Team Combustion FRC Team 1912 www.team1912.com FIRST Robotics

 “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” (FIRST)

 Established by – 1989

 Motivations • Appreciation of science and technology • Improvement of attitudes towards science, math, teamwork, and the working world

 Encourages Gracious Professionalism

 Nearly $8M in scholarships to FIRST students every year FRC Team 1912 Combustion • Northshore High School • Slidell, Louisiana • 2012 will be our 7 th year • 38 students , 15 mentors • 23 corporate sponsors • Mentor to several local FRC and FLL teams • Two time Regional Chairman Award Winners FIRST Programs

• Jr. FLL – (Junior Lego League) For elementary student to learn with Lego models. • FLL – (Lego League) For middle school students to build small Lego based robots. • FTC – (Tech Challenge) For high school students to build medium sized objective based robots. • FRC – (Robotics Competition) For high school students to build full sized robots to play varsity sports. Levels of FIRST

 FIRST Jr. Lego League Ages 6-9  FIRST Lego League Ages 9-14  FIRST Tech Challenge High School  FIRST Robotics High School

School Regional International Junior FIRST Lego League • For ages 6-9 or grades k-3 • Teams are made up of 2-6 kids • Involves 12,000 kids from 5 countries • The FIRST website describes it as “Teams will learn about simple machines as they build a model made of Lego elements with a motorized moving part, and will create a team Show-Me Poster .”

Snack Attack cont.

• “The Show-Me Poster requires kids to illustrate their research and team journey. It provides an opportunity for them to share what they studied, what they learned, and how they thought to improve the problem they chose. Their creative minds get started working on how to present their information and solution. • The Model portion of the Challenge gets kids’ hands busy. This is where they build a representation of what they are researching (according to the Challenge requirements), incorporating simple machines and movement into their creation. Teams are able to utilize a motor to power movement in their model, or they can move an element of it by hand.” Season Calendar

• August- Registration Opens/ Challenge released • November-May- Event Season • April- World Expo in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri Costs

• Registration - $25 – Instructions - Model and Show-Me poster – Jr.FLL Coaches' Guide – Jr.FLL Forums • Base Kit - $139.95 – LEGO® Bricks Set (884 pieces) – LEGO Technology Resources Set (1,110 pieces) – LEGO Power Functions Battery Pack – LEGO Power Functions Motor – LEGO XL Base Plate – 6 LEGO SERIOUS® Play™ mini-kits with one set of activity cards ( 57 pieces in each mini-kit ) • Plus Kit - $169.95 (insert list) – LEGO Education We Do™ Construction Set (150+ pieces) – LEGO Education We Do™ Robotics Software - Team License – LEGO Education We Do™ Activity Pack Team License Regional Contact

Barbara Pailet FLL Operational Partner [email protected] FIRST Lego League

• For ages 9-14 or grades 4-8 • Teams of 2-10 kids • 15,000 teams in 50 countries • “Introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.”

Food Factor cont.

• “In the Robot Game, teams design, build, program, and test autonomous robots that must perform a series of tasks, or missions. In the Project, teams research a real-world problem in the field of the Challenge theme, create an innovative solution, and share their findings in their community.” Season Calendar

• May 2, 2011- Registration Opens • September 2, 2011- Food Factor Challenge Released • November-March- Tournament Season • April 25-28- World Festival Cost

• Registration- $225 • FLL robot set- $420 • Tournament- $50 or more • Optional Table- $60 FLL Robot Set

NXT Educational Software: The PC- and MAC-compatible software interface has intuitive, icon-based drag and drop environment for “building” programs need to control the robot. • 1 Intelligent NXT Brick • 1 Rechargeable DC Battery • 1 DC Battery Charger • 3 Interactive Servo Motors (rotation sensor built in) • 2 Touch Sensors • 1 Sound Sensor • 1 Light Sensor • 1 Ultrasonic Sensor • 1 USB Wire for downloading programs onto the Intelligent Brick • 7 Connection cables of various lengths • 3 Lamp bricks • 3 Converter cables • 1,000+ LEGO elements • Building Instructions for one model • 2 Storage Boxes with Sorting Trays for organization Regional Contact

Barbara Pailet FLL Operational Partner [email protected] http://www.lafll.org/ FIRST Tech Challenge

• Ages 14-18, Grades 9-12 • Team size of 3-10 *not strict* • 363 teams in Canada and the United States • “FTC is a widely-accessible robotics program/competition designed to inspire students to explore and pursue STEM in grades 9 through 12. With up to 10 high-school students and 2 to 3 mentors per team, FTC ensues that each student can actively participate and benefit from the FIRST experience.” • 2011 Game- To Be Revealed About

• “FTC is designed for those who want to compete head- to-head, using a sports model. Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and is programmed using a variety of languages. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. Awards are given for the competition as for well as for community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments.” Season Calendar

• May 4, 2011- Registration Opens • September 10, 2011- Kick off • November-March- Tournament Season • April- Championships in St. Louis Cost

• Registration - $275 • Competition Kit—$650 • A great foundation for FTC. Included are a TETRIX ® Education Base Set , a LEGO ®MINDSTORMS ® Education NXT Base Set , a Logitech joystick controller, and all of the programming and design software necessary for competition. • Competition Kit minus LEGO MINDSTORMS—$450 • A replica of the 2011 FTC Competition Kit minus the MINDSTORMS kit. Great for veteran and rookie teams alike, particularly graduating FIRST LEGO ® League teams. Regional Contact

The nearest teams and events are in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Florida. FIRST Robotics Competition • Ages 14-18, Grades 9-12 • No limit on team size • 2,000 FRC teams worldwide with 248,000 students • “’The varsity sport for the mind,’ FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.” • 2012 Game- To Be Revealed About FRC

• New game created each year • Game revealed to teams at “kickoff”, at the start of the season • Teams have a six week “build season” to build a robot to play the game • After build season, robots compete in regional competitions and the Championship Season Calendar

• January 7, 2012- Kickoff • January-February- Build Season • March- Regional Competitions • April- World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri Cost

• A minimum of $20,000 is required to run a robotics team each year • This includes: – Registration Fees and Robot Kit ($5,000) – Equipment/Tools/IT – Consumables – Travel – T-Shirts – Miscellaneous Regional Contact

Charles Kennedy FRC Regional Director [email protected] Questions?