Mentor Breakfast at San Diego Regional

Mentor Breakfast at San Diego Regional

Mentor Breakfast

FIRST could not exist without our mentors, and we value all the ways you show up and support our teams throughout the year.

As a token of our appreciation, we invite you to start practice day off on a good foot with some fresh donuts and coffee! Stop by our table outside the volunteer lounge on Friday morning.

DATE: Friday, March 22nd
TIME: 8:30am – 9:30am
LOCATION: Outside the Volunteer Lounge at UCSD Liontree Arena

 

Join the San Diego FIRST Mentor Network 

Last fall, we launched the San Diego FIRST Mentor Network on Slack, as a digital community to help foster connection and increase collaboration. This build season, our local mentors found it exceptionally useful to quickly find parts needed from other teams, or to share tools.

To request an invitation to the San Diego FIRST Mentor Network, please fill out the form here.

 

Thank you for all you do!

Women in STEM at San Diego Regional

Women in STEM at San Diego Regional

Are you curious about what a career in STEM fields can look like for you? Do you want to connect with successful women in your field and learn about their experiences and paths to success? Then you won’t want to miss our “Women in STEM” event, exclusively for team members and mentors at the San Diego Regional. 

At this event, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Chat with female STEM professionals about their career paths and experiences.
  • Get inspired by successful women in STEM fields who have overcome challenges and achieved great things.
  • Learn about the different career options available to you in STEM fields, and get advice on how to pursue your dreams.
  • Network with other female students and STEM professionals, making valuable connections that could lead to future opportunities.

And that’s not all! To make this event even more special, we’ll be treating all attendees to dessert. You’ll be able to indulge in sweet treats and get the information and inspiration you need to take your future to the next level.

Though the event is focused around female experiences in STEM, everyone is welcome to attend. We can’t wait to see you there and help you on your journey to success!

DATE: Saturday, March 23rd
TIME: 1:15pm – 2:30pm
LOCATION: UCSD – LionTree Arena, in the Volunteer Lounge

MEET THE STEM PROFESSIONALS

Saritha Goli

Saritha Goli

Senior Director, Engineering - Qualcomm

Gabriella Loaiza

Gabriella Loaiza

Mechanical Engineer in Unmanned Marine Vehicle Lab - NIWC Pacific

Kathreen Thome, PhD

Kathreen Thome, PhD

Fusion Scientist - General Atomics

Mirella Cruz

Mirella Cruz

Engineer 1 - RDQ, Inc.

Kelly Kloster Hon

Kelly Kloster Hon

Sr. Manager, Product Development Engineering - Becton Dickinson

Olivia Li

Olivia Li

Senior Software Engineer - Qualcomm Wireless Research Department

Vanessa Eslava

Vanessa Eslava

Transportation Engineer - TYLin

Natalie LaRowe

Natalie LaRowe

Mechanical Engineering Business Systems Analyst - General Atomics

Sarah Rodriguez

Sarah Rodriguez

Application Developer Master - TechFlow, Inc.

Snighda Chalasani

Snighda Chalasani

Embedded Engineer - Qualcomm

Sahana Kumar

Sahana Kumar

Medical Student at UCSD School of Medicine - Biomedical Engineering Degree from John Hopkins

Alumni Mixer at San Diego Regional

Alumni Mixer at San Diego Regional

FIRST Alumni and FIRST Seniors

Come on down for sweet treats, a FIRST California alumni sticker and a chance to hang out with fellow FIRST alumni and soon-to-be alumni!

A Talent Aquisition rep from Qualcomm with be there along with a couple other special guests.

DATE: Saturday, March 23rd
TIME: 12:15pm – 1:00pm
LOCATION: Next to the field

* Please do not use your school email address

Sign Up for your FREE Pass to the Alumni Mixer

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By joining the San Diego Regional Alumni Mixer, you will also be signed up for the FIRST California Alumni network and will occasionally receive info about events and opportunities.

California Teams at FIRST Championship in Houston – 2023

California Teams at FIRST Championship in Houston – 2023

We are so proud of all 81 FIRST teams from California who brought their “A” game to compete, collaborate, have fun and make memories along with hundreds of other student robotics teams from 59 countries around the globe!  

