Section 1. Business Plan Overview

1.1 Mission Statement

Dawgma’s mission is to inspire the current community and the next generation to become leaders in STEM and related fields through efficient expertise, competitive collaboration and socially conscious outreach programs.

1.2 Executive Summary

• Created in 2005 • Founded by Rich Kressly: Team Advisor; Winner of 2009 Regional Woodie Flowers Award • Chief Mentor: Bob Bellini; Lockheed Martin Engineer • 27 members • Located in Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin, Lower Merion School District, Lower Merion Interschool Council • Services o Production of an FRC robot each winter. o Off-season we devote our time to training and outreach. • Sponsors o Receive most of our financial support from our school district o Receive additional monetary support from local donors o Lockheed Martin provides four engineers whose expertise has been

fundamental to our success. o Lockheed Martin also provides a grant that covers other team expenses • Team Growth o Totaled fifteen awards across three robotics programs o Created and developed extensive outreach program focused on exposing children to accessible and fun robotics . Helped create a Science Club at local elementary school, ran a three day robotics event with 36 fourth and fifth graders . Organized and ran 4 JrFLL expos in two years, 52 new teams a total of approximately 200 students participating . Paired up with team 365 for the Ulster project, brings together Protestant and Catholic students from Ireland with team building activities o Strong commitment to helping other teams at competition and during build season: Chief Delphi papers have been downloaded over 11,300 times o Traveled to Nation and State capitals to demonstrate effectiveness of robotics to legislators o 90% of alumni pursue STEM, 46% study engineering, and 18% study computer science • Future plans: o Continue to expand and reinforce relationships in the FIRST community o Create new outreach opportunities and encourage volunteerism, strengthening our image as a nonprofit organization o Encourage and foster passion and interest in STEM among students o Grow team numbers through interschool promotion and collaboration o Encourage Harriton High School students to participate in the team and get involved in FIRST o Expand the programming and CAD sub-teams o Continue to take every opportunity to spread FIRST’s message

Section 2. Market Analysis and Marketing Strategy

2.1 Industry Analysis FIRST robotics is a massive organization. There are 2,700 projected teams for 2013, composed of almost 60,000 high school students. The total operating expenses for FRC in 2012 was $34,754,397. According to the official FRC handbook, a team can compete for as little as $10,000. While our team budget exceeds the samples, they are still very useful tools in our planning. The two sample budgets below, also from the official FRC handbook, show the potential costs of an average team.

Sample Budget: Teams attending one Local Regional Event Cost Items $5000 Registration for a regional competition, includes kit of parts and FIRST team support $2500 Additional parts and shop materials $300 Practice field components: $100 Robot cart (could be flat dolly constructed from leftover wood) $1000 Travel costs: bus transport to Regional for 3 days $300 T-shirts, trinkets & marketing materials $500 Post-season/Pre-Season events. Set aside money for participation. Besides being fun, they provide more experience for your team and possible press coverage. Total: $9,500

Sample Budget: Teams attending Two Events Local Regional ($7100) First event registration $5000 Food $2,100 14 team members - $50/person/day Second Regional ($12,050) Second event registration $4,000 Travel $3,850 14 students at $275 each Lodging $2,100 4 rooms, 3 nights - $100/room/night Food $2,100 14 team members - $50/person/day Materials ($1,200) Electronics $600 Speed controllers $350 Sensors $200 Controls $50 Operator interface controls and connections Construction ($1,740) Metal, etc. $250 Sprockets, chains, bearings, etc. $500 Wheels $140 Polycarbonate $50

Hardware $250 Signs $50 Practice field components $300 Shipping crate $200 Miscellaneous ($1,400) FIRST LEGO League $264 Sponsorship of a middle school team. Tools $300 Robot $100 T-shirts, trinkets & marketing materials $500 Off-season events $500 TOTAL EXPENSES $23,490

2.2 Target Market for Sponsorship The majority of financial sponsorship is targeted towards local businesses. Our school district provides most of our budget, but we also seek help from engineering companies in our area. This year we are sending out letters to approximately ten engineering based companies asking for support. We’ve also targeted larger engineering corporations in our area; specifically we’ve established a relationship with Lockheed Martin.

2.3 Target Market for Members Dawgma 1712 recruits members from the student body of Lower Merion High School. We try to target students who have already shown an interest in technology by either joining the school TSA (technology student association) chapter or by taking a Technology Education elective. Underclassmen are preferred recruits, but all grades are desired. We have employed a number of strategies for recruiting members, including posters, announcements in the school’s daily loudspeaker messages and activity fairs. However, we have found the most effective method for recruitment is simply word of mouth through current members. We encourage our members to wear their team shirts often in school and to speak with their peers about their experiences. Additionally, we have begun to reach out to other high school students who are not a part of Lower Merion in order to give them the opportunity to experience FIRST. Initially, these students were affiliated with other members and their families, but now we are reaching out to other high schools like Harriton as well.

2.4 Funding 2.4.1 Fundraising Dawgma participates in fundraising as part of the schools Technology and Engineering Club in conjunction with TSA. In the past, the team directly sold products such as candygrams, magnets, and Hexbugs. The team would also organize bake sales and contribute the proceeds to charities such as Engineers Without Borders. However, our

4 team has recently become self-sustainable, and so fundraising is no longer necessary to keep the team funded. Our team continues our contributions to charities as an element of our outreach efforts.

