Inaugural LA North FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

Inaugural LA North FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

Congratulations to the 36 Teams from California, Hawaii, Arizona, China and Chinese Taipei PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the Inaugural LA North FIRST Robotics Regional from March 14 – 17, 2019!

ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the LA North Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.

Regional Chairman’s Award

Team 1868, Space Cookies from Mountain View, CA
The Chairman’s Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The Chairman’s Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the Chairman’s Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.
What the judges had to say …

This team has created possibilities for thousands of students in their local area, around the US, and internationally.  They have changed people through their extensive rookie training program, by hosting FLL tournaments and mentoring FLL teams, and by assisting numerous FRC teams.  This team is authoring new ways to spread the word about FIRST and STEM. Any regular viewers of the Daily Show already knows who this team is… grab some milk and celebrate with the Space Cookies!”

Engineering Inspiration

Team 2429, La Canada Engineering Club from La Canada, CA
The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.
What the judges had to say …

This team has had an enormous impact on increasing commitment to STEM education in their local community and beyond. Their impact spreads across the entire Los Angeles area. They have developed a sustainable pipeline from FLL to FTC to FRC. They provide financial support that has helped to expand FIRST’s presence in Southern California, and they broth STEM classes into their school’s curriculum. Their heads are definitely filled with more than just blocks.”

Regional Winners

Team 1868, Space Cookies from Mountain View, CA
Team 6803, HAI-Panda from Shanghai, China
Team 2659, RoboWarriors from Mission Hills, CA

Photo Credit: Space Cookies


Rookie All-Star Award

Team 7645, NK MTC from Chinese Taipei
This award celebrates a 1st year team demonstrating an early but strong partnership effort, implementing the mission of FIRST.  Its winner understands what FIRST is really trying to accomplish and realizes that technical work is fun and challenging, made better by building a partnership among team, community and school.  This is not an easy challenge for a rookie team but the judges want to recognize and reward one team that got it right.
What the judges had to say …

This team showed great Engineering practices while documenting their designs from sketches to prototype and beyond. Who knew dominoes could teach Robotics?”

Regional Finalists

(Advancing to Championships because of 2 Wild Cards)
Team 2584, Flame of the West from Calabasas, CA
Team 691, Project 691 Robotics from Stevenson Ranch, CA
 

Dean’s List Finalist

FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Alison Wang from Team 599, Robodox

“This student is a clear go-getter and can definitely get things done! She was elected team president in her junior year, the first non-senior president of her team. She also raised $10,000 in sponsorships for her team. She has a true passion for her team and her community, even reaching out to disadvantaged youth by creating an FLL team at a local homeless shelter. We look forward to see the teams that she’s going to start in the future.”

FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Maxwell Weinberger from Team 2429, La Canada Engineering Club

“Passion! Passion! Passion! This student started with FTC and later joined his team’s FRC team where he blossomed under the pressure. He was elected Captain because of his Passion, Leadership, and Focus, and his dedication to mentoring others has impressed his team and our judges.”

In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List.
This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

Shifei Yin 

Additional Awards

Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the LA North Regional! See the list here.


Support

An immense THANK YOU to all the Sponsors who contributed to this very successful Regional with funding, mentors, volunteers and enthusiasm! Regional Sponsors include Boston Scientific, Walt Disney Imagineering  and PwC .
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the LA North Regional.  We’d love to hear your stories.  Please consider sharing them with us here in the comments below or on our facebook page.  Photo and video links welcome!

San Francisco FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

San Francisco FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

Congratulations to the 43 Teams from California, Hawaii and Turkey PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the San Francisco FIRST Robotics Regional, March 14-17, 2019!

ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the San Francisco Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.

Regional Chairman’s Award

Team 604, Quixilver from San Jose, CA
The Chairman’s Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The Chairman’s Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the Chairman’s Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.