The 2023 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems, the world’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students, celebrated the conclusion of the 2022-2023 robotics season, FIRST ENERGIZE presented by Qualcomm, with 50,000+ students, mentors/coaches, volunteers, sponsors, media, and supporters.

Congratulations to the following California teams, students and volunteers who are bringing home a huge amount of impressive awards.

CALIFORNIA AWARDS AT CHAMPIONSHIP

On Winning Alliance

Team 1323
Madera

Team 4414
Ventura

Dean's List Winner

Brianna Adewinmbi
Team 687
Carson

DIVISIONS:

  • On the Winning Alliances: 
    • Archimedes – Team 972 from Los Gatos and Team 687 from Carson
    • Galileo – Team 1678 from Davis and Team 3476 from Irvine
    • Hopper – Team 1323 from Madera and Team 4414 from Ventura
    • Johnson – Team 973 from Atascadero
    • Milstein – Team 5419 from Berkeley
  • On the Finalists Alliances:
    • Curie – Team 5940 from Redwood City and Team 649 from Saratoga
    • Newton – Team 1538 form San Diego and Team 4419 from San Marcos
  • Engineering Inspiration:
    • Archimedes – Team 4 from Van Nuys
  • Creativity Award: 
    • Curie – Team 5940 from Redwood City
    • Milstein – Team 604 from San Jose
  • Excellence in Engineering
    • Archimedes – Team 254 from San Jose
  • Rookie Inspiration:
    • Archimedes – Team 9038 from San Francisco
  • Imagery Award: 
    • Curie – Team 4738 from San Diego
  • Autonomous Award: 
    • Johnson – Team 971 from Mountain View
  • Highest Rookie Seed: 
    • Milstein – Team 9125 from Newark
    • Newton – Team 9084 from Goleta
  • Judges Award: 
    • Archimedes – Team 1700 from Palo Alto
  • Industrial Design Award: 
    • Hopper – Team 1323 from Madera
  • Quality Award: 
    • Newton – Team 1538 from San Diego
    • Hopper – Team 4414 from Ventura

On Winning Alliance

Team 18457
Newbury Park

Dean's List Winners

Priyanka Karunakaran
Team 18715
San Jose

Perry Han
Team 542
Cerritos

3rd Place Compass Award

Noah Devico
Team 18457
Newbury Park

DIVISIONS:

  • On the Winning Alliances: 
    • Edison Division – Team 18457 from Newbury Park

    • Ochoa Division: Team 14496 from Escondido

  • Inspire Award:
    • Jemison – Team 14140 from La Jolla
  • Control Award:
    • Ochoa – Team 14496 from Escondido
  • Judges Award:
    • Franklin: “I Am Phoenix” Award: Team 20500 from Sun Valley

Challenge Solution Award

Rockin Robos
Rocklin

Core Values Award

Chicken Hunters
Encinitas

Coding Award

Trouble Makers
Fremont

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Many many thanks to all the mentors, volunteers, sponsors and parents who helped make this all possible! With extra special thanks to the 2023 FIRST Championship Presenting Sponsor Qualcomm who continues to fully embrace the FIRST community with open arms and great generosity.

San Diego Regional – 2023

San Diego Regional – 2023

The 17th Annual San Diego FIRST Robotics Competition presented by Qualcomm, held March 23-26, 2023, was another great success!  The event featured 50 teams and 1,500+ students from local San Diego high schools plus through other California cities, Switzerland, Turkey and Chinese Taipei. Participants and spectators loved our new venue, the UCSD LionTree Arena!

We began practice day with a Mentor Breakfast to fuel our wonderful mentors with coffee and donuts, introduce them to our local San Diego Mentor Network on Slack and to give them a chance to connect with each other in person.

During opening ceremonies Qualcomm’s SVP & CIO, Cisco Sanchez, announced the $10,000 Qualcomm Innovation Grant which was later to be won by Team 4738, Patriobots, from Patrick Henry High. Lieutenant Colonel Adrian A. Zinnerman, from the Air Force, also shared passionate words about his experience and encouraged the participants to continue to pursue their passion for STEM. 

