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!
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!
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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 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 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.
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!
Congratulations to the 47 Teams from California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands PLUS Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the 13th Annual San Diego FIRST Robotics Regional Competition presented by Qualcomm, March 6-9, 2019!
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 in April.
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.
Here’s what the Judges had to say –
“This team has consistently demonstrated the ideals of FIRST by inspiring teenagers throughout their community to pursue careers in engineering and STEM. They have created an innovation and engineering culture by establishing a women in engineering chapter, starting multiple teams in Title 1 schools, working with politicians to bring about legislative change, and more outreach than we can count. Providing a true model for other FIRST teams to emulate. This innovation culture expanded globally as they provided mentoring, sustainability education, and financial support to teams in other countries with limited resources. Their web of influence may not get them to Hollywood, but they are going to Championships.”
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.
Here’s what the judges had to say –
“This team’s impact extends from their school to the world stage. An eighth of their student body is engaged with various FIRST programs. They join with two other local teams to sponsor “Battle at the Border” during the off season. They sponsor FLL and FLL Jr. teams in eastern Europe. Inclusive engagement and empowerment which draws girls into STEM is a total WOW. Their outreach has no boundaries or walls.”
Team 3647, Millennium Falcons – from San Diego, CA Team 6995, NOMAD – from Escondido, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7626, NLHS – from Taoyuan, 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.
Here’s what the judges had to say –
“This team is off to a great start! With their focus on “learning by doing”, they recognize that building a strong, sustainable team is more important than building a robot. They defined goals and objectives, created a thorough business plan, documented their team and engineering processes, and established a team structure organized to support their efforts. In their rookie season, this team has shown all of us their honor and that they will never lose their self-confidence as they smoothly sail into the future.”
Regional Finalist
(advancing to Championships because of 3 wildcards) Team 2839, Daedalus from Escondido
Team 6695, Alpha Knights from San Marcos Team 3245, Ravens from Sandy, UT
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Ethan Champion from Team 1622, Spyder FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Farrah Kaiyom from Team 3647, Millennium Falcons
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
Todd Parr – Mentor for Team 1622, Spyder
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the San Diego Regional! See the list here.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Women In Stem Event
Sponsored by Viasat
Alumni Mixer
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 Qualcomm Incorporated, Marathon, ViaSat, General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation, Leidos, Hewlett Packard, Booz Allen Hamilton and Solar Turbines.
123EVENTPHOTOGRAPHY:The 2019 San Diego Regional HIGH RESOLUTION Gallery contains high resolution images that should only be used to make prints from. NOTE: The device you are downloading to must have the available memory/storage. They recommend using a desktop computer with an external hard drive or a flash drive. By selecting to download any images, you assume all resulting responsibility.
Please be sure to assign the photo credits on your shared images for the above photographers.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the San Diego 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 35 teams from California, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Turkey, Chile and Mexico PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the inaugural Del Mar FIRST Robotics Regional, Feb 28-Mar 3, 2019!
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Del Mar Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
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.
Here’s what the Judges had to say –
“This team has shown a sustained and strong commitment by establishing programs to introduce students of all ages to STEM and FIRST principles. They host multiple events to expose their community and emphasize underserved and under-represented groups. They broaden their horizons and impact through international outreach, but their true passion for FIRST is found closer to the nest.
The key part of this community focus; is to create a strong partnership with their district to support robotics teachers, provide facilities, and teach other teams how to start and grow. This “CORE” focus on their local community shows that FIRST can blossom, thrive, and soar above the desert.”
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.
Here’s what the judges had to say –
“This established student led team actively reaches out throughout their community promoting FIRST ideals. From branding FIRST through an annual district wide marketing meeting to inspiring new team members through a customized learning program, they continuously foster FIRST ideals. Developing team members through active mentoring and student led classes allow all their members to achieve their potential. How a team with 35 rookie members can perform at such a top level is a paradox to us.”
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.
Here’s what the judges had to say –
“While it should be no surprise as to who the winner is – we wanted to highlight how strong of a robotic team this is…
One year in, with a crew of 20 mostly sophomores, they have recruited and supported multiple FRC and FLL teams, and their mentor leaves little to chance. May the rest of your inaugural season go as smoothly as this one, as you have qualified to attend the Championships!”
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Lawrence Chang from Team 8, Paly Robotics
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Blake Lieber from Team 2102, Paradox
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
Patrick Rambo Vieira – Mentor for Team 7426, Pair of Dice Robotics
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Del Mar Regional! See the list here.
The 2019 Del Mar Regional HIGH RESOLUTION Gallery contains high resolution images that should only be used to make prints from. NOTE: The device you are downloading to must have the available memory/storage. They recommend using a desktop computer with an external hard drive or a flash drive. By selecting to download any images, you assume all resulting responsibility.
Please be sure to assign the photo credit to @123eventphotography on your shared images.
We hope you too had a memorable time at the Del Mar 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 50 Teams from California, Colorado, China and the Netherlands PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the 4th Annual Orange County FIRST Robotics Regional, Feb 27 – Mar 2, 2019!
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Orange County Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 3309, Friarbots from Anaheim, 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 …
“They fuel the mission of FIRST into Deep Space with cost free STEM outreach activities. They make a deep impact on the FIRST community by hosting events for teams from galaxies far, far away. This team also lights the way for the future with “out of this world” summer camps and Battleship Blast.”
Engineering Inspiration
Team 4481, Team Rembrandts from Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
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 brings energy and happiness as they work with alliance partners to support teams within FIRST and hold mind blowing outreach events and SolidWorks tutorials. This team inspires FLL, FTC and FRC, all levels of FIRST, to blast off with passion for STEM. They fuel the mission of engineering with youth inspiring youth and support for a round the clock call center. If things get complicated, bring in the Dutch.
Regional Winners
Team 330, The Beach Bots from Hermosa Beach, CA Team 973, Greybots from Atascadero, CA Team 597, The Wolverines from Los Angeles, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7447, Ronin Robotics from Irvine, 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 …
“In the midst of creating their very own robot they have committed a generous amount of community service directly related to middle school robotics programs. By combining forces with tech, innovation and programming they have become bulldogs for inspiring others. These samurai inspire students to pursue an education and career in STEM.”
Regional Finalists
(Advancing to Championships because of 3 Wild Cards) Team 4079, Quantum Leap from Cypress, CA Team 4276, Surf City Vikings from Huntington Beach, CA Team 5805, SMbly Required from Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Adrian Machado from Team 3309, Friarbots FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Marc Anthony Maciel from Team 7157, μBotics
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
Shaoni Bandyopadhyay – Mentor for Team 812, The Midnight Mechanics
Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Orange County 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 PWC, Marathon, Walt Disney Imagineering, Applied Medical, Southern California Edison, Boeing, Comcast, Coxs, First American, Hewlett Packard.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Orange County 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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