2.4.2. Donors In the past, every member of Dawgma was expected to hand out at least two Donor Forms to local businesses. Local donors have become aware of our team through our many appearances in our community and media. However, since our team is overall self-sustainable in recent years because of cost-cutting and sponsorship, local donors are no longer necessary to keep the team funded.

2.4.3. Sponsors Our district generously provides the majority of our sponsorship, but district policy does not allow us to have official sponsors. However, we consider Lockheed Martin to be a sponsor. Four of their engineers donate huge amounts of time and energy to assist the team. We also listed NASA as a sponsor in 2009 because we won a grant that allowed us to travel to the DC regional.

2.5 Advertisement/Promotion 2.5.1 Website Our primary promotion tool is our website. It includes a comprehensive history of our team, pictures, and even twitter updates of our progress. We also use a Youtube Channel to share video of build, competitive events, and promotional materials/spots.

2.5.2 Marketing/PR We use the excitement generated by our success in outreach and competition to appear in local and national media, including newspaper, TV news and websites. We have also used demos such as the Philadelphia Video Game Expo and the Franklin Institute Family Fun Day to not only showcase our robots, but also hand out information and promote our team. In 2009, the team captains had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC and promote FIRST to congressmen and senators, as well as participate in the Congressional Caucus on Robotics. Additionally, the school newspaper keeps track of the team’s activity and will run a news article about the team a few times each year. Individual team members spread information about the team through social networking and word of mouth, increasing the team’s notability on campus.

Section 3.Services and Products

3.1 Services

3.1.1. VRC Team

In addition to FRC team 1712, Dawgma also includes a competitive VRC team. VRC (VEX robotics competition) teams are made up of 10 students or less, and use the VEX platform to play a game that changes annually. With a smaller and simpler team structure and robot, the VRC team provides Dawgma with a fantastic tool to train rookie members.

3.1.2. Community Efforts 3.1.2.1 Outreach Dawgma is extremely proud of its extensive community outreach efforts. Most efforts are centered around Dawgma’s outreach package: Portable Inspiration. Portable Inspiration (PI) utilizes the financially accessible and mechanically manageable VEX robotics platform. Eight ‘tumbler” robots make up the PI fleet, along with stations designed to educate younger students on the basics of simple machines, team work and robots in our world. PI has been implemented at a variety of events such as workshops with elementary school and autistic students and demonstrations at the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Video Game Expo. November 2009 was the second year that team members and mentors organized and ran two JrFLL Expos at regional elementary schools. In two years 52 teams and nearly 200 students ages 6-9 have become inspired FIRST participants, at least one FLL team and one high school robotics club has grown from it, and our team members learn leadership skills while giving back to the community in the process. Since 2008, the team has organized a JrFLL Expo each year for local elementary school students. In the summers of 2009 and 2010, the team paired up with 365 to participate in contributing a daylong event to the Ulster project. The Ulster project is a summer teen program with the goal of improving relations between Irish Protestant and Catholic youth. Using VEX we spent a day providing 40 students with a taste of robotics and collaborative problem solving. In 2012 and 2013, the team made an effort to reach out to other FIRST teams through mentor visits. Mentors Rich Kressly, Bob Bellini, Dr. Gehman, and Sean Lavery have visited teams 103, 272, 842, and 1538 for up to several weeks. While visiting the teams, the mentors share team resources, provide programming seminars, and help with offseason prototyping. Our mentors also help prepare the teams for build season and improving their specialized skills. Recently, the team also built connections with teams 1014 and 1016 in order to share notes, ideas and updates throughout the season. By reaching out to other teams and improving our network, we hope to make FIRST a better program overall. After all, if we focus on building and improving connections with people, we know the process of building the robot will be a much more enjoyable and fulfilling work experience.

3.1.2.2 Service In addition to community outreach work with PI, Dawgma has also participated in multiple charitable food and book drives over the years. For the 2008 Duel on the Delaware event, we collaborated with our school's service club, BuildOn, to raise 2,200

6 lbs of books for team 365's annual book drive. Over the two years of collaboration with 365 on their book drive, the team raised 7,000 lbs of books. Dawgma has also helped raise money for Engineers Without Borders in 2010. Dawgma has also put forth efforts to help support other robotics teams. Both at competitive events and during build season, we have been a resource for both materials and information for other teams, remembering how helpful others have been to us. The team makes an effort to bring extra supplies and skilled members of the team during the competitive events. Because of the past few years of severe snowstorms hitting the region, Dawgma has aided teams who had difficulty in finishing their robots in time for the competition by helping them finish their robot while at the event itself. Dawgma also continues to share expertise via many avenues. Since our rookie year we have offered FIRST and STEM knowledge and assistance to fellow teams and others at workshops, events, through published articles and the Chief Delphi message boards, where our papers authored by students, alum, engineers, and teachers have been collectively downloaded over 11,300 times. Papers include running JrFLL Expos, CAD tips, robotics curriculum, design, outreach, award entries, grant tips, and more.

