groups within the club
Purpose, what you need to know, what you’ll learn doing this, how many people are needed (the team never limits sub-team size. If you want be a part of a team, we'll let you), what they do in a typical day.
*= has time to participate in other areas of the team, assuming the starred job is their primary job
*= has time to participate in other areas of the team, assuming the starred job is their primary job
Build
Students participating in build are primarily focused on constructing the robot during the pre-season and actual season. During the season, this includes brainstorming ideas on the first few days, constructing proof-of-concepts and prototypes on the following week, and building the actual robot for the rest of the season. All builders will learn to work with almost all of the shop tools. In addition to learning technical, hands-on skills with auto shop tools, builders will also learn critical thinking skills and teamwork skills. It is common for a group of builders to encounter design problems throughout the season.
CAD (Computer Aided Design)
For the most part, students on CAD will spend the pre-season learning how to use CAD and the actually season CAD-ing the robot. In this subdivision of the team, members will participate in brainstorming in the beginning of the season and then work on constructing the robot on the 3D platform. Since CAD can be very complicated, most of the season will be spent on CAD with very limited time for other pursuits.
Programming
Similar to the CAD-ing group, programmers spend the pre-season and most of the actual season learning JavaScript. On programming, students will learn how to program a robot using the language of Java. During the last few weeks of the season, the programmers will begin programming and troubleshooting code for the actual robot. Programming is time intensive and leaves little room for other pursuits. It typically takes one whole pre-season and season cycle to become proficient. After one cycle, veteran programmers may have more time to help with other areas of the team (ex: Connor Goldstick, who was on programming his first two years and is currently enrolled in AP Computer Science, is on build and helps programmers when they really need the help).
Electronics*
Students on electronics will learn what all the electronics things do and how to wire them. This subsection of the team is usually filled by programmers who want to take on additional responsibilities and learn more about the fancy gadgets they are programming. The responsibilities of electronics usually come about near the end of the season when electronics are being placed onto the robot. Electronics members are also very active during the competitions, checking between rounds for broken electronics and loose wires.
PROM (Public Relations, Outreach, Marketing)*
PROM members organize events outside of robotics. This involves communicating with event organizers or planning new events. PROM also works very closely with Business/Finance/Fundraising and Digital Media. PROM members are free to involve themselves in other areas of the team such as programming and build. PROM learns a smorgasbord of skills, leaning towards social skills. Students learn event organization, and communication skills.
Project Management*
Project Management is all about creating visibility and transparency with the team. It is so everyone on the team knows what the other sub-sections are doing. Project management also maintains the season schedule. Usually PM will have time to do other things as well (ex: Peter is helping with build). The primary skill learned in PM is communication and creating visibility.
Business/Finance/Fundraising*
This group works heavily on creating and organizing fundraisers, managing and keeping track of payments, and writing the business plan. Students on BFF will learn basic accounting skills, fundraising organization, and professional writing that goes into a business plan.
Digital Media*
Digital Media is responsible for creating videos for the team, and maintaining the website and other social media sites. Members on Digital Media learn similar skills taught in Video Production class: Storyboarding, scripting, filming, and editing. Those skills are combined with basic advertising to create effective videos that advertise the club. Digital Media also learns how to effectively use social media to communicate ideas.
Inventory*
Inventory organizes and maintains all the items owned by the robotics club. In doing this, they learn intensive organizational skills as well as learning all the part names in detail.
Safety*
Safety knows all the safety rules of the auto shop and of FIRST. In preparation for the season, Safety prepares materials for winning the safety awards. During the competition, safety must be able to give an effective presentation in order to win the award. Before the season, safety prepares a safety presentation and test for all new and returning members. Since the duties of safety are sporadic, safety often has time to get involved with other areas of the team.
Students participating in build are primarily focused on constructing the robot during the pre-season and actual season. During the season, this includes brainstorming ideas on the first few days, constructing proof-of-concepts and prototypes on the following week, and building the actual robot for the rest of the season. All builders will learn to work with almost all of the shop tools. In addition to learning technical, hands-on skills with auto shop tools, builders will also learn critical thinking skills and teamwork skills. It is common for a group of builders to encounter design problems throughout the season.
CAD (Computer Aided Design)
For the most part, students on CAD will spend the pre-season learning how to use CAD and the actually season CAD-ing the robot. In this subdivision of the team, members will participate in brainstorming in the beginning of the season and then work on constructing the robot on the 3D platform. Since CAD can be very complicated, most of the season will be spent on CAD with very limited time for other pursuits.
Programming
Similar to the CAD-ing group, programmers spend the pre-season and most of the actual season learning JavaScript. On programming, students will learn how to program a robot using the language of Java. During the last few weeks of the season, the programmers will begin programming and troubleshooting code for the actual robot. Programming is time intensive and leaves little room for other pursuits. It typically takes one whole pre-season and season cycle to become proficient. After one cycle, veteran programmers may have more time to help with other areas of the team (ex: Connor Goldstick, who was on programming his first two years and is currently enrolled in AP Computer Science, is on build and helps programmers when they really need the help).
