In March, LEGOLAND California was host to 2 separate FIRST LEGO League events.
Spring Showdown – 3/16-3/17
With the regular FIRST LEGO League season wrapped up, LEGOLAND® California played host to the 11th annual Spring Showdown last month. Spring Showdown is an event specific to LEGOLAND California that began as an effort to keep FIRST LEGO League teams interested in robotics year round. Using current FIRST LEGO League board and repurposing the mission models to a new theme, Spring Showdown is a way to get FIRST LEGO League teams thinking outside the box while challenging them. This year’s Spring Showdown theme was Robots of Tomorrow. The premise: complete the missions of the past to save the future of LEGOs. Taking from the FIRST Robotics Competition playbook of alliance partners, the “On the Spot” challenge is a part of the competition where teams are assigned to work with two other teams, “alliance partners”, to complete a series of missions they have never seen before. Partners are given 90 minutes to work together before they compete. Many thanks to Paul Kass, the creator and director for this event and has been a part of FIRST LEGO League for 16 years!
FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. International Open Expo – 3/29-3/31
Thirty FIRST LEGO League Jr teams from across the US and around the world took over LEGOLAND California for the 2nd annual FIRST LEGO League Jr International Expo. Teams came from United States, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Egypt, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria and Costa Rica. This event introduces our youngest teams to educational travel, new cultural experiences, and a chance to bond with other children who are also beginning their journey of engagement with FIRST. The Open Expo experience enhances the camaraderie, learning, fun, and cultural sharing of FIRST, and provides teams an opportunity to showcase their work and learn from each other in a fun, unique, exciting and supportive venue.
A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers that help make these exciting and complex events fun and successful!
Raytheon has been involved with FIRST since 2004, supporting regional competitions, robotics teams with sponsorships and mentor programs as well as providing scholarship opportunities to FIRST students. For the 2018-2019 season, Raytheon will support more than 40 teams in California and many more throughout the U.S., with Raytheon employees acting as coaches, mentors, designers and general volunteers to teams.
EMPLOYEES WHO CARE
This season, Raytheon employees will contribute more than 8,000 hours volunteering and mentoring students on robotics teams in California alone! Fazlul Zubair, Raytheon employee and dedicated FIRST mentor and volunteer, was able to spare a few moments out of his busy schedule leading up to the Los Angeles Regional to give us a first-hand look into his experience. As theDepartment Manager in the System Integration and Test Center at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Fazlul first volunteered at a FIRST event 8 years ago, loved the experience and has been heavily involved ever since. Each year he logs over 1200 hours in support of various FIRST events and is currently a mentor for Team 4201, The Vitruvian Bots and Team 6904, The TeraWatts. During build and competition season he drops by the school after work on Tuesday’s and Friday’s, and spends Saturday and Sunday with the team. In addition to mentoring, he also is a member of the Los Angeles Regional planning committee and serves as the Head Referee for FIRST Lego League in the Los Angeles Region.
We captured the above photo of Fazlul with his wife, Shahnaz, as her team was getting ready for their next match in the quarter finals at the San Diego Regional competition. Shahnaz was inspired to start her own team after watching and working with Fazlul’s team for so many years. Yes – FIRST is a family affair! We asked him to tell us about the most rewarding part of being involved in FIRST and he shared that it’s,
“Hiring these talented students to work at Raytheon and on my programs. I have also developed as an engineer, learning new skills such as CAD, programming, and machining. Working with high school students to form a team also helps make me a better leader at Raytheon.”
And like so many others in FIRST, he knows first-hand that it’s more than just the robots. Fazlul shared this story about how he sees FIRST changing lives.
“Students come into FIRST with other career plans, then after a season decide to go into STEM fields. I have seen this over and over again. The best example is our Systems Director. She started high school with the intention to be an English teacher, and now she wants to work in STEM, then come back and teach engineering to the next generation!”
Participating in FIRST comes with many great stories, so we asked Fazlul to tell us about one of his favorite and this is what he told us.