3.2 Products

3.2.1. Robots Every year Dawgma has six weeks to manufacture a single, 120-pound robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition. Dawgma has consistently found success using a chassis made of 80x20 aluminum extrusion. We normally use AndyMark tough boxes, CIM motors and chain and sprocket to power our drive trains.

2006 Game: “Aim High” Robot Name: Dawgma 1 -Accumulator scores in the corner goal -Three rollers run from one large CIM, two rollers for intake and one to prevent balls from getting stuck in the hopper. -PVC hopper could hold up to 15 balls. -Robot Length: 27 inches. -Robot Width: 37 inches. -Robot Height: 40 inches. -Inspection Weight: 118 lbs. -6 wheel drive powered by 2006 kit gearboxes.

2007 Game: “Rack n’ Roll” Robot Name: Deuce

-Scores on low row -Capable of holding one robot -Inspection Weight: 120 lbs -Platform Height: 13″ -Total Platform Length: 58.5″ -Total Width: 31″ -Ramp Angle = 21 degrees -4 wheel drive powered by 2007 kit gearboxes

2008 Game: “Overdrive” Robot Name: Galactus

-Scores by placing, hurdling, and lapping. -Autonomous mode: crosses 1-2 lines. -Inspection Weight: 120 lbs. -Weight battery and bumpers: 144 lbs. -6 Wheel Drive, center wheels dropped 1/8 inch. Powered by 2008 kit gearboxes. -Total Robot Length: 37 inches. -Total Robot Width: 27 inches. -Total Robot Height: 59 inches. -Claw can reach up to approximately 81 inches. 2009 Game: “Lunacy” Robot Name: Alice -Size: 27 x 37.25 x 59 inches -Inspection Weight: 120 lbs -Orientation: 4 Wheel Drive, driven by two CIM motors inside kit “toughboxes.” -Accumulator Driven by two CIM motors at a 1:1 ratio powered by kit “toughboxes” -Can shoot orbit balls between 0-3 feet. -Camera can track and lock on to target during autonomous.

2010 Game: “Breakaway” Robot Name: Darwin

- Size (With Bumpers): 41.75 x 32 x 16.25 inches - Size (Without): 35 x 25 x 16.25 inches - Inspection Weight: 93 lbs - Playing Weight: 118 lbs - Orientation: 6 Wheel Tank Drive, driven by 4 CIM motors with Andy Mark “Toughboxes” - 14ft range kicker with a roller on front and back ends - Can score or kick one ball during autonomous

2011 Game: “Logo Motion” Robot Name: Geoffrey

- Size (With Bumpers): 43.75 x 33.75 x 56.5 inches - Size (Without): 37 x 27 x 56.5 inches - Inspection Weight: 120 lbs - Playing Weight: 135 lbs - Orientation: 6 Wheel Tank Drive, driven by 4 CIM motors with Andy Mark Dual Speed “Supershifters” - Has a pneumatic controlled hand/gripper, a window motor Controller Arm, and a cascading 4-stage elevator - Has a line following, ultrasound wall sensing, pre-programmed scoring peg selection during autonomous

2012 Game: “Rebound Rumble” Robot Name: Darryl

- Size (With Bumpers): 41.75 x 32 x 16.25 inches - Size (Without): 35 x 25 x 16.25 inches - Inspection Weight: 120 lbs - Playing Weight: 135 lbs - Orientation: 6 Wheel Dropped Center Tank Drive, driven by 4 CIM motors with 2 Andy Mark Transmissions - Has a lifting elevator and uses Max EZ1

Sonar for distance ranging, as well as Axis 1011 and Axis 206 cameras for targeting and web cam feedback - Shoots 2 balls at high or middle goal and employs backup-turn-drive to ramp-tilt during autonomous

3.2.2. Chairman’s Award Entry Along with a number of communication tools, Dawgma puts together an entry for the FRC Chairman’s Award. The award entry includes an essay of ten thousand characters, a three-minute video and a ten-minute verbal presentation.

A Chairman’s entry outlines the team’s efforts in communication, partnerships and impact on community. Except for the 2012 season, Dawgma has put together a chairman’s entry every year since it’s creation. The essay is an excellent tool that helps our team and our community understand the quality and number of our accomplishments.

3.2.3. Alumni Woodie Flowers, Dean Kamen, Dave Lavery, and countless others at FIRST have insisted (in one way or another) that, “it’s not about building robots, it’s about building people.” Dawgma’s alumni are some of its most important products. 100% of Dawgma graduates go on to pursue college degrees in various fields, including engineering, science, mathematics, and design.

The leadership and technical skills taught to all Dawgma members help create confident, capable, and ambitious members of society. Mentors instill a sense of social responsibility into all students, so many graduates participate in volunteer efforts or jobs that involve engineering with a social conscience. These organizations include Engineers Without Borders (which helps developing villages conquer basic needs problems, like purifying water) and the Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (which helps teach engineering ideas and concepts to public elementary school students and teachers.) Dawgma graduates even go on to volunteer and have worked for FIRST and VEX Robotics.

Beyond the professional advantage Dawgma gives its grads the personal changes many team members feel during their time with the team. Dawgma helps transform quiet, shy introverts into confident people who feel comfortable working in a team and sharing their ideas.