Electronics*
Students on electronics will learn what all the electronics things do and how to wire them. This subsection of the team is usually filled by programmers who want to take on additional responsibilities and learn more about the fancy gadgets they are programming. The responsibilities of electronics usually come about near the end of the season when electronics are being placed onto the robot. Electronics members are also very active during the competitions, checking between rounds for broken electronics and loose wires.
PROM (Public Relations, Outreach, Marketing)*
PROM members organize events outside of robotics. This involves communicating with event organizers or planning new events. PROM also works very closely with Business/Finance/Fundraising and Digital Media. PROM members are free to involve themselves in other areas of the team such as programming and build. PROM learns a smorgasbord of skills, leaning towards social skills. Students learn event organization, and communication skills.
Project Management*
Project Management is all about creating visibility and transparency with the team. It is so everyone on the team knows what the other sub-sections are doing. Project management also maintains the season schedule. Usually PM will have time to do other things as well (ex: Peter is helping with build). The primary skill learned in PM is communication and creating visibility.
Business/Finance/Fundraising*
This group works heavily on creating and organizing fundraisers, managing and keeping track of payments, and writing the business plan. Students on BFF will learn basic accounting skills, fundraising organization, and professional writing that goes into a business plan.
Digital Media*
Digital Media is responsible for creating videos for the team, and maintaining the website and other social media sites. Members on Digital Media learn similar skills taught in Video Production class: Storyboarding, scripting, filming, and editing. Those skills are combined with basic advertising to create effective videos that advertise the club. Digital Media also learns how to effectively use social media to communicate ideas.
Inventory*
Inventory organizes and maintains all the items owned by the robotics club. In doing this, they learn intensive organizational skills as well as learning all the part names in detail.
Safety*
Safety knows all the safety rules of the auto shop and of FIRST. In preparation for the season, Safety prepares materials for winning the safety awards. During the competition, safety must be able to give an effective presentation in order to win the award. Before the season, safety prepares a safety presentation and test for all new and returning members. Since the duties of safety are sporadic, safety often has time to get involved with other areas of the team.
The team also works on various other tasks that concern the club such as various awards given to teams. These include:
Chairman’s Award
The most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.
Creativity Award sponsored by Xerox
Celebrates creativity in design, use of component, or strategy of play.
Engineering Inspiration Award
Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.
Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.
Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi
Celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature.
FIRST Dean’s List Award
Celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary.
FIRST Future Innovator Award sponsored by the Abbott Fund
Celebrates innovation and intellectual property creation inspired by the FIRST season experience.
Gracious Professionalism® Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Celebrates the team that exemplifies the core values of FIRST in their relationships with other teams and by their demonstrated Gracious Professionalism®.
Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen
In honor of Jack Kamen, Dean’s father, for his dedication to art and illustration and his devotion to FIRST. This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance.
Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors
Celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge.
Industrial Safety Award sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories
Celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.
Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation
Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.
Judges’ Award
During the course of the competition, the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition.
Media & Technology Innovation Award sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal
Recognizes the team that develops and implements the most outstanding digital experience, marketing strategy, and rationale for digital channels to disseminate content to its audience and further the FIRST mission.
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola
Celebrates machine robustness in concept and fabrication.
Safety Animation Award sponsored by UL
Recognizes the team that submits a short animated film that best promotes the current season’s team safety focus.
Team Spirit Award sponsored by Chrysler
Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork furthering the objectives of FIRST.
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award
Is presented to an outstanding Mentor in the robotics competition who best leads, inspires, teaches, and empowers their team using excellent communication skills. An essay is submitted to FIRST describing the mentor that exhibits these qualities.
Chairman’s Award
The most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.
Creativity Award sponsored by Xerox
Celebrates creativity in design, use of component, or strategy of play.
Engineering Inspiration Award
Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.
Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
Celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.
Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi
Celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature.
FIRST Dean’s List Award
Celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary.
FIRST Future Innovator Award sponsored by the Abbott Fund
Celebrates innovation and intellectual property creation inspired by the FIRST season experience.
Gracious Professionalism® Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Celebrates the team that exemplifies the core values of FIRST in their relationships with other teams and by their demonstrated Gracious Professionalism®.
Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen
In honor of Jack Kamen, Dean’s father, for his dedication to art and illustration and his devotion to FIRST. This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance.
Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors
Celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge.
Industrial Safety Award sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories
Celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.
Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation
Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.
Judges’ Award
During the course of the competition, the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition.
Media & Technology Innovation Award sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal
Recognizes the team that develops and implements the most outstanding digital experience, marketing strategy, and rationale for digital channels to disseminate content to its audience and further the FIRST mission.
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola
Celebrates machine robustness in concept and fabrication.
Safety Animation Award sponsored by UL
Recognizes the team that submits a short animated film that best promotes the current season’s team safety focus.
Team Spirit Award sponsored by Chrysler
Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork furthering the objectives of FIRST.
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award
Is presented to an outstanding Mentor in the robotics competition who best leads, inspires, teaches, and empowers their team using excellent communication skills. An essay is submitted to FIRST describing the mentor that exhibits these qualities.