Engineering Inspiration

Team 6814, Ellipse fron Santa Rosa, CA
The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

Regional Winners

Team 971, Spartan from Mountain View, CA
Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs from San Jose, CA
Team 5700, SOTA Cyberdragons from San Francisco, CA

Photo Credit: Team 971


Rookie All-Star Award

Team 7419, Tech Support from Dublin, CA
This award celebrates a 1st year team demonstrating an early but strong partnership effort, implementing the mission of FIRST.  Its winner understands what FIRST is really trying to accomplish and realizes that technical work is fun and challenging, made better by building a partnership among team, community and school.  This is not an easy challenge for a rookie team but the judges want to recognize and reward one team that got it right.

Regional Finalists

(Advancing to Championships because of 2 Wild Cards)
Team 649, M-SET Fish from Saratoga, CA
Team 5499, The Bay Orangutans from Berkeley, CA

Dean’s List Finalist

FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Alexander Beaver from Team 100, The WildHats
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Divya Satrawada from Team 115, MVRT
In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List.
This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

Mitch Lichtenberg – Mentor for Team 649, M-SET Fish

Volunteer of the Year

Frank Kusiak
Frank impacts our community in numerous ways, as a FIRST Senior Head Ref, San Francisco Regional Planning Committee member, Monterey Bay Regional Planning Committee member and Head Ref, Scholarship Provider Coordinator for the Bay Area, and more.  Plus, he is an awesome grill master and we look forward to Frank’s famous ribs!

Additional Awards

Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the San Francisco Regional! See the list here.


Support

An immense THANK YOU to all the Sponsors who contributed to this very successful Regional with funding, mentors, volunteers and enthusiasm! Regional Sponsors include the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, Oracle, Keysight Technologies and PWC.
The San Francisco Regional LAUNCHED with an opening ceremony speaker Jessica Marquez, NASA Ames Research Scientist. She truly captured the attention of the audience and inspired our students, mentors and volunteers alike.  

We are in DEEP SPACE appreciation for Keysight Technologies, our generous sponsor of the San Francisco Regional.  Sunday’s opening ceremony speech by Greg Vanwiggeren, R&D Integrating Manager at Keysight Labs included this inspirational video.

 
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the San Francisco Regional.  We’d love to hear your stories.  Please consider sharing them with us here in the comments below or on our facebook page.  Photo and video links welcome!

Qualcomm Walks the Talk with FIRST Core Values

Qualcomm Walks the Talk with FIRST Core Values

As we embrace our exciting new theme “FIRST RISE℠” across all FIRST programs for the 2019/2020 season, we are especially grateful for our sponsors who share our common goal of “working together and creating a place where collaboration and collective wisdom can elevate new ideas and foster growth.”   One sponsor in particular that we’d like to give special thanks to for their international commitment plus deep involvement in FIRST California is Qualcomm. Their dynamic sponsorship and unwavering commitment to FIRST is a shining example of a strategic collaboration that helps to elevate all who are involved. They truly understand and model the meaning of “Together, We Rise” Their involvement with FIRST began 13 years ago when their Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer began volunteering as a judge at the San Diego Regional and immediately saw the power of FIRST and how mutually supportive a partnership could be.
Their local commitment quickly grew into a International Strategic Partnership that today looks like: EVENT SPONSORSHIP: FIRST Championship events sponsor since 2013 with the last 6 years as the Presenting Sponsor, FIRST events sponsor across programs in San Diego for 13 years, plus event sponsor at a number of other FIRST events nationally and internationally. MASSIVE TEAM SUPPORT: For the 2018-2019 season, Qualcomm supported more than 70 teams in California and hundreds more throughout the U.S and internationally, with Qualcomm employees acting as coaches, mentors, and event volunteers. INCREASED ACCESS: Through financial investment and outreach they’ve increased access to FIRST programs in 9 countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Korea, Israel, Ireland, India and the UK. They also focused on engaging underserved and underrepresented students. TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION: Provided more than 180,000 students from over 25 countries, hands-on experience with our Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ mobile technology platform through integration in the FIRST Tech Challenge control system. 10,000+ EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: More than 10,000 hours of volunteer time with students across the globe. In 2018 they saw an 85 percent increase in the number of employees mentoring FIRST teams from the year before.
A more in-depth look into their involvement with FIRST and their additional corporate responsibility initiatives can be found in their recent Sustainability Report. In the report they illustrate how their focus is on “bringing innovation, collaboration and increased access to STEM for students around the globe” and “giving today’s students the foundation they need to invent the future”.  They also highlight how “STEM education is a sustainability priority for Qualcomm focusing on increasing the talent pipeline within STEM-related careers and nurturing the next generation of inventors.