“Being part of Dawgma at LMHS changed my life. Largely due to this team, I have become passionate about STEM and becoming a leader in my community.” – Sylvia Herbert, LMHS Class of 2009

Cumulative FRC1712 Alumni Information Name LM University/Location Major/Status Known STEM Outreach Class Jack Lashner 2012 Wesleyan University Physics Danny Garfield 2012 Tufts University Physics Jake Mandell 2012 University of Vermont Engineering Jordan Weinstein 2012 Massachusetts Industrial Design College of Art & Design Johan Samarxhi 2012 Drexel University Computer Science Dario Michulka- 2012 Drexel University Computer Calel Science Daniel Millard 2012 Temple University Computer Science Ines Roman 2012 RPI Electrical Engineering Bradley Martin 2012 RPI Mechanical Engineering Riesling Meyer 2012 Georgia Tech Mathematics Ana Franco 2011 Drexel University Engineering Seth Feldman 2011 Lehigh University International Business Kris Gjika 2011 Georgia Tech Mechanical Engineering Stanley Hoffman 2011 Syracuse University Aerospace

Engineering Kevin Lu 2011 University of Mathematics Pennsylvania Anna Murphy 2011 Indiana University International Studies Rachel Newell 2011 UC Berkley Political Science Jonah Portman 2011 Temple University Computer Alumni Mentoring for FRC 1712 Science Neil Zhang 2011 University of Engineering Pennsylvania Yukuan Zhang 2011 University of Engineering Pennsylvania Lian Wang 2011 Penn State Engineering David Gao 2011 University of Michigan Engineering Nick Johnson 2011 Georgia Tech Computer Science Alex Golden 2011 University of Vermont Engineering Alex Chambers 2010 Northwestern Engineering University Dan Goldberg 2010 Washington University Computer Science David Hocky 2010 Drexel University Computer Engineering Brenna Ross 2010 George Washington Political Science University Dena Rothman 2010 Rodchester University Engineering Josh Rubin 2010 Franklin & Marshall Physics

Ankur Saxena 2010 Drexel University Computer Science Delia Votsch 2010 Drexel University Civil Engineering Alumni Mentoring for FRC 1712

Melani Butcher 2009 Cabrini College Mathematics Jr. FLL Vol. Petra Hartman 2009 WPI Robotics Event Vol. in JrFLL, FLL, FTC, Engineering FRC Organized/Delivered PI Workshops Vol. in Engineers Without Borders Sylvia Herbert 2009 Drexel University Mechanical Event Vol. in JrFLL & FRC Engineering Drexel Univ. COE Outreach Ariel Morgenstern 2009 Drexel University Mechanical Event Vol. in JrFLL & FRC Engineering David Morrison 2009 Cabrini College Chemistry JrFLL Vol. Phil Ross 2009 University of Maryland Landscape FIRST/Americorps VISTA Architecture Event Vol. in JrFLL, FLL, FTC, FRC Eagle Scout Project: Robotics with Special Needs Students

Jess Scolnic 2009 Tufts University Mechanical Tufts STOMP Outreach Engineering Organized/Delivered JrFLL Expo Published How-To Guide for JrFLL VEX Robotics Student Advisory TSA State Officer PI Workshop Vol. Ethan 2009 Israel Travel Visits to/help with FRC2215 in Wasserman Israel JrFLL, FRC, and PI workshop volunteer Frank Xu, 2009 University of Engineering JrFLL Vol. & PI Workshop Vol. Pittsburgh Marita Araujo 2008 Arcadia University Spanish & JrFLL & PI Workshop Vol. Internat’l Studies Taggart 2008 Georgia Tech Computer PI Workshop Vol. Bowen-Gaddy Science Matt Buczek 2008 DCCC Web Design Alumni Mentoring for FRC 1712 FRC, JrFLL & PI workshop Vol. Gregory Feldman 2008 Columbia University Operations Research Chuck Glick 2008 Temple University Mechanical Mentoring for FRC 321 Engineering Event Vol. in JrFLL, FLL, FTC, FRC PI Workshop Vol. Alumni Mentoring for FRC1712 VEX Robotics Student Advisory Chris Julian 2008 Georgia Tech Computer JrFLL & PI Workshop Vol. Science Ron Leibach 2008 Case Western Mech/Aerospace JrFLL & PI Workshop Vol. University Eng Anton Pantev 2008 Georgia Tech Computer Science Bianca Szklaruk 2008 Syracuse University Aerospace JrFLL & PI Workshop Vol. Engineering Dan Zollman 2008 RPI Design, Phila. Region FIRST Website Innovation & Website/Inventor help for Teams Society FLL, JrFLL & PI Workshop Vol. Authored PATSA Inspiration Award TSA State Officer Noah Berson 2007 Vanderbilt University Biomedical Engineering Jacob Chamoun 2007 Cornell University Engineering Ira Goldberg 2007 University of Michigan Mechanical PI Workshop Vol. Engineering Justin Rubin 2007 Johns Hopkins Physics University Ilya Zhitomirskiy 2007 New York University Mathematics (Deceased) Zachary Cohen 2006 Millersville University Technology PI Workshop Vol.

