Congratulations to the 59 Teams from California, Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho and China PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the Sacramento FIRST Robotics Regional from March 20-23, 2019!
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Sacramento Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 701, RoboVikes from Fairfield, 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 …
“With a solid, sustainable plan for in-house & outreach success, this team is the backbone of support for numerous FLL, VEX & FRC teams in their region. Maintaining a strong relationship with sponsors, they give business, technical & financial assistance to numerous First teams. This financial support also extends throughout the community to non-direct FIRST programs such as the District migrant educational school programs. Notably, they have mentored numerous Chairman Award nominees & regional alliance winners. Their respect within the community not only emphasizes the four values of FIRST but a dedicated willingness to “Always be there for Support ”. The ship sails through rough seas, the journey is long & at times uncertain. Their Wind-swept sails are tightly rigged, the crew well disciplined – ready for the adventure ahead.. Even with a new captain, this Viking team’s course travels straight and true – their mission is just – encouraging others – knowing that they will follow.”
Engineering Inspiration
Team 3598, SEStematic Eliminators from Sacramento, 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 outstanding team looked around their community in search of diverse opportunities to spread a passion for STEM. In multiple partnerships with community leaders and organizations, they provide opportunities to youth who have been underrepresented in STEM programs. Through an exciting STEM night, FLL, FTC, and FRC teams, and more than 35 workshops held in local libraries, they have systemically impacted youth in YMCA, the probationary department, and the society for the blind.“
Regional Winners
Team 1323, Madtown Robotics from Madera, CA Team 1678, Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA Team 3859, Wolfpack Robotics from Elk Grove, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7663, Sleuth Robotics from Fresno, 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.
What the judges had to say …
“This small rookie team has already started to inspire students with outreach through FLL Programming Workshops. Their ability to solve problems on the spot is note-worthy of Sherlock Holmes. This robot sneaks by their competitors and fills the cargo ship.“
Regional Finalists
(Advancing to Championships because of a Wild Card) Team 3250, Kennedy Robotics from Sacramento, CA
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Katie Stachowicz from Team 1678
What the judges had to say …
“This student showcases leadership and an entrepreneurial spirit in everything she does. From leading relationships with sponsors to organizing any of her team’s most prominent outreach programs, without her the team would be unable to achieve such a high impact on the community.”
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Sarah Bergendahl from Team 701
What the judges had to say …
“This student exemplifies what it means to be a leader. Her skills in programming scouting software and effective communication with sponsors and team supporters through a monthly newsletter are a few examples of her impact on both the team and the local community.”
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
Randall Lam from Team 1458, Red Tie Robotics
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Sacramento Regional! See the list here.
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, UC Davis College of Engineering and the US Army.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Sacramento 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!
Congratulations to the 56 Teams from California, Hawaii, Arizon and Chile PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the Los Angeles FIRST Robotics Regional from March 20-23, 2019!
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Sacramento Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 1515, MorTorq from Beverly Hills, 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 year’s recipient strives to enrich their students with the knowledge of robotics and nurture their members as future leaders of society by creating a launch pad for their success. As an active participant in FIRST for over 13 years, this team embodies FIRST’s mission by spreading their love of STEM beyond robotics in order to foster a multi-generational change. The team motivates members to create their own events, plan meetings, and develop vital leadership skills. They have developed applications for FRC teams to efficiently organize tasks, manage files chat with members, aid in scouting, map teams around the globe, and help track their inventory of parts. This team impressed the judges with their Developer Evangelism, Qualitative Focus and introduction of ‘Women in STEM’ speaker series. They are MORE than a team, they are ‘MorTorq’.“
Engineering Inspiration
Team 5512, Pizza Mecanica from Santiago, Chile
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 helped lead a regional culture shift toward inclusion of diverse team members in STEM activities and exposure to the FIRST philosophy, especially in underserved communities. Based on significant growth over the past year, they have been recognized by national government agencies leading to increased visibility of FIRST, locally, and regionally. Their efforts to channel the message of FIRST through teacher engagement will allow this message to thrive and grow for years to come. The passion, dedication and commitment to their community programs in robotics are a true inspiration to us all. For having demonstrated the core values and philosophy of FIRST in such a “flavorful” way, we recognize PIZZA MECÁNICA.“
Regional Winners
Team 5199, Robot Dolphins from Outerspace from San Juan Capistrano Team 330, Beach Bots from Hermosa Beach, CA Team 2710, JetStream from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7871, South Gate High School Robotics from South Gate, 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.
What the judges had to say …
“When embarking on this journey, this team discovered a lot. Through partnerships with the team’s school, faculty, city, and other FRC teams, this rookie team launched a successful first season. With continued fundraising efforts, this team has built a strong foundation. We’re excited to recognize this team that came strong out the GATES.”
