ultimately hopes to create a "conveyor belt of future FIRST participants."

"We want to be known for producing some of the best students around and FTC is helping us meet that goal," said Green.




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FTC brings STEM to rural communities

June 4, 2014, 6:57 am
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In rural communities across the country, the access students have to top-notch science, technology, engineering and math is greatly lacking.

According to the National Science Foundation, the average number of both math and science courses available to high-poverty and rural schools is about half that available at urban, suburban and low-poverty schools.  To fill this need, more and more parents, educators, and community organizations are turning to the FIRST Tech Challenge to give their students a high-quality, hands-on, STEM experience.

Rural Garner, Iowa, population 3,000, is no exception to towns struggling to provide quality STEM education to their students. While the high school there does offer some science and math courses, they, like courses in so many rural schools, are limited in scope and advanced placement classes are few and far between.

Andrew, a freshman there, first discovered his passion for engineering in fourth grade, when he was invited to participate on the town's 4-H FIRST LEGO League Team.

"I loved the excitement of engineering and the competitions, as well as deciphering which challenge to go after each year," he said.

After four years in FLL, though, Andrew had to move on. Since there weren't great options at his school to keep him on an engineering tack, he decided to try starting an FTC Team. At first he approached his school, but the administration decided not to allow a Team to form.

That's when the aspiring engineer went back to his 4-H FLL coach, Carol Opp, for help. Carol, who is the University of Iowa Extension and Outreach School Outreach Coordinator for Hancock County and is tasked with working with teachers to provide enrichment materials and offer students more hands-on learning experiences, was already heading four FLL teams and was looking for more ways to offer STEM learning.

"Andrew loved everything about FLL, so when he approached me about FTC, it didn't surprise me at all," she said.

Carol took care of the administrative portions of setting up the Team, like registering and ordering the kit of parts, but Andrew took on most of the leadership. He recruited team members for Team 7220, THE BLOCKHEADS, from his school, including his sister and some other student's, a mix of what he calls the "shop kids" and "computer kids", from her senior class.

"I already had an idea of who had what skills, so I basically hand-picked my team," he said.

With a rookie grant from Rockwell Collins and funding from Stellar Industries, a local equipment manufacturer, the Team was up and running for the FTC BLOCK PARTY! season.

THE BLOCKHEADS at the Iowa State FTC Championship
Being a rural Iowa town, many of the students on the team live on farms and have all the chores that go with the live style. Andrew, whose grandparents own a stockyard in town, has to help with the raising of sheep and pigs.

This meant THE BLOCKHEADS had to be intentional about balancing time and priorities. They would meet for two hours, twice a week, in Andrew's grandparent's basement.

While time was at a premium for these kids, it was enough. That's because so many of the students had serious mechanical know-how; a byproduct of their agrarian lifestyle. Andrew said the team would come together for a meeting, talk about an idea for a design and have a functioning model assembled by the end of the meeting.

While building came naturally to the Team, they were challenged by the documentation aspect of the program. The engineering notebook was a new aspect to them and it was a challenge, said Carol. They had to learn that engineering is more than just the robot, it's also about the documentation.

They did manage to get their notebook together and their robot design was good enough for a nomination for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award at their first competition. After some reworking, their robot helped them become the Captain of the Winning Alliance at their second tournament. This accomplishment advanced them to the Iowa Championship, where they finished 14th overall.

"I feel great about our accomplishments, for a first year team, we did really well," said Andrew.

Carol is happy with the program and says it's a good fit for programs like 4-H and that it gives students who aren't challenged enough in school the opportunity to push themselves. She said the community really came together around the Team, the parents were very supportive and there was a lot of pride in the Team.

"They are faced with hands-on challenges where they have to work together as a team to solve a problem and the skills tie into the student's life, regardless of their later pursuits," she said.

With their first season over, THE BLOCKHEADS are already looking forward to next season and are planning to get together with other local FTC Teams in the off-season. Several of the students graduated high school and many of them plan to go into careers in engineering, agricultural business and computer science, where their FTC experience will serve them well. Filling the void won't be an issue, since they already have new students signed up for next season.

"I just know that FIRST is a great idea, kids should be in it and it has helped me personally with my engineering goals," said Andrew.





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2014-2015 FIRST Tech Challenge Rookie Grants!

June 20, 2014, 8:34 am
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FIRST® is excited to announce a 2014-2015 FIRSTTech Challenge Rookie Grant! FIRST Tech Challenge is a dynamic team Sport for the Mind™. Students master STEM skills in a robotics competition environment where they develop a strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. These robots compete in a specific set of game challenges that apply to real world problems. Students ages 14-18 learn valuable life skills, expand and grow as students in STEM, and qualify for over 13.5 million dollars in scholarships. For your chance to compete in our 2014-2015 season, register here. If you have never participated in FTC before, you are eligible for the FIRST Tech Challenge Rookie Team Grant to help cover the costs of starting a team. Please note that
funding is limited and all grants are awarded through a need-based application process. Click here to apply!
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Gear Up with FTC! The Inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge Virtual Summer Conference

June 24, 2014, 7:00 am
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Gear Up With FTC!
The Inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge Virtual Summer Conference

It’s time, FIRST Tech Challenge mentors, coaches, and teams. It is time to think beyond the robot to the bigger picture. It is time to connect with experts and teams from around the world. It is time to take your skills to the next level.