“My favorite thing to do at FIRST is to be around a robot in production, turning to a new student and saying “could you give me a hand?” The look of confusion, uncertainty, and doubt starts creeping in and I can see the wheels turning in their mind. They are thinking, “I don’t know how to do that”, or “I haven’t used tools before”, or “What if I get something wrong?”. This is even more the case when female students are involved due to the STEM equity gap between genders. Once the student gets past the initial apprehension, I enjoy seeing their confidence grow. Soon, they are encouraging and showing others how to get involved.”
There is no doubt that this kind of commitment from mentors and volunteers can involve a time and energy commitment, so we asked Fazlul why he continues to come back year after year. He said he does it
“to inspire the next generation and bring more kids into STEM. I love to work to help make FIRST accessible to more communities to ensure we give everyone the chance to “go pro” in STEM.”
Congrats to their team, TeraWatts, for earning the Judges Award at the San Diego Regional last weekend!
This season, Raytheon employees will contribute more than 8,000 hours volunteering and mentoring students on robotics teams in California alone!
NARROWING THE GENDER GAP
In an ongoing effort to narrow the gender gap and increase diversity in the workplace, Raytheon began hosting a Women in STEM event at the Los Angeles Regional in 2017. They then grew the event to a highly successful Women in STEM Speed Mentoring event for over 100 young women in 2018. The event encouraged them to tackle the challenge of diversity in STEM by becoming a future scientist, engineer or programmer. Nine Raytheon women engineers shared important lessons about making it in a field where women are often underrepresented.
This year, their Women In Stem event will be open to female FIRST team members and mentors at the Los Angeles Regional AND to female SciFest attendees. 2019 Women In Stem sponsored by Raytheon March 23, 2019: 12:30 P.M. to 1:30 P.M
Los Angeles Convention Center
Room 408 on the 2nd Level Concourse. Come hear from high profile women who are space engineers and leaders as they describe for you the amazing and innovative technologies they work on every day. Hear about their innovative jobs, career journeys, and overcoming strategies in the workplace. Ask them your most pressing questions during an interactive Q&A.
$40,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS
Raytheon also annually awards $1,000 FIRST Scholarships to 40 high school seniors and college students who participate in the competition and pursue undergraduate education as STEM majors.
Raytheon’s on-going commitment to FIRST is helping to cultivate valuable STEM skills that create sustainable careers for future innovators. We are so thankful for their dynamic and generous sponsorship.
Over the last 6 weeks, we’ve been sharing about the hundreds of teams that we’ve hosted at 12 FIRST Regionals here in California. While during that same time, we’ve also had a number of California teams who’ve also been on the road at 9 out-of-state Regionals makin’ waves outside our Golden State!
We’ve shared the accomplishments of these California teams below.
WEEK 2: CANADIAN PACIFIC REGIONAL Team 846
Regional Finalist – Wildcard to Champs
Autonomous Award
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award – Payton Wong
Team 1452
Gracious Professionalism Award
WEEK 3: GREAT NORTH REGIONAL (N.Dakota) Team 8
Autonomous Award
In Quarter-Finals
ARIZONA NORTH REGIONAL Team 687
Autonomous Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 1138
In Quarter-Finals
Team 1622
Engineering Inspiration Award
Safety Award
Team 5496
In Quarter-Finals
Judges Award
Team 6474
In Quarter-Finals
WEEK 4:
IOWA REGIONAL Team 1622
Safety Award
WEEK 5: IDAHO REGIONAL
WINNING ALLIANCE: Teams 3647 & 5012 from California & Team 1566 from Idaho. 📷PC: Team 3647
Team 1160
Entrepreneurship Award
Deans List Finalist – Kimia Hassibi
In Semi-Finals
Team 1622
In Quarter-Finals
Team 2144
In Semi-Finals
Team 2643
In Quarter-Finals
Team 3647
Regional Winner
Excellence in Engineering Award
Team 4698
In Quarter-Finals
Team 5012
Regional Winner
Safety Award
Imagery Award
Team 6918
In Semi-Finals
UTAH REGIONAL
WINNING ALLIANCE: Teams 971 & 4738 from California and Team 3478 from Mexico. 📷PC: Team 4738
Team 399
Entrepreneurship Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 971
Regional Winner
Innovation in Control Award
Team 1700
Regional Finalist – Wildcard to Championships