Education Alumni Mentoring for FRC 1712 Rookie Team Support @ Events PublTechnical Paper for Teams Mentor of FRC 1111 Alex Flaxenburg 2006 Penn State University Computer PI Workshop Vol. Science Alumni Mentoring for FRC 1712 Jon Gowa 2006 Tufts University Mechanical Tufts STOMP Outreach Engineering Seth Leiblich 2006 Brandeis University Biochemistry

Section 4. Club and Team Structure

4.1 Breakdown of Club and Team Dawgma robotics team is a part of the Lower Merion High School’s Technology and Engineering Club. Dawgma consists of FRC team 1712 and VRC team 1712. The other half of the T&E club is Lower Merion High School’s TSA (technology student association) chapter. Although TSA and Dawgma compete at separate events and operate under different guidelines and rules, we are one club. Our collective leadership team meets to discuss and decide important matters with our mentors, while members of both teams participate in and help coordinate the club’s efforts in fundraising, spirit, outreach and more.

This chart shows the breakdown and function of each section of the Lower Merion High School Technology and Engineering Club.

4.2 Key Personnel and Backgrounds

Bob Bellini 2008- Present Bob Bellini, the 2013 chief mentor, is a computer systems architect and Lockheed Martin employee. Mr. Bellini volunteers countless hours of his time and expertise to Dawgma. His help made the transition to a new electronics system much smoother and has coordinated multiple elements of this year’s team, from the return of the CAD sub- team to the VEX instructional program.

Rich Kressly 2005- Present Mr. Kressly is the founder and advisor of Dawgma. He has worked as a mentor of team 103 and a member of the FTC game design committee. He is a certified English and Technology Education teacher. He was the winner of a Woodie Flowers award at the 2009 DC Regional. His work with Dawgma focuses around logistics, personnel, community outreach, mechanical and electrical work.

Mark Piotrowski 2005-Present Mark Piotrowski is the head of the Technology Education department at Lower Merion High School. He is the sponsor and head of the Lower Merion TSA chapter. He is essential to the T&E club’s fundraising, outreach and leadership. Additionally, he teaches a CAD class during the year and helps many members of the CAD sub-team during the season.

Dr. Paul Gehman 2008-Present Dr. Paul Gehman is a software engineer and Lockheed Martin employee. Dr. Gehman generously donates his time to Dawgma, making it possible for us to take our programming efforts to a highly improved level.

Kevin Newman 2011-Present Mr. Newman is yet another engineer at Lockheed Martin. He mentors the team not only through his engineering expertise, but also his knowledge of software programming. His participation in Dawgma has greatly helped team efficiency and overall expertise.

Kevin Dieterle 2011-Present Kevin Dieterle is an electrical engineer working for Lockheed Martin and a graduate from Purdue University. He has been involved with FIRST since high school and currently works with Space Systems at Lockheed. His mentorship has driven the team to create better electronics bays that are more efficient and effective in their tasks.

Kim Arleth 2008-Present Kim Arleth is a chemistry teacher at Lower Merion High School. She joined Dawgma in the 2008-2009 competition season. She generously donates her time to chaperone competitive events and field trips

Katie Cooper 2005-2007

Katie Cooper is a math and computer science teacher at Lower Merion High School. She implemented the use of VEX robotics in LMHS computer science classes. She was essential in the beginning years of Dawgma, providing the necessary expertise to begin training students in programming.

Dina Campagna 2008-2009 Dina Campagna is a TV studio teacher at Wissihickon High School. She is an active FIRST volunteer and also works with FRC team 357. She has provided great help with web site design, chairman’s entries and marketing/PR.

Gene Guay 2006-Present Gene Guay is a physics teacher at Lower Merion High School. He mentors and manages Dawgma’s VRC team 1712. He was the chief mentor of the team in 2012, pulling the team together to build Geoffrey in Rebound Rumble after a particularly difficult year in 2011.

Mervyn Elder 2010-Present Mr. Elder is a current physics teacher at Lower Merion High School. He uses his expertise to mentor the team and also helps organize team meetings. He primarily helps organize the events outside of the competitions.

Sean Lavery 2007-Present Sean Lavery graduated from Drexel University with a mechanical engineering degree. Currently, he is employed with the Navy as a civilian engineer. As an alumnus of team 116, he as a long history with FIRST and has provided 1712 with his expertise in mechanical design and competitive strategy. He also coaches matches. He is instrumental in Dawgma’s robot design and primary strategies.

Jonah Portman 2012-Present Jonah, a 2011 graduate of Dawgma, volunteers his time as an alumni mentor during build season. He has donated many hours to the team, teaching students how to CAD and advising the team on robotics design.

Delia Votsch 2011-Present Delia is a 2010 graduate of Dawgma and currently pursues Civil Engineering at Drexel University. She was honored in 2010 as one of the first winners of the Dean’s List award and mentors the team captains and awards sub-team.

Zachary Cohen 2011-Present Zachary is a 2006 graduate of Dawgma and pursued a Technology Education major at Millersville University. Currently he mentors FRC team 1111, but also shares resources and personal expertise with his old team when he visits. He has helped the team with its organization and technology multiple times.

Alex Flaxenburg 2008-2012 Alex is also a 2006 graduate of Dawgma and pursued a Computer Sciences major at Penn State University. Alex was an essential mentor of the team for many years, especially in 2011 and 2012. He had a wide variety of robotics skills that he used in his mentorship of the team: prototyping and design, electronics, sensors, drivetrains, and manipulators.

