FIRST Looks (Video)

Of the four programs in the FIRST family, the one that can often surprise is FIRST LEGO League. The students are younger, starting in 4th grade, and the machines are smaller, but that is truly what makes these robots so impressive. These small, LEGO-constructed robots are able to accomplish a great deal on their field.

Abigail Peterson, a graduated member of FIRST LEGO League team 302, Squirtle Squad Scholars, spoke with us about her experiences with FIRST and with her team. She also discusses the aspect of FLL that sets the program apart from its larger siblings - the research project. Through this aspect of the program, the students get the opportunity to get in-depth with their subject matter and speak to people in the industry.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

It Takes Alumni to pull off the Biggest and Best ROBOTICON yet.

Florida Polytechnic Student and FIRST Alumni, Zachary Weingarten joined us to discuss ROBOTICON, FIRST and the Robotics Club at Florida Polytechnic University. Zachary is a sophomore at the newly formed tech school located in Lakeland, Florida and has been an instrumental part of everything that made this weekend a success.

The Robotics Club started with just a couple of students during the school's inaugural year in 2016 and is growing rapidly with about 30 students this year. They have alumni from FIRST and VEX, as well as some students who were not previously on a formal robotics team but have a passion for building robots. The students recently participated in the First Tech Challenge's Robot in a Weekend program where they built a working prototype robot in just two days, immediately after getting the specs from the FTC Kickoff in September.

This robot is what brought the club here to volunteer at ROBOTICON Tampa Bay 2017. They came to show off the robot, run some scrimmages and assist the FTC teams with their builds and answer questions. Members of the club also volunteered for ROBOTICON directly and helped with FRC field set up and overall assistance during the event.

Zach joins Daniele and Marissa, also FIRST Alum, in speaking about their experiences in FIRST as well as offering due props to the FIRST Alumni Coordinator for the state of Florida, Barry Bohnsack. Barry is not only a great recruiter and mentor for these students, but he is also very active in FIRST activities and helps to make the experience fun.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

While the stress and challenge of an official competition is a lot of fun, there is nothing in the FIRST Robotics realm quite like an off-season event. Organized by the Eureka! Factory, in partnership with the University of South Florida and the Florida FIRST Alumni Association, ROBOTICON Tampa Bay has become both a team and fan favorite.

This year, the FIRST Looks team got a chance to speak with team members from FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition team, plus a FIRST LEGO League Affiliate Partner and program partners. One of the highlights of the event was the first ever international team, FRC Team 5606, Red Hurricane, from China, who also spoke with Daniele and Marissa.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

The Orlando Regional is organized by a team of people, including alumni, regional directors and partners. Terri Willingham, the Regional Director for FIRST Robotics of Central Florida is on that team and discusses FIRST Stronghold as a game and its theming, including the fact that it was developed in cooperation with Disney and how it compares to past games. She also discusses the event itself and what it takes to put it together.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Some volunteers at FIRST events come with their teams, while others volunteer even when their teams aren't there. Chris Becker from Lakerbotics (FRC 1649) volunteered as a Student Ambassador to give tours to sponsors, VIPs and more. He discusses what his day is like as an Ambassador, what it means for him and what he gets out of the volunteering. We also discuss the ups and downs of Stronghold and how the team has overcome the new challenges.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Events as big as the Orlando Regional require a lot of volunteers, and some of those volunteers require a lot of knowledge about the FIRST itself. For example, someone giving tours of the pits and field must know about FIRST, FIRST Robotics Competition, Stronghold, etc. Riley Branch from Bionic Tigers (FRC 1592) volunteers as a Student Ambassador, providing exactly those services to VIP guests, sponsors and more. She discusses her experiences as a Student Ambassador for 4 years, the types of questions she gets and how it has affected her. We also discuss the team, how long it's been around and how they run their team.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

One of the great things about FIRST is that it is one big community. No matter your age or league, everyone feels a connection. Because of that, at a FIRST Robotics Competition regional, there is representation from FIRST LEGO League. Beth Hanning, the Florida Northwest Region Partner for FIRST LEGO League, talked to us about the program and how it relates to the event. We also discussed SOFWERX, a facility in Tampa that has gotten involved with FIRST, even hosting the local FIRST Stronghold Kick Off.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

One of the challenges that every FIRST team from any league faces is mentorship. Some teams find individuals who are well-versed in a particular aspect of FIRST to help, while others find an organization that can provide multiple mentors in a variety of areas. The latter is how Exploding Bacon (FRC 1902) runs, getting help from Comcast, in particular Universal Parks. Matthew Miller helps coordinate volunteers from the company to mentor the team in everything from engineering to outreach. When he's not doing that, he works within the parks to research and implement new technology for future attractions. We talk about why Comcast is so involved with FIRST and how he brings volunteers to the team.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

While some of our students start with FIRST Robotics Competition, others like Marie Bartnick from S.P.A.M. (FRC 180) get their starts with FIRST LEGO League and graduate into the bigger programs. She discusses with us her experiences in both leagues, the things she has learned and the challenges her team faced during this year's game.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.

All FRC team members have to have an initial season, which is the case for Sam Estes from Torque Team (FRC 5283). He has joined the team's new business team, which is responsible for ensuring the whole team has enough money to support the season, as well as helps implementing fundraising efforts. We talk to him about his experience in FIRST, his team and his thoughts on the game.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.