Team 2102
Quality Award
In Semi-Finals
Team 3045
In Quarter-Finals
Team 3255
Imagery Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 3598
In Quarter-Finals
Team 4738
Regional Winner
Team 5430
Gracious Professionalism
LAS VEGAS REGIONAL
CHAIRMAN’S WINNER: Team 2485 from California. 📷PC: Team 2485
Team 696
Industrial Design Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 1197
In Semi-Finals
Team 1388
Innovation in Control Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 1572
In Quarter-Finals
Team 1836
Autonomous Award
In Semi-Finals
Team 2485
Chairmans Award
Safety Award
In Quarter-Finals
Team 3309
Regional Finalist
Quality Award
Team 4322
Deans List Finalist – Jacob Rodriguez
In Semi-Finals
Team 4501
In Semi-Finals
Team 5025
In Quarter-Finals
Team 5285
In Quarter-Finals
Team 5851
Imagery Award
Team 6821
Judges Award
Team 6822
Entrepreneurship Award
In Quarter-Finals
WEEK 6: ARIZONA WEST Team 1662
Alliance 2 Pick 1, out in SemiFinals
CANADIAN ROCKIES Team 1622
Alliance 3 Pick 1, out in Quarter Finals
Entrepreneurship Award
Team 3250
Alliance 5 Pick 1, out in Quarter Finals
Safety Award
Autonomous Award
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award – James (Ben) Ballenger
We are so proud to see that 83 FRC teams from California have secured at spot at Champs! Thank you Janet McKinley for keeping your eyes on our teams and tracking this info as they continued to shine on the road.
Congratulations to the entire region on another amazing season!
Here are the awardees for this year’s Regional Championship on March 3, 2019:
Inspire Award
1st Place – The Clueless (Advances)
2nd Place – Rise of Hephaestus (Advances)
3rd Place – Inspiration Winning Alliance
Captain – The Clueless (Already advanced above)
1st Pick – Crescendo (Advances)
2nd Pick – Inspiration Finalist Alliance
Captain – Rise of Hephaestus
1st Pick – Garage Bots
2nd Pick – Green.Griffins;
Think Award – Level Up
Connect Award – Zorrobots
Collins Aerospace – Crescendo
Design Award – Green.Griffins;
Motivate Award – Lost CTRL
Control Award – Fast and Curious
Promote Award – Retro
Compass Award – Doug (Buffalo Wings)
Judges Award – San Clemente High Try{Tons}
Judges Award – Scorpio
Still want to compete in the off-season with your Rover Ruckus Robot?
Here are 3 opportunities for you:
The California State Games right here in San Diego July 12-14, 2019 – details TBD! Fill out this form to show you are interested in this tournament: https://form.jotform.com/90697239637169
Congratulations to the 37 Teams from California, Nevada, Istanbul and Switzerland PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the Aerospace Valley FIRST Robotics Regional from April 3-6, 2019!
ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Aerospace Valley Regional and earned their way to compete at the FIRST Championships in Houston in April.
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 589, Falkon Robotics from La Crescenta, 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 successfully targets the proper resources to achieve their goals for diversity. Their use of effective social media helps these space explorers soar to global heights. Their systematic approach propels their school community forward through partnering with sponsors to lunch and learn. “They don’t just build good robots, they build good people!”
Engineering Inspiration
Team 5857, Walnut Valley Robotics from Walnut, 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 enthusiastically brought engineering and FIRST into their schools, district, community and beyond. They are nuts about fostering future members and STEM professionals by mentoring FIRST Lego League teams and FIRST Tech Challenge Teams and tournaments. This team does not let a wall stop their spread of FIRST and the opportunities of STEM careers but they have moved their enthusiasm out of the country. They’re “Ghana” change lives with their efforts.”
Regional Winners
Team 1678, Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA Team 3476, Code Orange from Irvine, CA Team 2637, Phantom Catz from Rolling Hills Estates, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 7607, Pass The Wrench from Palmdale, 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 team has “stepped up to the plate” by building their robot to bring to compete and support the mission of FIRST to inspire other students to learn more about how fun and exciting science and technology can be. This young but strong team will be one to watch in upcoming Robotics Competitions!”