Heather VanHorn 2011-2012 Heather VanHorn is a Special Education teacher at Lower Merion High School. She has helped the team in its organization and in connecting the team to new students at the school. Because of her, many students with disabilities have had the opportunity to participate in FIRST.

Myreon Smallwood 2010 Myreon Smallwood is an engineer from Boeing, a testament to the team’s multiple mentorship connections with engineering companies. Myreon, a graduate from both Drexel University and the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, mentored the team with his expertise in team dynamics and mechanical and digital tools.

Jen Sand 2005-2007 Jen Sand is a biology teacher at Lower Merion High School. She contributed her enthusiasm and organization in the beginning years of 1712.

Kathleen Schroeck 2008 Kathleen Schroeck is at Lower Merion High School Biology Teacher. She has provided herself as a chaperone and as teacher support.

Mike Williams 2005-2008 Mike Williams was a Business and Finance major at St. Joseph’s University. He graduated in 2008. He is former member of FRC team 103 Cybersonics. His experience and knowledge were extremely helpful. He contributed to mechanical design and build and game strategy.

4.3 Communication

4.3.1 Team Communication Dawgma 1712 uses a variety of communication tools to keep our team, local and global community aware of our daily and overall progress as a team.

The easiest form of communication used to daily contact with team members and mentors is email. Dawgma has set up multiple email groups to easily communicate with

18 one or all parts of the team. In addition to email Dawgma uses a Twitter feed to keep members updated on announcements.

4.3.2 Communication and Community To communicate our local and global community we use both our website, http://dawgma.lmtechclub.org and our YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/dawgma1712. Our website includes picture galleries, detailed history of the team and information on present and past team members. Our Youtube channel currently has over 25 videos including promotional videos, Chairman’s video entries and matches from our past competitive year.

Dawgma places heavy importance on communicating with and helping the rest of the FIRST community. We reach this goal by posting on Chief Delphi forums. Our white papers there include tips on Inventor, running JrFLL expos, setting up a robotics curriculum for classrooms and much more. Collectively our papers have been downloaded 11,328 times.

Section 5. Financial Information

5.1 Budget Finances Budget finances for FRC1712 are planned, tended to and administered by a combination of adult and student leadership of the LMHS Technology & Engineering Club. This enables us to expose many more STEM students to FIRST while reaping the benefits of increased school district funding for one of the largest clubs in our school district. Students generally fund their own overnight travel (hotels, meals, airfare), and uniform costs. The team defrays up to 50% of this cost with additional sponsorship, fundraising, and grant writing as it can.

5.2 Breakdown of Budget

Annual expenses and funding for Dawgma portion of LMHS T&E Club

Funded by LMSD/LMHS FRC Initial Registration and Event $5,000 FRC Second Event Registration (Regional or Championship) $5,000 FRC Offseason Events Entry Fee (two per year) $500 VRC Entry Fee and Event Registration $300 Equipment/Tools/Supplies $5,000 Event Bus Transportation for Team (six events per year) $4,500 Shirts/Uniforms $960

Funded by Additional Sponsorship/Fundraising/Grants/Students Alumni Shirts/Uniforms $200 JrFLL Expos/Outreach $1,600 Promotional Items $500 Build Season Food $1000 Hotels/Lodging/Food $4,500 Airfare (only in years the team travels to the Championship) $3,000 Electronics and Controls $2,500 ------TOTAL $34,560

Section 6. Supporting Documents

Enclosed are the following vital team documents:

6.1 Origins of Team Name, Team Motto, & Robot Names page 22 6.2 In the Media – A Sampling of News Articles About Team 1712 page 24 6.3 2013 Chairman’s Award Entry page 31

How We Developed Our Name:

In the Spring of 2005, prior to our rookie year in FIRST, the team met to generate a name. Our school mascot is a Bulldog. That Name is frequently shortened to Dawgs and our student cheering section is affectionately called the Dawg Pound. Since the team wanted the name to reflect its beliefs, the term Dogma was selected to work with. Dogma is defined as “a set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.”

Putting the two together in Dawgma, we can be accurately described as “Dawgs with a strong set of principles.”

Team Motto: Designing On All Fours

Our Principles, The Four Legs Upon Which We Stand…

Passion: Transforming curiosity into excitement Leadership: Developing socially responsible leaders for the 21st century Perseverance: Design is an iterative process; Culture change takes time Community: Strengthening team awareness and fostering connections

How Our FRC Robots Got Their Names

2006 – Dawgma I : The Team’s 1st ever competition robot – named accordingly

2007 – Deuce : Our Second FRC Robot, Designed to perform two tasks.

2008 – Galactus : Named for Marvel Comic character. Name means, “Devourer Of Worlds.” The robot grabs & lifts huge, “world-like” 40-inch ball.

2009 – Alice : Named after the late Dr. Randy Pausch’s culture-changing software. Pausch’s book, The Last Lecture, has had a strong influence on us.

2010 – Darwin: Named in honor of the famous scientist, and in accordance 22 with our team’s effort to build on our momentum and evolve.

2011 – Geoffrey: Driven by 4 CIM motors with Dual Speed “Supershifters”, Geoffrey is our fastest robot to date.