At the competition, three STEM proclamations were presented from the County of San Diego and the State of California –  STEAM California Statewide Observance Day, Commending STEAM Robotics Observance and Honoring Women in STEAM in San Diego County. A big thank you to California Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson and Team Spyder for these important recognitions.

It was a full house at the Women in STEM event, with great connections made with STEM professionals from Viasat, Qualcomm, UCSD, The Air Force, General Atomics, Sinopia Bio, Becton Dickinson and Society of Women Engineers. This was an amazing opportunity for women in the field to come together and network with each other. LinkedIn profiles for the STEM professionals can be found here.

The Alumni Event also had a great turnout with alumni and soon-to-be alumni mixing and mingling then gathering for a fun group photo.

New this year, FIRST California Gracious Professional pins were awarded to participants, volunteers and mentors who were “caught in the act” of being a gracious professional. And speaking of gracious professionals, we were also honored to have a visit from UCSD Chancellor Khosla and Dr. Paul E. Jacobs (FIRST Board of Directors)!

Finally, a huge congratulations to all the teams who worked tirelessly throughout the competition. Your hard work and dedication paid off, and we are proud of your achievements.

We would like to thank the volunteers, mentors, and sponsors who made the event possible. Your support and dedication are truly appreciated and invaluable to the success of the competition. We look forward to another successful event next year.

Big thanks to Tom LaFleur for capturing these amazing San Diego Regional memories!

Feel free to download and share any of these photos.  You can tag FIRST San Diego at @sdfirstrobotics and FIRST California at @firstroboticscalifornia on Instagram  and use hashtags #FIRSTinCA, #FIRSTSD #firstininspires, #CHARGEDUP and #omgrobots.

LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the San Diego Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

FIRST Impact Award

The FIRST Impact Award is 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.   

The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient team will be invited to a FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against winners from other qualifying events.

From little ones to seniors, this team embodies all of FIRST’s goals and objectives under their expansive wingspan. Giving their blood, sweat and tears for their country, while innovating to save the environment worldwide. This team rises from the ashes once again to display its aura.

  • Team 5993, Istech Robotics Society, from Istanbul, Turkey

    Engineering Inspiration

    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.

    From the moment you meet any of this team’s members you get inspired by their FRC program depth. Spending nearly 4000 hours volunteering this year, all of their team members have mentored inside and outside their community and fueling 7 FLL teams into existence. Whether you look east or have a WESTVIEW you will find more than a dozen options on how this team has been inspiring others.

    Regional Winners

    • Team 973, Greybots, from Atascadero, CA
    • Team 1538, The Holy Cows, from San Diego, CA
    • Team 4419, Team Rewind, from San Marcos, CA

    Finalists (wildcards)

    • Team 599, The Robodox, from Granada Hills, CA
    • Team 4738, Patribots, from San Diego, CA

    Dean’s List Finalist

    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.

    • Kavish Kondap, from Team 2485, W.A.R Lords
    • Xochitl Martinez, from Team 3342, Option 16

    Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

    FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. William Murphy, Jr., who was instrumental in creating the concept of FIRST with Dean Kamen, recognized the unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style that Woodie brought to the FIRST Robotics Competition.

    In honor of Woodie, Dr. Murphy founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996. He recognized that the FIRST ethos would be carried forward by our FIRST mentors and sought to celebrate those mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Woodie. Woodie believed “societies get the best of what they celebrate”.

    Being recognized by students, through nomination essays, makes this honor very meaningful to mentors. It is truly an honor for a mentor to be nominated for this award.

    • Barış Çetin, from Team 5993, Istech Robotics Society

    Additional Awards

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

    Instagram Highlights

    Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of San Diego. Watch @sdfirstrobotics Instagram Highlight Tab!

    Silicon Valley Regional – 2023

    Silicon Valley Regional – 2023

    From April 5-8, 2023, this year’s Silicon Valley Regional welcomed 59 teams from 5 countries to compete in a fantastic Sport for the Mind event.  There were 56 veterans and 3 rookie teams in attendance. It was great to have speakers from PG&E and the KLA Foundation.  

    Highlights from the event included trivia, Gracious Professionalism pins as well as world class robots playing the Charged Up sponsored by Haas robot game.