That can only mean one thing. It is time for an FTC community-wide virtual conference. Introducing – drum roll, please – Gear Up With FTC!

We are so excited to announce the line up for our first annual virtual conference. Below you will find the name of each session and the session presenters. For more the virtual conference schedule and session descriptions check out the Gear Up with FTC!webpage.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 from 3-8pm EST
Why PTC Supports FTC Teams and FIRST

Kari Karwedsky, Global K12 Academic Sr. Program Manager,PTC

Team Organization and International Connections
The Bears, Mexico

Practical Implementation of a Communication Link via HiTechnic SuperPro Prototyping Board
Ernest Gu, Kieran Losh, and Ian Culhane, Team #6424 ‘OlyCow, Olympia, WA

Advanced RobotC Concepts
Tim Friez, Senior Software Engineer, ROBOTC

Materials for Enhancing Creative Robot Design
Team #6055 Gearticks, Lincoln, MA


THURSDAY, JULY 24 3-7:15pm EST

Gearing Up Mad Interview Skills
Dr. Gigi Johnson, Executive Director, Maremel Institute,CA


Advanced LabVIEW for FTC
Katie Johnson, Team Member, #3595 Schrödinger's Hat, AK; and Hunter Smith, K-12 Engineering Specialist, National Instruments

Wiring for a Reliable FTC Robot
Colleen Johnson, Team Member, #3595 Schrödinger's Hat, AK; Evan Hochstein, FIRST Senior Mentor,MN; and Colton Mehlhoff, HiTechnic

How FTC Relates to Engineering at Rockwell Collins
TJ Wittliff, Senior Software Engineer; Ross Wilcoxon, Principle Mechanical Engineer; Jerry Sheehy, Senior Marketing Manager; Craig Martinson, Senior Electronics Technician; David Lempia, Principle Systems Engineer; Adriana D’Onofrio, Senior Community Relations Specialist, Rockwell Collins

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Crossing Cultures, Crossing Borders

June 26, 2014, 6:46 am
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Café Bot’s International Friendships Over the Years

 By Brandon Sanders, Cafe Bots Member, FIRST Tech Challenge Team #4982

One of our very favorite things about our participation in the FIRST program has been the opportunities we’ve had to meet, connect and develop friendships with various FIRST teams from all around the globe.  

For us, the International Exchange program began years ago.  In 2012, we asked our local Missouri partner if we could host an international FIRST Tech Challenge team that was visiting during the 2012 FIRST World Championship – our request was met with enthusiasm, and we were connected with Team Expedio from Singapore.  We would go on to develop a very strong and enduring friendship.

We started out with an awkward first Skype three weeks before they were due to arrive in America; I was admittedly quite shy at the time.  We exchanged our names, our interests and, of course, our robots.  Things became less awkward as we got more comfortable with each other over the course of the next few Skype sessions.  When they asked us if we wanted anything from Singapore, we had to do an emergency Google search to figure out exactly what was in Singapore (yes, we didn’t even know where Singapore was…shhhh, don’t tell anyone).  After an hour of “research”, we unanimously decided that we’d ask them for Merlion souvenirs.  The members on Team Expedio met this request with great amusement and enthusiasm.

The day Expedio arrived in America, I met them at the airport with my coach.  It’s a really exciting feeling to meet somebody you’ve only ever talked to over the internet in person for the first time; needless to say, we were all very excited to see each other and person…you’d hardly realize they were jetlagged at all!  After picking up their luggage and robot, we took them back to their hotel and said our goodbyes for the evening.

The next day, we invited the entire team over to our house so that they could work on their robot which had been the victim of an airline or three – it was in pretty bad shape.  After some food, crying, laughing and minor injuries, we got their robot up to spec for competition.  Once that was over with, we broke out the Nerf guns.  Oh my gosh, ten boys and a pile of Nerf guns.  It was all over.  It was also awesome.

While the Nerf darts were flying, I was sitting down to talk with their coach, Mr. Tan, about what their school and country was like.  It so happened that he was a senior lecturer at the Singapore Polytechnical Institute, an engineering school in Singapore.  He then proceeded to show me videos of some of the project his students were doing, and, I must say, that was one of the most inspirational moments of my season – quadrotors, quadrupeds, transforming cars in addition to FTC robots (I’m quite taken by robots, if you can’t tell).  I will never forget the moment where I showed Mr. Tan a circuit board I spent hours trying to fix, and he was able to show me how to fix it in less than a minute…from that point on, he wasn’t just Expedio’s mentor, he was one of my mentors, too.

And then the World Championship competitions began!  Those were some hectic days, and none of us really remember what went on…I want to say we had lunch with the team in between rounds and volunteering (we were volunteers at the time).  

After the closing ceremonies on the final day, we hit the town with Team Expedio and went shopping.  We went to Wal-Mart, Target and a bunch of other places.  At the end of the day, we hit up Schlafly’s Brewery for dinner…it’s a pity we can’t post those Facebook photos, lest they think the root beer in our hands was actual beer.

And then the day came to bid our farewells.  That was a hard day.  Really hard.  I think my coach cried.  We drove them back to the airport, waved our goodbyes, and felt lonely for a little bit.  Even after they left, we continued to email back and forth, Skyping and chatting whenever possible.  And, of course, we began sharing design ideas for next year’s robots.  