2012 – Darryl: Named for one of the best players on the LMHS basketball team, the robot shoots basketballs with a high level of accuracy.

2013 – OddJob: Named after the early james bond iconic henchman of the same name who threw a bowler hat much in the same manner as a Frisbee.

2013 Chairman’s Award Entry Essay

In the eight years since the founding of Dawgma, FRC 1712 has endeavored to fulfill the vision of FIRST by enabling and empowering its members and community to pursue science and technology. Dawgma encourages participation in STEM not only through annual FRC competitions, but also through the team’s involvement in our school, our local community, and beyond. Dawgma achieves this through the wide variety of people who make up the team, a conglomeration of students, teachers, professional volunteers, and alumni.

as a team, we have experienced many challenges over the years that have both changed the demographics and the skillset of the team. No matter the result, Dawgma has always faced these challenges with perseverance, determined to emerge from the challenges a stronger and more successful team.

During its rookie year, FRC 1712 had no robot to compete in Ramp Riot in the fall. In order to compete, we reached out to FRC teams 341 and 357, who graciously lent their help and support in getting this team started. As a result, the team won the Underdog Award at Ramp Riot that year and learned the basics of robot programming and engineering, leading to our success in early 2006 with our first robot, Dawgma I. That autumn, team members continued to develop their technical skills and organized FVC 1712, Event Champion and winner of the Inspire Award at the Diamond State Regional. FRC 1712 built its second robot, Deuce, receiving the Industrial Design award at the 2007 Philadelphia Regional. Dawgma also developed its presence in the community. In 2007, we were featured in the local news and school paper, while simultaneously building an autonomous code platform during the off-season. The team’s influence led to the addition of a robotics class to Lower Merion’s Technology Education curriculum, paving the way for CAD classes in the future.

Remembering its own past difficulties, Dawgma reached out to rookie teams at the 2008 Philadelphia Regional and was awarded the Gracious Professionalism Award. We continued our outreach that year with the development of Portable Inspiration (PI), a program employing VEX robots and problem-solving activities designed to introduce STEM to autistic students, children, and adults. Since its creation, PI has reached over 4,500 people and appeared at the 2008 Philadelphia Video Game Expo. We consider our outreach efforts with elementary school students particularly important, holding three-day PI science clubs at a local school from 2009 to 2011 and an annual JrFLL Expo in the fall. Since the team began the JrFLL event, local elementary schools have created over 52 new

teams. Through our efforts, we hope to encourage the next generation to pursue STEMs and become future leaders of science and technology.

Our outreach efforts expanded from 2008 into the global community with the addition of fundraising efforts for Engineers Without Borders, a charity introduced to the team by one of the alumni. Dawgma also worked with BuildOn, another global charity, by running food and book drives. The team captains also traveled Washington DC in 2009 to meet senators and participate in the Congressional Caucus on Robotics Education. In addition, the team spent the summers of 2009 and 2010 participating in the Ulster Project with FRC 365, introducing robotics and cooperative work to Irish Catholic and Protestant teens and later collecting over 7,000 pounds of books for their book drive.

From 2008 to 2010, the team enjoyed a long period of growth. We gained the addition of two Lockheed Martin mentors, quadrupled female membership, and added several full-time autistic students to the team. Thanks to the expertise of the new mentors, Mr. Bob Bellini and Dr. Paul Gehman, as well as a NASA grant, the team qualified for the 2009 Washington DC Regional and was the only team that scored in autonomous mode. In 2009, the DC Regional honored our team advisor Rich Kressly with the Woodie Flowers Award. That following year, the team received the Business Entrepreneurship Award at the Philadelphia and DC regionals. In 2010, Delia Votsch, captain from 2008 through 2010, was one of the first ten students to win the Dean’s List award. She has gone on to pursue an engineering degree at Drexel University and continues to volunteer for FIRST and Dawgma.

Knowing that coopertition was the lifeblood of the team in our early days, our team has always made an effort to reach out within the FIRST community, aiding rookie teams at competitions and sharing resources with both local and nonlocal FRC teams. At each competition, specialized members reach out to other teams, offering them supplies and expertise. In 2009, Dawgma spent most of the DC Regional aiding a rookie team severely crippled by snowstorms. The team won the Highest Rookie Seed award, a reminder to our team of the invaluable benefits of cooperative work. We continued to aid teams in 2010 and 2011 affected by the North American blizzards and who would have 32 otherwise struggled to have a competing robot in time for regionals. Since the beginning, Dawgma maintained its relationship with FRC 357, combining resources and ideas. Recently, mentors Rich Kressly, Bob Bellini, Dr. Gehman, and Sean Lavery have visited teams 103, 272, 842, and 1538 for up to weeks at a time, providing programming seminars, aiding in offseason prototyping, and preparing the students for build season. In addition, our team has also shared notes with teams 1014 and 1016 on prototypes, mechanisms, and programming. The team connects and shares notifications and information with each other, alumni, and our network through the fastest means of communication: e-mail, social networking, and cellphones. A significant proportion of the team also has accounts on Chief Delphi through which we discuss FIRST-related topics with the greater community and upload photos and documents that have been downloaded over 6,000 times. By sharing information, ideas, and resources, we help everyone build a better robot and build connections with teams who motivate us to improve our skills.