A Perfect Match!

It’s amazing to see how perfectly matched their STEM related efforts are with FIRST’s Core Values of Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, Fun and Discovery.  It’s no accident that in 2014 Qualcomm earned the “Founders Award” presented each year by FIRST to one organization or individual for exceptional service in advancing the ideals and mission of FIRST! What makes their support so dynamic and stand-out is that they go above and beyond generous financial and time investments. They also put personal action behind their words to show that they truly care.

See how Qualcomm puts FIRST Core Values into Play!

INNOVATION: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.

  • WELCOME TO THE INVENTION AGE: “Welcome to the Invention Age” is their ethos and they creatively brought it to life by visiting California teams at FIRST Championship and asking them to complete this sentence “This is the age where I can invent_______________” and then sharing their response on Instagram.
They also visited teams to find out “what the phrase “Invention Age” means to them“. Hear what they had to say in the video below. To see more of Qualcomm’s amazing coverage of  FIRST Championship, see their Instagram Stories Highlight.
  •  QUALCOMM INNOVATION AWARD: They provide the $10,000 Qualcomm Innovation Award for the past 4 years at San Diego Regional.
 

IMPACT:  We apply what we learn to improve our world.

  • EXPANSIVE REACH: Through their Strategic Partnership with FIRST it is estimated that they have helped inspire nearly 500,000 people in science and technology over past year alone!
  • “MAKING FIRST WORK FOR YOU” PANEL MEMBER: Courtney Lach, Talent Acquisition Manager, was panel member for the “Making FIRST Work for You” event at FIRST Championship in Houston.
 

INCLUSION: We respect each other and embrace our differences.

  • “EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION” PANEL MEMBER: Natalie Dusi, Corporate Responsibility Program Manager at Qualcomm, was a panel member at the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion town hall meeting at the FIRST Championship. #allin
  • ENCOURAGING TEAM DIVERSITY: Vanitha Kumar, VP of Engineering at Qualcomm, was the Opening Ceremonies speaker at the San Diego Regional this year and her homework to attendees was to “Take a good look at your FIRST team to make sure it has the same level (or more) of diversity that is represented at your school.”
  • #FIRSTLIKEAGIRL: Qualcomm actively uses and engages with the #FIRSTlikeagirl hashtag on all channels of social media.

FUN: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

The Qualcomm team excels at FUN! We have to give Garrett and Natalie, our key contacts here in California, special recognition for the true enthusiasm and joy they both have for FIRST.  They love what they do and it shows.
  • CHAMPIONSHIP PIZZA PARTY: They helped kick off this year’s FIRST Championship in Houston by hosting an extravagant pizza party with great swag plus raffle prizes for over 800 attendees.
  • DIGITAL TRADING CARDS AT CHAMPIONSHIP:  They created clever Digital Trading Cards based on a number of California FIRST teams and shared via Instagram at FIRST Championship.
  • T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY: They distributed thousands of Qualcomm t-shirts at the San Diego Regional that were a hit and so much fun!

TEAMWORK: We are stronger when we work together.

DISCOVERY: We explore new skills and ideas.

  • QUALCOMM EMPLOYEE BREAKFAST: They host a Qualcomm Employee Family Breakfast at the San Diego Regional allowing their employees and their families to discover the fun, excitement and value of FIRST Robotics.
  • FUNDING FIRST REQUESTS ON DONOR CHOOSE: On 4/8/19 along with Bosch, Qualcomm fully funded every request for FIRST resources on DonorChoose!

We feel so fortunate to have such a perfectly-matched sponsor with a shared vision and lots of fun-fueled action to back it up!  

Los Angeles FTC Championship – 2019

Another fine FIRST Tech Challenge season is in the books!