This program not only allowed us to help another team during their stay in St. Louis, it also gave us long-lasting friendships and a wider world view – not to mention good times with Nerf guns.  But one of the coolest parts of this experience came a lot later, though.  Fast forward six months:  Team Expedio’s coach, Mr. Tan, sent me an email asking if I’d like to come to Singapore Polytechnic for an internship sometime in the summer to build robots with him.  As I write this, I’m preparing to travel to Singapore in just a few weeks to reunite with the members of team Expedio for the first time in two years and participate in an internship with Mr. Tan – and all of this is thanks to what would become the International Exchange program in years to come.

Inspired by this experience, we, as a team, proceeded to work as hard as possible to formalize our hosting experience into what is now known as the International Exchange program.  After two years of hard work and persistence, we were able to make this program a reality this past year.  And I must say, it was an extremely successful first year, with over ten different international teams paired up with over ten of our local teams, and a huge turnout at the St. Louis Public Library for our International Scrimmage.  

Of course, we hosted a team as well, the Galaxy Robotechs from India.  We Skyped, we CADed, we fixed robots, had dinners together and, this time, competed together at the FIRST World Championship!  We had such a great time together that they’ve invited all of us to visit their school in India sometime in the future; I might even be stopping by on my way back from Singapore!

As you can see, no matter where the teams come from or where you’re from, friendships are bound to be created when you host a team; we’ve created friendships with people from all over the world, like Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Romania, Russia and more…all because of FIRST and the International Exchange Program!  Creating these relationships has been a life-changing experience for me.  As a result of FIRST and my international connections, I’m being given opportunities I’d never dreamed possible!
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Will We Meet in St. Louis for the 2015 FTC World Championship? - Take a FIRST Look!

July 3, 2014, 1:02 pm
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We know you are hankering for more information about World Championship in St. Louis in 2015. We're hard at work on the details and eagerly planning to ensure our Teams have the best experience possible, so we can't give out too much at this time. Of course, we all know that FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships will be held at the St. Louis Union Station, so we can tell you a little bit more about that.

In case you haven't been to Union Station, here's a peek at the venue. Opened in 1894, Union Station was originally a train station to bring under one roof all the various entryways via train into St. Louis. The exterior of the building (top picture) is historic, with beautiful architecture modeled after a walled medieval French city - turrets and stained glass and bricks and fountains and statues, oh my!

The interior is equally as majestic, carefully restored and renovated to honor the building's history as a train station while making it accommodate the 21st century. It houses a shopping mall, hotel, and many restaurants.

The Midway at Union Station (second picture) is one of the spaces we will be using for FTC, but you'll have to use your imaginations for now!

Union Station has a hidden treasure in store for FIRST Tech Challenge teams: the exterior courtyard (third picture). This huge, amazing space houses a shallow pool with fish, paddleboats, walkways, bridges, lots of seating and beautiful views. We know teams will take advantage of downtime outside whenever possible.

With a metro stop right behind the building, Union Station is easily accessible from anywhere in St. Louis. We hope to see you in April 2015 in St. Louis! Until then, you can stay up-to-date on FIRST World Championship news via the FIRST website
or by joining the FIRST World Championship Facebook event page.
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It's Almost Kickoff and that Means... FTC Game Hints!

July 9, 2014, 1:03 pm
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Kickoff is a mere two months away and that means until September 6 at 12 noon ET, we get to tantalize your curiosity and thirst for hints about this year's game.

In case you are a newcomer, welcome, and here's a little background information. Each year, FIRST Tech Challenge releases a new game that presents teams with fresh engineering and design challenges.  We keep the game secret until our Kickoff on the first Saturday in September.  The Kickoff happens online, with the release of the game animation and season materials, and also at a growing number of live Kickoff events in your regions.

Beware the red herring!
While the game is secret, we do like to have a little fun with it here on the blog and over on our social media accounts.  You may have seen this alluded to when people ask whether a certain post or comment is a "game hint." From now until Kickoff, assume that each blog, tweet, facebook post contains a hint alluding to what the game is going to include for the 2014-2015 season.  As always, there might be a few red herrings to ramp up the fun.
Game hints might be in the title, pictures, text or anything else that we can find to use.  If you have guesses or ideas, leave comments on each post.  It's a lot of fun to see all the different guesses, and by the time the final week before Kickoff rolls around, someone usually has a guess that is pretty close to the actual game. Not that we let them know.

Good luck, have fun with this and remember to keep guessing!
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2014-2015 FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual Part I Released

July 16, 2014, 9:18 am
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The FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual comes in two parts. Part I includes tournament information, awards, and robot rules. Part II covers the game and game rules.

Part I for the 2014-2015 season is now available. All Teams should review the manual carefully to ensure a successful season. Any questions that might arise should be posted on the FIRST Tech Challenge forum.

This year's Manual looks much like last years, but teams should do a thorough review of allowed parts, which change from year to year.