    The Volunteer of the Year was Cameron Tacklind, and the Woodie Flowers Finalist Awardee was Marta Carrillo from Team 1967 in San Jose CA.

    Event winners were Team 254 from San Jose CA, Team 1678 from Davis CA, Team 100 from Woodside CA, and Team 2489 from San Jose CA.  The FIRST Impact Award was given to Team 5985 from Wollongong Australia. 

    We’d like to extend an immense THANK YOU to all the sponsors, mentors and volunteers who contributed to this very successful Regional. 

    LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

    The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Silicon Valley Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston, April 19-22, 2023

    FIRST Impact Award

    The FIRST Impact Award is 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.   

    The FIRST Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient team will be invited to a FIRST Championship where it will compete for the FIRST Impact Award against winners from other qualifying events.

    This team’s impact will leave you in TEARS,
    With all those they have helped across the YEARS.
    Their documentation was quite extensive and showed the breadth of their REACH,
    In three years, twenty-three hundred students they did TEACH.
    Taking Lego robotics to a new HEIGHT,
    They turned it into therapy, vocational training, and a shining LIGHT.
    Saving a FRC regional with funding and SPACE,
    This team is many-a-student’s home and safe PLACE.
    To create opportunities and transform communities, this team does STRIVE,
    Please join us and congratulate team five-nine-eight-FIVE!

    •  Team 5985 – Project Bucephalus from Wollongong, Australia

    Engineering Inspiration

    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.

    This team boasts a robust internal training and mentorship program, ensuring that new members quickly find their “sea legs”.
    They advocate for STEM education in their local community, securing national funding, and empowering other teams to join them.
    Their “fluid” approach to Outreach “washes” over language barriers by teaching conversation skills. And by joining forces with international teams, they reach well beyond their shores.
    Their commitment continues to make “waves” with medical partnerships.
    “Go baby go”!

    • Team 649 – MSET Fish from Saratoga, CA

    Regional Winners

    • Team 254 – The Cheesy Poofs from San Jose, CA
    • Team 1678 – Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA
    • Team 100 – Wildhats from Woodside, CA

    Regional Finalist (wildcard)

    • Team 9126 – Silver Hawks from Kaohsiung City, Chinese Taipei
    • Team 2489 – The Insomniacs from San Jose, CA
    • Team 604 – Quixilver from San Jose, CA

    Dean’s List Finalist

    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.

    • Alison Lin from Team 1678, Citrus Circuits
    • Ian Parker from Team 581, Blazing Bulldogs

    Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

    FIRST stands apart from other competitions in STEM and sports due to the FIRST Ethos of Gracious Professionalism, the concept of Coopertition, and the commitment to the FIRST Core Values. The guiding force behind these principles was Dr. Woodie Flowers. Dr. William Murphy, Jr., who was instrumental in creating the concept of FIRST with Dean Kamen, recognized the unique perspective, wisdom, and communication style that Woodie brought to the FIRST Robotics Competition.

    In honor of Woodie, Dr. Murphy founded the Woodie Flowers Award in 1996. He recognized that the FIRST ethos would be carried forward by our FIRST mentors and sought to celebrate those mentors who demonstrate the leadership, ethical behavior, and communication skills exemplified by Woodie. Woodie believed “societies get the best of what they celebrate”.

    Being recognized by students, through nomination essays, makes this honor very meaningful to mentors. It is truly an honor for a mentor to be nominated for this award.

     This mentor challenges students to plan for the future through leadership development weekends, where students are at the forefront of envisioning technical goals. This mentor teaches young women to advocate for their ideas, from early whiteboard brainstorming sessions all the way to competition strategy. Working to inspire the broader FIRST community, this mentor hosts summer bootcamps to introduce others to robotics. Operating with an “above and beyond attitude” she has inspired generations!

    Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Silicon Valley Regional Woodie Flowers FINALIST Award winner, Marta Carrillo, from Team 1967!

    • Marta Carrillo from Team 1967, The Janksters

    Additional Awards

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

    Instagram Highlights

    Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Silcion Valley Regional. Watch Instagram Highlight Tab!

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