Here are the results from the Los Angeles FTC Championship on March 9, 2019:

Inspire: 3526 Marlbots
Inspire 1st Runner Up: 10298 BrainStormz
Inspire 2nd Runner Up: 9881 Golden Gears
 
Winning Alliance Captain: 10298 BrainStormz
Winning Alliance 1st Picked: 4625 Kings and Queens
Winning Alliance 2nd Picked: 9512 Hippie Bots
 
Finalist Alliance Captain: 14921 AlphaOmega
Finalist Alliance 1st Picked: 5921 La Canada Engineering Club
Finalist Alliance 2nd Picked: 9873 Pika Tech
 

Think Award:

1. 542 WHS Robotics
2. 5218 Javabots
3. 6325 Aluminati

Connect Award:

1. 9881 Golden Gears
2. 4628 Suit Bots
3. 3526 Marlbots

Collins Aerospace Innovate Award:

1. 8564 Lockdown
2. 9881 Golden Gears
3. 12861 RoboHeros

Design Award:

1. 5921 La Canada Engineering Club
2. 3526 Marlbots
3. 10298 BrainStormz

Motivate Award:

1. 12525 Wolf Corp
2. 8564 Lockdown
3. 5218 Javabots

Control Award:

1. 5380 Electromedics Red
2. 12525 Wolf Corp
3. 12861 RoboHeros

Compass Award:

1. Julie Townsend, nominated by 5218 Javabots

2. Lloyd Kwan, nominated by 8564 Lockdown

3. Paul Flores, nominated by 9512 Hippie Bots

Promote Award:

1. 542 WHS Robotics

2. 3526 Marlbots

3. 8564 Lockdown

4. 6371 Machine Kings

Advancement

The following Los Angeles teams advance to the FIRST Tech Challenge Houston championship:

  • 3526 Marlbots
  • 10298 BrainStormz (previously advanced)
  • 4625 Kings and Queens
  • 9881 Golden Gears
  • 9512 Hippie Bots
  • 542 WHS Robotics
  • 14921 AlphaOmega
  • 5921 La Canada Engineering Club

The above results were reposted from the SoCal/Greater LA FTC Newsletter.  To sign-up for their newsletter, visit their FIRST TECH SOCAL webpage.

8th Annual Central Valley FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

8th Annual Central Valley FIRST Robotics Regional – 2019

Congratulations to the 49 teams from California, Utah and Chinese Taipei PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the 8th Annual Central Valley FIRST Robotics Regional!


ABC30

ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Central Valley Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.

Regional Chairman’s Award

Team 1678, Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA
The Chairman’s Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRSTIt remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The Chairman’s Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the Chairman’s Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.

Engineering Inspiration

Team 585, Cyber Penguins from Tehachapi, CA
The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 NASA grant toward registration.

Regional Winners

Team 1323, MadTown Robotics from Madera, CA
Team 1678, Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA
Team 7663, Sleuth Robotics from Fresno, CA

From Citrus Circuit’s Facebook page: A successful climb with two other robots to the third level, scoring a full 36 points during their second quarterfinals match.


Rookie All-Star Award

Team 7589 – Lishan Blue Magpies from Taipei Special Municipality, Chinese Taipei
This award celebrates a 1st year team demonstrating an early but strong partnership effort, implementing the mission of FIRST.  Its winner understands what FIRST is really trying to accomplish and realizes that technical work is fun and challenging, made better by building a partnership among team, community and school.  This is not an easy challenge for a rookie team but the judges want to recognize and reward one team that got it right.

Regional Finalists

(Advancing to Championships because of 2 Wild Cards)
Team 5026, Iron Panthers from Burlingam, CA
Team 1072, Harker Robotics from San Jose, CA

Dean’s List Finalist

FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Cyrus Najmi-Vannini from Team 3495, MindCraft Robotics
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Maya Kesapradist from Team 6241, CowTech
In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List.
This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.

Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

Mary Allen – Mentor for Team 6305, Stable Circuits

Additional Awards

Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Central Valley Regional! See the list here.


Media Attention

ABC30


Photo Gallery

2019 Central Valley Regional
Feel free to use and share!


We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Central Valley Regional.  We’d love to hear your stories.  Please consider sharing them with us here in the comments below or on our facebook page.  Photo and video links welcome!
 

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