In addition, there are two significant changes in this year's manual:
  • The Control Award is now an official award and part of tournament advancement criteria
  • The Advancement Criteria has been modified

With less than two months to Kick-Off, we hope the Game Manual Part I has fueled your enthusiasm for the season ahead. Good luck Teams!
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New Jersey Volunteer Helps Kids on their FIRST Tech Challenge Journey

July 17, 2014, 7:00 am
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Jim Carr started his FIRSTvolunteering career with FIRST LEGOLeague (FLL) as a coach in 2006. It wasn't long before he got bit by the FIRST bug and started volunteering in all FIRST programs. His initial experience with FIRST Tech Challenge(FTC) was at the Delaware’s combined State Championship. After having just competed in the FLL competition, his son and team stayed to watch the FTC tournament. “We were interested and I talked to some of the coaches and it seemed like fun.” So he and his team made the move to FTC.

With his FLL coaching experience behind him, he soon made the transition to volunteering with FTC. “…the FTC season was a lot longer and had many more events.  I was not sure about whether I was qualified.  I decided to try it.” And for that, we are ever grateful. He dived into volunteering with FTC, and as New Jersey FTC Partner Vince Frascella points out, “Rather than list his many roles, let us just say that Jim has stepped in to support NJ FTC whenever asked. He is one of the first volunteers to arrive and the last to leave.” He shows dedication and obvious love for the FTC community. He enjoys “getting to know the kids and their stories." Says Jim, "I also want to make sure that the kids have fun and enjoy the tournament.”

NJ Volunteer Jim Carr works on the Field Control System during an Event.
When asked why he spends all this time volunteering for FTC, Jim explains, “I work with these kids over the course of a season. I get to see where they are in early October, and where they end up in April. It is not the trophies they may win, but the journey that is the reward. By volunteering, I get to walk alongside them for part of that journey.”
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RECAP: Gear Up with FTC! Virtual Summer Conference

July 29, 2014, 6:48 am
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Did you get to participate in the inaugural Gear Up with FTC! FIRST Tech Challenge Virtual Summer Conference? I learned so many new things my brain hurts. If you didn't get a chance to check in, here's a recap of what you missed. Follow the links to watch any of the sessions on the FIRSTTech Challenge YouTube Channel.

On Wednesday Kari Karwedsky from PTC talked about Shared Connections between the engineering field, PTC, and FIRST. Her topic was a great reminder that FIRST Tech Challenge is about more than just robots-there is a lot of practical, life learning that happens on and off the competition field! Maintaining the connection theme, 2014 FIRST Tech Challenge World ChampionshipInspire Award winners The Bears joined us from Mexico to talk about FTC teams building international connections and practical team organization methods and tips, which will be especially useful for rookie teams starting to plan their season. Their high-energy presentation was followed by team ‘Oly Cow member Ernest Gu on the value to FTC teams of using the HiTechnic SuperPro Prototyping Board during the design phase of the robot build. Not only did he provide practical tips and how to use the Prototyping Board, he demonstrated it, which was really useful. The last presentation of the day was given by Tim Friez from Carnegie Mellon on Advanced RobotC. It may be summer, but we know there were lots of teams taking notes to ramp up their robot this coming season!

Technical difficulties could not keep team Gearticks down; they rolled with the punches and presented on Thursday when Google+ prevented their planned presentation time of Wednesday night from happening. They packed their presentation Materials for Enhancing Creative Robot Design full of ideas and tried and true tips on rethinking robot design and getting creative with materials. They recommend that teams take some time to review the allowed list of parts in the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual Part I and we agree! Dr. Gigi Johnson’s presentation on Judging Interview Skills is another must-see for teams; not only will it improve your Judging experience, it will improve your interview skills for job and college application interviews down the line. Next, team Schrödinger’s Hat from Alaska made back-to-back appearances with Katie Johnson’s presentation on Advanced LabVIEW (another knockout presentation – were you taking notes?) and Colleen Johnson’s presentation on Robot Wiring Troubleshooting, partnered by FIRSTAlum and Minnesota FTC Field Technical Assistants Evan Hochstein and Colton Mehlhoff. You’ll want to check out both of those presentations to polish your robot up for competition this year. The final presentation included engineers from Rockwell Collins discussing the engineering process, problems they face, and how they deal with them in ways similar to what FTC teams do in the iterative process of designing their robots.


We were so excited to bring you this Virtual Conference and we hope the practical tips, great advice, and engineering ideas these quality presentations provided will help your team achieve its goals this season. The FIRST Tech Challenge community is full of experts from all ages and places, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped make this inaugural Gear Up with FTC! Virtual Summer Conference a total success. We are already thinking about ways to improve for next summer’s conference and welcome your ideas. Thanks for watching!
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Outreach: FIRST as a Movement in our Communities - FTC Team 7785

August 5, 2014, 7:52 am
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Texas is the home of The Alamo, delicious BBQ, and the slogan “Don’t Mess with Texas.” It is one of the largest states in the continental US and encompasses some of the most diverse terrains in the country, ranging from deserts, swamps, to coastlines. It also happens to be the home of FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)Team 7785, The Pink Lady Hornets, a team who had the honor of advancing to the FTC South Super Regional for the 2013-2014 season.

These ladies hale from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi and alongside them, have a program at their school that includes 4 additional rookie teams, 2 of which are all girls’ teams. Team 7785, an all girls’ team of juniors and seniors, states that their mission is "To not only spread the idea of robotics, but to change the future of robotics by encouraging young girls to dream of being in the STEM fields and to chase these dreams regardless of societal stereotypes."