Regional Finalists
(Advancing to Championships because of 2 Wild Cards) Team 4415, Epic Robotz from Cerritos, CA Team 2375, Dragon Robotics from Phoenix, AZ
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Shyla Summers from Team 589
What the judges had to say …
“This Dean’s List finalist has been a long-time FIRST participant, and truly represents the best of FIRST through strong leadership, outreach activities, and technical contributions to the team.”
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Josef Kirkman from Team 687
What the judges had to say …
“This Dean’s List finalist is a dedicated and hard-working team member. With strong technical and leadership skills, this individual motivates other team members and constantly promotes FIRST.”
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
Shane Palmerino from Team 330, Beach Bots
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Los Angeles Regional! See the list here.
An immense THANK YOU to all the Sponsors who contributed to this very successful Regional with funding, mentors, volunteers and enthusiasm! Regional Sponsors include Raytheon, Marathon, Roddenberry Foundation, Boeing, PWC, Southern California Edison, Walt Disney Imagineering, The Kenneth T and Eileen L Norrris Foundation, SpaceX, Boston Scientific, GoGuardian, Vigrin Orbit, Aerojet Rocketdyne Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Petty, Gerald Oppenheimer Family Foundation, The Habiby Family, Sue Baumgarten and David Totheroh, Bancroft-Clair Foundation and the Armand Hammer Foundation.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Los Angeles 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!
*Blog cover photo credit goes to Team 1323
Congratulations to the 36 Teams from California and China PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the Inaugural Monterey Bay FIRST Robotics Regional from March 21-24, 2019! It was amazing to kick off the inaugural event with Woodie Flowers who, as always, inspired the crowd and spent time with each individual team. You can catch Woodie’s thought provoking opening speech in the video below. 👇🏼
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Monterey Bay Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 1671, Buchanan Bird Brains from Clovis, 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 flies around their community, delivering extensive mentoring and workshops. They’ve really spread their wings through their signature workshop in a box, children’s activity book, and other initiatives to help identify the districts in need of resources.
Terns for the worst? No ruffled feathers, no grousing around. There’s no ducking of responsibility on this team : they flock together and do what needs to be done.“
Engineering Inspiration
Team 2073, EagleForce from Elk Grove, 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 …
“Their outreach to elementary schools, the community, and within their schools allow others to GEEK OUT. The RIGHT ARM of this team is reaching out on a project to help a student in their district. Their academy has expanded their school district’s offering of new classes. Their annual learning-based off-season event inspires other FRC teams. They have proven themselves as a FORCE to be reckoned with.“
Regional Winners
Team 1671, Buchanan Bird Brains from Clovis, CA Team 6814, Ellipse from Santa Rosa, CA Team 702, Bagel Bytes from Culver City, CA Team 2643, Dark Matter from San Jose, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7528, Nuts and Bolts from Morgan Hill, 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.
What the judges had to say …
“Our Rookie All-Star Award is presented to a team which was very efficient in their execution as demonstrated by IMPRESSIVE rankings this weekend. With a well stated business plan, including a mission to inspire enthusiasm for STEM, some key sponsorship and a sustainable plan with outreach PLUS helping a local middle school FLL team, this team has fastened themselves together to build and develop into a winning FIRST robotics team.“
Regional Finalists
(Advancing to Championships because of 3 Wild Cards) Team 3128, Aluminum Narwhals from San Diego, CA Team 6506, Steel Boot from Salinas, CA Team 6059, System Overload Robotics from Livermore, CA
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Christopher Oliver from Team 7667 FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Cady Boronkay from Team 2643
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 from Team 5823 in China was presented the Woodie Flowers Finalist award by non-other than Woodie Flowers himself!
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Monterey Bay Regional! See the list here.
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 and Salad Savoy. Thanks to Matt Lussier, Worldwide FIRST Program Manager from FIRST’s strategic partner Apple, who inspired all by reminding us that “humanity isn’t singular it’s plural, its our differences that bring us together” and to embrace diversity.
Opening remarks from Congressman Jimmy Panetta.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the inaugural Monterey Bay 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!
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!
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
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!
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 withFIRST’s Core Values ofInnovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, FunandDiscovery. 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.
“Beyond talent, we want to make sure we have the innovators that are going to help us answer tomorrow’s challenges.” – Courtney Lach, Talent Acquisition Manager, @Qualcomm#FIRSTInspirespic.twitter.com/NCoH3AKXTT
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.
PARTNERING TO ENGAGE NEW SPONSORS: They are champions of FIRST Sponsorship and actively work to help us inspire new Sponsors by sharing their experience at our Invited Guest events at the San Diego Regional…and beyond!
HELPING TO #MAKEIT LOUD! They work with influential analysts and media to secure great coverage on FIRST. You can find a couple recent examples below:
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!
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