Regional Finalists
(Advancing to Championships because of a Wild Card) Team 6072, Triton Tech from Newport Beach, CA
Dean’s List Finalist
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Piper Hallack from Team 4014, Top Hat Technicians FIRST Dean’s List Finalist – Carter Laws from Team 6957, The A.C.E.S.
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
Robin Dorfman from Team 980, Thunderbots
Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Aerospace Valley Regional! See the list here.
123EVENTPHOTOGRAPHY: The 2019 Aerospace Valley 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 to 123 Event Photography on your shared images.
An immense THANK YOU to all the Sponsors who contributed to this very successful Regional with funding, mentors, volunteers and enthusiasm! Regional Sponsors include NASA, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, City of Lancaster, Antelope Valley Union High School District, Mojave Air and Space Port, BMS Lumber, Destination Lancaster, Primetime Party Rentals and Aerospace Valley Robotics.
We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Aerospace Valley Regional 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!
Inventor and FIRST Founder Dean Kamen launched the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition season on Saturday with the Kickoff of a new robotics game called DESTINATION:DEEP SPACE in New Hampshire, hometown of FIRST Headquarters. Nearly 100,000 high-school students on 3,790 teams at 146 venues around the globe joined the 2019 Kickoff via a live broadcast. DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE finds FIRST Robotics Competition teams collecting samples on Planet Primus.
Two competing alliances will combat unpredictable terrain and weather patterns, making remote robot operation essential to their mission on the planet. With only two minutes and thirty seconds until liftoff, the alliances must gather as many cargo pods as possible and prepare their spaceships for departure before the next sandstorm arrives. OFFICIAL GAME ANIMATION:
At Saturday’s Kickoff, teams were shown the DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE game field and challenge details for the first time and received the Kickoff Kit from the Kit of Parts, which is made up of motors, batteries, control system components, construction materials, and a mix of additional automation components – with limited instructions.
Working with adult mentors, students have limited time to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge. Once these young inventors build a robot, their teams will participate in one or more of the global 173 Regional and District events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.
The Boeing Company is the presenting sponsor for the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition season. As a FIRST Strategic Partner, Boeing supports FIRST in many ways including: sponsorship of teams, employee volunteerism and mentorship, scholarships, and financial contributions. In February 2018, the company provided a $1.5 million grant to FIRST – part of a broader $3.5 million commitment – to assist in the development of targeted mentorship programs that increase STEM diversity, proficiency, and interest among K-12 students.
“Through charitable grants which fund STEM programs like FIRST, Boeing ensures students develop the skills they need to succeed in the future,” said John Blazey, vice president of Boeing Global Engagement. “Exposure to STEM subjects and experiences provides students opportunities to hone their critical thinking skills and learn to collaborate with one another — skills critical in today’s marketplace.” California will be the host to 12 Regional FRC events in 2019:
2/27 – 3/2: Orange County Regional
2/28 – 3/3: Del Mar Regional
3/6 – 3/9: Central Valley Regional
3/6 – 3/9: San Diego Regional
3/14 – 3/17: San Francisco Regional
3/14 – 3/17: Los Angeles North Regional
3/20 – 3/23: Sacramento Regional
3/20 – 3/23: Los Angeles Regional
3/21 – 3/24: Monterey Bay Regional
3/27 – 3/30: Ventura Regional
3/28 – 3/31: Silicon Valley Regional
4/3 – 4/6: Aerospace Valley Regional
The 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff event is an opportunity for teams from all over the world to come together as a community to share in the excitement of seeing the new game unveiled. Teams at local Kickoffs in Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Israel, Mexico, Turkey, and the United States watched the proceedings via live broadcast. In California, thousands of students, mentors, sponsors and volunteers gathered at 13 Kickoff locations throughout the state. Now it’s GO TIME! We wish everyone the best of luck over the next 6 weeks as innovative minds and problem solving skills are put to the test!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
With the regular FIRST LEGO League season wrapped up, LEGOLAND® California played host to the 11th annual Spring Showdown last month. Spring Showdown is an event specific to LEGOLAND California that began as an effort to keep FIRST LEGO League teams interested in robotics year round. 
This year’s Spring Showdown theme was Robots of Tomorrow. 