This past season, The Pink Lady Hornets held their first “No Robot, No Problem Invitational”, a no cost robotics competition where no robot or experience was needed. The goal of this event was to bring schools/organizations without an FTC presence into the FIRST family. To incentivize teams to join them, The Pink Lady Hornets did not charge a registration fee and built “loaner” bots for teams with no FTC program to use. Their invitation to their FTC peers encouraged them to join them in this great networking event and asked for teams to bring their pit areas to help create and demonstrate the competition feel to the “no robot” teams. Some FTC teams contributed to the event by bringing in additional “loaner” bots as a way to help spread the resources to the “no robot” teams.

“The response we received was tremendous.” Although they capped the invitation to 20 teams, these 20 teams included an event split of current FTC teams and “no robot” teams. Each “no robot” team was assigned an FTC mentor team and those FTC teams worked to walk them through the process of inspections, drivers meetings, and the most important aspects of driving their “loaner” bots.

The event was a great success and The Pink Lady Hornets have no doubts that we will be seeing some additional teams from their area joining the FIRST family this coming season.   They continue to build relationships with current FTC teams and have now created relationships with potentially new teams.  These ladies hope to continue to run this tournament as an annual event. Moving forward until there comes a point where the challenge that they find is not limited resources, space, or time, but rather that there are no more schools/organizations NOT involved in the FIRST family.


For more information about The Pink Lady Hornets, follow them on Twitter, join them on Facebook, or email them at fbhsrobotics.at.gmail.com. 
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Building Team the Heat It Up and Keep It Cool Way

August 12, 2014, 7:41 am
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Heat It Up and Keep It Cool: Teambuilding and Transitioning
by Teresa Smalley

Our team, Heat it Up and Keep it Cool Robotics, and its five members, have just ended our fourth year. We have graduated FIRST Lego League and are now FIRST Tech Challenge Team 8496 starting our rookie year! We have also added a sixth team member. 

During the past four years we have spent an average of 15 to 20 hours per week together. For the past three three years we have been an Ambassador Team for the Los Angeles Region. This year we were one of two teams to win the Los Angeles Regional Championships, but no promotions were made to the World Festival from Southern California. We instead were invited to attend the International Open in Toronto, Canada. What an honor and an unbelievably great experience. In addition, we do outreach activities including mentoring two FLL teams and robotics demos at local monthly events. 

Our program runs year round, we meet during the school year and during school breaks as well. We have become very close friends-more like a family. Because of how we define our priorities and the time we have spent together, we have been able to develop and internalize a team philosophy, develop our identity and most importantly our strength. Our philosophy, much like FIRST’s core values, states that, “Although we like awards, what we learn is more important.” If we set goals and strive to achieve them, become better problem solvers, gain knowledge, learn new skills, grow as individuals, become better team members and better members of society, we are winners regardless of what rewards may or may not be received.

We started to develop this philosophy our first year, when we decided that we would take core values “road trips” to help us get to know each other. We have been all over Southern California either driving to events or on outings just to have fun. On our trips we talked about FIRST core values and what they mean and how to implement them in robotics and in our own lives. Over time we found that practicing FIRST’S Core Values to be the strength of our team. We strive to practice graciousness, respect, tolerance and individual responsibility with each other and with other teams. We feel we discovered the essence of FIRST: we enjoy learning, competing fiercely, and having fun. 

As a result of our experience in FLL we have all become determined that we are going into some form of science or engineering. Entering high school we are starting to prepare for college and making plans for our futures, and we all agree that we want to make a difference in the world. 

As we start our journey into FTC we are both excited and nervous. We can’t wait to start learning more about design, programming and most of all to start meeting FTC teams in the LA region and hopefully from around the world, too. For more information on our team please visit us on facebook or our website.
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Jump Into Your Future: FIRST Alumni and Scholarships

August 21, 2014, 7:00 am
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Hey there FTC!

This is Michelle Long again from the FIRST Scholarship Program. It’s that time of year again to start thinking about the FIRST Scholarship Program and life after FTC.
Photo courtesy of Scott Nichols and The Webb School.

First of all, check out last year’s FTC FIRST Scholarship Program blog post- all of that information is still accurate. Also check out the FTC Google Hangout that we had last winter with Timm Huffman and Kate Caulfield at Olin College of Engineering: again LOTS of good information.

The FIRST Scholarship webpage is THE place to go for information on all FIRST Scholarships. We are currently in the middle of renewing last year’s scholarships and developing new ones for the year- we anticipate the new 2015 Scholarship Program going live in early September.

The other program that I wanted to talk to you about is the FIRST Alumni Program- actually the FIRST Alumni Programs! We’re revving up our Alumni initiatives and developing programming to offer to you after high school as former student participants. The FIRST Scholarship Program is one of those programs and we’re working hard on developing others! So keep an eye out for lots more FIRST Alumni information coming out soon! You can find information as it becomes available on the FIRST Alumni website.