However, many of our recent developments with other teams were the aftermath of challenges faced by Dawgma. Following the 2010 season, two of the team’s most prominent mentors stepped down from their leadership roles in order to act as advisors not only to us, but also to other teams in the FIRST community. Next, the team had to relearn equipment and organization in the newly constructed high school. Furthermore, the team was severely reduced in size and experience both in 2011 and 2012 after many skilled members of the previous year graduated. Now a smaller team and under new leadership, we decided to reach out to the community for help. Within the school, the team began an annual advertising campaign to attract new members and worked with the Tech Club and Math Club to promote the team at school events and advise Dawgma on certain parts of the robots. Mr. Bellini, our new lead mentor, stepped up to his new role by promoting the return of CAD and Awards sections of the team and by running an educational VEX program for new members. The team also organized the next JrFLL event on March 9th, 2013 at Penn Wynne Elementary, encouraging newer students to join in community outreach. Many of the alumni from former years reached out to their old team, volunteering long hours to teach students CAD and programming and to aid in team organization and content. Our team’s greatest legacy is its alumni, with 90% studying STEM in college and using their experience from Dawgma to participate in FIRST outreach and integrate its ideas into their lives. One alumnus in particular, Zac Cohen, returned to FIRST as a successful mentor of FRC 1111. Another, Phil Ross, has supported FIRST as a VISTA representative. Chuck Glick, yet another alumnus, won Mentor of the Year at the 2011 VEX World Championships, interned at IFI, and MCs at the Philadelphia Regionals. Because of our alumni and many changes, the team began to grow again and had new teams of programmers, CADers, awards writers, and builders in time for Kickoff. Overall, our team faced its challenges by working harder to develop as a team and use available resources to supplement the weaker areas.

Since the beginning, Dawgma has pursued the idea that no matter what challenges we may face, we will emerge stronger and wiser and more determined to inspire the local community and beyond with science and technology. We have accomplished this by reaching out to our invaluable STEM resources when we need them and giving back in return through cooperative work, volunteerism, and programs for the future generations of FIRST and STEM participants. We verify the truth of Woodie Flower’s most powerful message: “It’s not about the robots; it’s about the people.” FRC 1712 believes in the power of complex, cooperation-based work to change both small communities and the entire world. We developed and improved our science and technology community as a result of FIRST, determined to continue this evolution as the world’s need for science and technology exponentially increases. Dawgma will continue to develop its science and technology leaders, to thrive within the FIRST community, and most of all, to inspire present and future generations of STEM participants.

2013 Chairman’s Award Entry Executive Summary

Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years:

The team’s new offseason instructional programs, integrated with the lessons of the FIRST robotics season, have developed skilled team members skilled in programming, engineering, and balancing teamwork with project assimilation. FIRST kept us together through past challenges and was instrumental in our 85% rate of alumni who pursue STEM. We owe much of our technological successes and improved team dynamics to the FIRST program.

Examples of role model characteristics for other teams to emulate:

We prioritize assisting other teams during the offseason, build season, and competition period. We provide outreach to the community through volunteer work and inspire the next generation to pursue STEM through programs like the JrFLL expo. Every member of the team knows his or her respective task and how accomplish it, but is also willing to take on the task of another member if needed. We face each challenge determined to improve our team, emerging wiser and stronger.

Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your team and community with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years:

Through the Portable Inspiration program, which uses an educational robotics kit, the team annually runs a JrFLL expo, reaching at least 52 teams and hundreds of elementary school students, inspiring the creation of at least one FLL team. The team has also reached out to the local high school students through advertisements and collaboration with the Math and TSA clubs.

Team’s innovative methods to spread the FIRST message:

The team employs multiple methods to inspire others with FIRST. We inspire online with our website and student-collaborated publications. We use Portable Inspiration to teach children the basics of robotics. Team members have spoken to state legislatures and congressmen and have worked with the mentors to give presentations on programming and the benefits of FIRST to potential teams and school administration. We also extensively promote the program throughout the school.

Describe the strength of your partnership with special emphasis on the 2012/2013 year and the preceding two years:

The team has a close relationship with its primary sponsor, Lockheed Martin, due to the four engineers who volunteer much of their time for the team. The team has shared resources and notes with teams 1014 and 1016 and has made special visits to 103, 272, 842, and 1538 to provide informative seminars and collaborative work on robotics-based projects. Additionally, the team has

35 made contact with Harriton high school students, planning to work together as a combined team in the future.

Team’s communication methods and results:

All team members, including the mentors and alumni, are connected to each other in some way through the extensive e-mail system, phone contacts, and social media networking. This is constantly kept up-to-date so that everyone is aware of notifications. The website broadcasts our team to the world and most of the team members have accounts on Chief Delphi; our posts and uploaded documents have been downloaded over 6,000 times.

Other matters of interest to the FIRST judges, if any:

Our team is currently making a strong return after a few years of diminished growth. We have provided programs designed to teach newer members the necessary skills and collaborated with our alumni and other teams. We are planning more outreach efforts, including combining our team with students from another high school and volunteering our time to foster more interest in science and technology at elementary and middle schools. Our team plans to expand both in the present and the future.