Lastly, I’m always happy to help with any questions, comments, or suggestions that you have; you can reach me at the information below:
 
Michelle Long
FIRST Alumni Programs Manager
Email:  mlong@usfirst.org 
Scholarships@usfirst.org  
Alumni@usfirst.org  
Phone: 603-206-2451

If you DO call, make sure to leave your name and email address- email is the best way for me to get you any information you need

Thanks for reading and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible out there! Go Teams!
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AndyMark Will Now be the Source for New FTC Fields and Game Elements

August 26, 2014, 7:00 am
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FIRST Tech Challengeis excited to partner with AndyMark on Field and Game Elements for the 2014-2015 Season. 

That means you no longer have to build a practice field, but can purchase one from AndyMark and have it shipped to you after Kickoff (no Team pre-orders!). They will offer teams a full or half field option and each kit comes with the Field Setup elements and Game Elements. Don't worry, you can still build a field if you want to!




But what will they be?

Each year, the Game Design Committee drums up a new element that presents a variety of manipulation challenges for teams to overcome. They've chosen wiffle balls, rings, two varieties of racquet balls, hockey pucks and batons, to name a few.  Since elements are different from year to year, teams must redesign their robots each season to accommodate the new item and the scoring objectives.

What do you think this year's element will be?  Leave your guesses below and go to a kickoff event, or go to www.usfirst.org/ftc/game, Sept. 6th to find out.

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Reflection - Your Key to Team Improvement

August 28, 2014, 6:31 am
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Self-Reflection is an essential life skill. Whether it be our own behavior, job performance, or when brainstorming a new invention, learning how to step back and objectively provide self-feedback is invaluable. Not everyone around us will be willing or able to provide the type of feedback that we need to move ahead and improve. Some situations may not even allow for feedback to come our way. Instead of being left wondering questions like “why?” or “what did I do wrong?” or “how did I do?” over and over, we all need to develop the skill of providing our own feedback after objective self-reflection so we will be able to quickly reflect, adapt, and move forward. 

There's a lot of talk about setting goals and, don't get me wrong, goals are important, but what happens if we don't meet our goals? Does that mean we wasted your time? Good scientists, explorers, engineers, inventors, and even chefs - they all know that accidents often lead to amazing discoveries. Learning from "failure" - and dedication - is essential to success. 

Whenever you find yourself at the end of something, take the time to reflect on the experience. Don't fall into the over-critical analysis, but force yourself to be objective and notice the small successes, too. In fact, learning what you do WELL is important, so that you keep on doing it. Ask yourself:

  • What worked? 
  • What went well? 
  • What did you like? 
  • What would you change?
  • How did you feel?
  • How did the experience help you grow?

Write your thoughts down in a journal, notepad, or computer file. Tuck it away or read it daily. Keep it private or share it with someone close to you. Whatever works best for you is fine, but just do it. 

Here at FTC we want to help teams develop the skill of reflection, which is why we ask teams to do an Inspection checklist prior to inspection. Most recently, we created a Team Judging Session Self-Reflection Sheet available on the FTC Team Resources webpage. We hope teams find this resource helpful as they set their goals for the season and move full steam ahead!


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Are YOU Ready? FTC Kickoff is DAYS away!

September 3, 2014, 7:11 am
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We are so excited to share the new FIRST Tech Challenge Game with you all this coming Saturday, September 6th, that we can hardly stand it! We hope the fun of dissecting all of the blog, Twitter, and Facebook posts for Game hints has kept you busy enough that the last few weeks of waiting have flown right by.

There are any number of ways that you can celebrate the FTC Kickoff this Saturday. Attend a Kickoff event in your area and you will get to meet other Teams and FTC fans and get a feel for the energy of an FTC event. If you can't make it to an event, watch the live stream of the Massachusetts Kickoff available on the FTC Game Page on Saturday. Or you can always hold a Kickoff party just for your Team, screening the FTC Game Video at 12 noon EST on Saturday.

Definitely make sure your Team is registered for this season. Then be sure to review all the FTC Game Materials carefully as you begin work on your Robot, as well as look through the new resources available today (more coming this weekend) on the FTC Team Resources webpage. Remember that the FTC Game Forum goes live on September 15th and that is THE place to ask questions, get clarification, and find answers about the Game and Game Rules.

If you are having trouble keeping calm until Saturday, why not watch this YouTube playlist of all the past FTC Game Animations?
Don't you love this throwback picture from FTC Face Off!?

We can't tell you more, but remember that good ideas often get recycled. Keep guessing below, on Facebook, or on Twitter. Only 4 more days until Kickoff! Go Teams!

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Looking Forward to Cascade Effect and Game Hints Revealed

September 9, 2014, 6:12 am
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Did you have a great Kickoff? Did you take pictures? We always want to see know what you are doing, so share your stories and photos with stories@usfirst.org. 

We are so excited to finally share FIRST Tech Challenge CASCADE EFFECTsmwith you all and to see what creations you will build to tackle this challenge. Don't forget to check out all of the information, tools, and tips on the FTC Team Reouscres web page.

Now, how about a huge round of applause to the Game Design committee for all the work they put into creating this game, and if you haven’t heard all about it, head on over to the FTC Game Page to learn more. So far the word on the street is that this is going to be an exciting and challenging season. Is your Team rip-roaring and ready to go build a cool robot?

We had a lot of fun with game hints this summer, and now we get to review them for you.
The kickstand aspect of the center game element was on our minds a lot, as you can tell from the following:
  • Only 13 days until Kickoff!! Don't be a stick in the mud, find a Kickoff event near you on our events page! (Facebook)
  • Can you STAND it?!?! 3 Days til FIRST Tech Challenge KICKOFF!!! #FTC #FTCTeams #2014Kickoff #omgrobots (Twitter)
  • What SticksAbout Play and Bricks: Every child is a natural-born maker. By Maker Ed's @sdavee: http://makezine.com/magazine/make-39/what-sticks-about-play-and-bricks/ … #MakerEd #ece (Twitter)
  • We can hardly stand it (Blog: 9/3/14 - Are YOU Ready? FTC Kickoff is Days Away!)

Of course, the ramps will prove to be an interesting element to work with, so we worked a few of those in:
  • http://firsttechchallenge.blogspot.com/2014/08/jump-into-your-future-first-alumni-and.html … Brand new Blog post! FIRST #scholarship info just in case you're ramping up for COLLEGE APPLICATIONS! (Twitter)
  • It may be summer, but we know there were lots of teams taking notes to ramp up their robot this coming season! (Blog: 7/29/14 - Gear Up with FTC Recap)

There are lots of scoring goals on the field this year, with four per team, so we hinted about that:
  • http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/team-resources … Check out our FTC Team Resources page. It's brimming with helpful tools for our FTC Teams! (Twitter)
  • Setting goals… (Blog: 7/29/14 - Gear Up with FTC Recap)

Of course, the biggest challenge will be picking up, and dumping or throwing those plastic balls (two sizes!). We alluded to this scoring element by calling up previous games that used a similar element:
  • #TBT Who remembers our 2009-2010 FTC Game Hot Shot? http://ow.ly/i/6smTh(Twitter)
  • Face Off! Image and hint (Blog:9/3/14 - Are YOU Ready? FTC Kickoff is Days Away!)
  • They rolled… (Blog: 7/29/14 - Gear Up with FTC Recap)

We also alluded to flying (those plastic balls will have to fly up into the higher goals) in the blog, and who noticed this gem on Facebook:
  • How do you build the world's tallest water slide? This one is taller than the Niagara Falls cascades! Read about the design trials and tribulations here! P.S. Where's your favorite water slide?

Thank you to everyone who looked for game hints and made guesses. As always, a few folks were pretty close last week to getting it right! Let us know what you think of the new game below. Get out and build some cool FTC robots!
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FTC PushBot Guides: a Resources By Teams for Teams

September 15, 2014, 8:15 am
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Whenever you engage in a brand new activity, there is what is called a “learning curve:” that period of time when you need to figure out how the new thing works, learn the skills, and practice before you can achieve success. Sometimes this takes a few minutes, sometimes days, and sometimes much longer.
FTC Team  #2843 wrote the TETRIX Build Guide for their "PB" PushBot.

Folks who do not know FIRSTand FIRST Tech Challenge have to work through this learning curve. And the curve gets bigger the less technical you are. It’s a lot like learning a new language or culture: “What do all the acronyms mean?” “How does the Game work?” “Who can answer my questions?” “How do the robots get built?” “What’s that part on the robot called?” And so on. For new folks, it can be intimidating and frustrating.

For Rookie FTC teams, the learning curve is even steeper. They have to work through all of the same stuff as any newcomer, but also have to learn how create a team, build a budget, and fund raise. Then to design, build, wire, and program a robot, plus learn how to compete with it, including defensive and offensive strategy and scouting. And don’t forget the Engineering Notebook and Judging aspect of FTC! It’s a lot to take in and to still be able to feel successful at the end of the Rookie season. We are always trying to make FTC easier so that everyone can focus on task of changing the culture and get right to building robots.

So we asked for help from Team #0003. We gave them instructions to design a ‘PushBot’: a robot that could push items into scoring goals. We asked them to keep the design streamlined and simple enough for any non-technical newcomer to be able to build. We limited them to what is in the kit of parts and asked that they include no more than two sensors. And then we asked them to take pictures of every step of the process, write a build guide teaching folks how to build it, and include instructions and code for programming the robot in LabVIEW and ROBOTC.
MATRIX PushBot "Training Wheels Bot"

FTC Team #0003 from The Southport School in Australia, created a robot using the MATRIX kit of parts, which they dubbed the “Training Wheels Bot”. Their robot has a triangular frame and a claw, designed so that it can push, remain stable while moving around the playing field, and pick up and drop game elements. Their MATRIX Build Guide was incredibly thorough and they completed it fast – within about six weeks.

TETRIX PushBot: "PB"
Since Team #0003’s Build Guide was so well done, we sent their work to another team, FTC Team #2843 from Maryland, who adapted their robot concept and then used the organization of Team #0003’s Build Guide to write their own using the TETRIX kit of parts. This robot, dubbed “PB” has a square frame and a gripper arm that has proven capable of picking up game elements of varying shapes and sizes. The TETRIX Build Guide is equally thorough and helpful for newcomers.

Both Build Guides as well as the programming code in LabVIEW and ROBOTC are available on the FTC Team Resources webpage. Teams can use the Guides to build their robot, then unzip the programming files and copy and paste them into the program they choose to use, either LabVIEW or ROBOTC. It couldn’t be any easier!

Whichever kit of parts teams choose to use, these Build Guides and resources will prove invaluable for the first robot attempt, teaching key skills along the way that can then be adapted to future robot design of the team’s creation. Many thanks to Team #0003 and Team #2843 for their work on the PushBot Project. Please let us know what you think in the comments below or by emailing ftcteams(at)usfirst.org. We’d especially love to hear from teams who use the Guides and how it worked out for them. Good luck to all teams and have a great season!







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FTC Team Purple Gears Awarded a Patent!

September 18, 2014, 4:17 pm
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Purple Gears Get a Patent!
by Rachelle Garbarine

Numbers are important to the Cardinal Gibbons High School Robotics Team. None, however, is as memorable as 8,794,386– the number issued to the team’s first U.S. patent. 

The patent, which the team assigned to Cardinal Gibbons, is for a folding forklift. The FIRST Tech Challenge team - the Purple Gears aka Team 2901 - conceived, tested, and built the device as part of its design for the robot it entered in the 2011 national robotics competition known as FIRST (ForInspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge or FTC. That year, the Purple Gears also went to the FTC World Championship in St. Louis. 

While it is rare for a high school team to file a patent, the Cardinal Gibbons Team has three filings to its credit. In addition to the forklift patent, which underwent three years of review before it was issued this August 5, the team has filed a second one for a custom treaded wheel; and a third for a claw mechanism that picks up rings. Those two patents are in various stages of review. 

Principal Jason D. Curtis said the patents: “are a result of tremendous collaboration and effort by students, teachers and volunteer coaches.  It was inspiring to see the group’s efforts to reach this goal, and exciting for our school community to participate in a project that offered such practical real-world experience to our students.”

John Toebes, the team’s coach and a Cardinal Gibbons alumni parent volunteer, said that he was not aware of any other FTC teams that have filed patents. Toebes, who helped start the team over five years ago when his daughter attended Cardinal Gibbons, added that applying for patents teaches students how their ideas fit into the bigger scientific world.

“Through the patent process we want the students to understand the invention process and how to recognize what is new and novel,” noted Toebes, a senior director at the Cary offices of Cisco Systems.  “We also use the process to teach them the importance of documenting what you do as well as how to research other attempts to solve the same problems.”  

The team conceived all three innovations as novel ways for their robots to solve specific problems in competitions. In the case of the folding forklift, for instance, the robot in that year’s challenge not only had to fit in an 18-inch cube but be able to raise a baton several inches higher than that.

Through trial and errorthe team arrived at a version of their foldable forklift that could do the job. 

Members of the team that year were Ariana Keeling, Marc Celestini, Sean Lanier, Stefano Fenu and Sarah Dyer. All have since graduated from Cardinal Gibbons High School.
Basically, the folding forklift was the team’s answer to the question: How do you lift batons from a vertical dispenser without using your hands? Once the students learned that a forklift that unfolds had never been invented they applied on July 1, 2011, for the patent, which listed each team member’s contribution to the design. 

Doing so taught the students something else valuable; Toebes noted. "It taught them that invention is not a solo act." 

That is a lesson the 2011 team and those that followed remember. Just ask Aaron Ruff, the team’s 2014 captain who graduated from Gibbons in May.

“Everyone has something to offer when problem solving,” he noted.  “It gives you a new way of thinking.”  

As for the patent-application process, Toebes said the Texas-based Haynes and Boone, one of the world’s top international patent firms, has helped and continues to help, to make it relatively smooth for each of their filings.

Asked what was most memorable about the forklift invention and its corresponding filing, Toebessaid three aspects stood out to him:

“The first was when the students actually got the invention working and realized the benefits to the approach. It was then that we could see that it was something new and deserving of a patent.

“Second was when we had the video call with the patent attorney and showed him the invention and described how it worked.  

“The last was when the students sent pages from their engineering notebook, which they used daily to track their work, to the attorney to document the patent.”  

Through the years members of the Gibbons Robotics Team, in preparation for competition, have designed and built a robot from a specified list of parts and then programmed it to accomplish certain tasks. Generally, under competition rules, each team’s robot competes against other teams to earn points by completing the tasks.

Taking their inventions from concept to reality, however, requires patience, hard work and time. But the Gibbons Robotics Team is more than up to the task.

“I like the challenge of it and working with the team to solve problems,” Austin Schick, a current team member and a Gibbons junior, said. Other members agreed.

Indeed, team members work on their robots for months after school. They meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Makerspace, a former theology classroom, turned invention space, where club members “learn about robotics, engineering, programming, design, teamwork, and more,” said technology teacher Jon Armfield.  Armfield co-moderates the club with science teacher Diane Ripollone.

“The members of the Gibbons Robotics Team,” added Ripollone, “are amazing young men and women who used their imagination and creativity to create these tools, which has led to patents for them and the school.” 

Will there be more patent filings in the future for the Cardinal Gibbons team?  “Our goals are simple - to help the students advance in their careers and to recognize that they have the innovation to help drive the future for the world,” said Toebes.  “Just thinking about any of them going to their job interview and saying that they have an issued U.S. patent is pretty rewarding.”

Cardinal Gibbons senior and current team member Sean Greene agreed. “Filing a patent is something that very few people can say they have ever done,” noted Greene who serves as the team’s director of modeling.  “Even fewer can say that they have re-invented the wheel and we have done both - and more.”
 

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