Hueneme Port Regional – 2023

Hueneme Port Regional – 2023

Congratulations to the 44 Teams PLUS all the Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members from all over California, Hawaii, Arizona, and as far away as the Netherlands and Mexico who participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition Hueneme Port Regional from March 2-5, 2023.

The regional started out with a high school junior offering a Jimmy Hendrix style guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, proclamations from the County Board of Supervisors, the Mayor of Port Hueneme, U.S. Representative Julia Brownley and a presentation of a $5,000 check from the Community Benefit Fund, the City of Port Hueneme, and the Port.

Throughout the event, gracious professionalism was displayed by Team 4 in helping to set up the  field, Team 4481 from the Netherlands who helped anywhere needed, and many who helped a struggling team finish their robot build.  All received the new Gracious Professionalism pin from FIRST California.

There was a marriage proposal where Brian Martin, game announcer, popped the question with the help of his team and SHE SAID YES!!

As far as robotic competition, you could not ask for more entertainment.   In the first round, the #1 alliance was upset by the #8 alliance and with the new double elimination format they really had to work their way back.  The finals started out with a tie, 148-148. then as the play went on, they were neck and neck, a field mechanical failure and finally the #1 alliance ended up on top.  5 matches in the final round!  At one point a high score match record was set.

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

We hope you too had a memorable experience at the Hueneme Port Regional Regional! 

Thanks to Rynn Grogin, we’ve capture some of those great moments from the Regional for you. Feel free to find your team and download pics in the gallery below.

LIST OF TEAMS ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HOUSTON!!!

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

FIRST Impact Award

The FIRST Impact 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 FIRST Impact 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 FIRST Impact Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.

  • Team 4, Team 4 Element from Van Nuys, CA

    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.

    Regional Winners

     

    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.

    • Sienna Simantob from Team 1661, Griffitrons
    • Giselle Ng from Team 2429, La Canada Engineering Club

    Woodie Flowers Finalist Award

    • Brian Mendoza from Team 2429, La Canada Engineering Club

    Additional Awards

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

    Instagram Highlights

    Don’t Miss Out on the Best Moments of Hueneme Port Regional – Watch Our Instagram Highlight Tab!

    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 25th
    TIME: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
    LOCATION: UCSD – LionTree Arena, in the Volunteer Lounge

    MEET THE STEM PROFESSIONALS

    Maya Rowell

    Maya Rowell

    Bioengineering Ph.D Candidate - UCSD

    Lulu Wang

    Lulu Wang

    Senior Staff Engineer - Qualcomm

    Sylvia Herbert

    Sylvia Herbert

    Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCSD

    Kelly Kloster Hon

    Kelly Kloster Hon

    Sr. Manager, Product Development Engineering - Becton Dickinson

    Iman Famili

    Iman Famili

    CEO - Sinopia Biosciences

    Dana Bazile

    Dana Bazile

    Senior Master Sergeant - United States Air Force

    Janis Jimenez

    Janis Jimenez

    Software Engineer - Viasat

    Naval Internships and Career Opportunities

    Naval Internships and Career Opportunities

    Naval Internship & Career Opportunities

    On October 22, 2022, representatives from NAVAIR, NAVFAC and NAVSEA joined Velma Lomax with FIRST California to discuss intern success stories and exciting internship and career opportunities with the Navy.

    Below, please find valuable resources offered during the FIRST California Career Chat.

    • Summary of Summer Internships and Scholarships/Fellowships – NOTE: The SEAP program is for High School students.
    • Program Flyers for SMART and NREIP
    • Naval Horizons Essay Contest (deadline 11/28/22) – $200 prize for up to 5000 winners!
    • Replay Video of the presentation
    • Slide Deck of the presentation

    Summary of Opportunities

    Program Flyers

    Essay Contest – win $200

    Naval STEM Overview

    PG&E Corporation Foundation Grant

    PG&E Corporation Foundation Grant

    Grants for FRC and FTC teams!

    The PG&E Corporation Foundation and Patti Poppe’s (PG&E Corporation CEO) family foundation, DreamMakers Fund, are graciously sponsoring FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Northern California and all of their service areas for the 2022-23 FIRST season! Their program support also includes sponsorship of FTC and FRC competitions and events across Northern California.

    Below is Patti Poppe’s sponsorship announcement during the FIRST Robotics Competition Silicon Valley Regional earlier this year.

    If your team is interested in applying for PG&E team funding, for the 2022-23 FIRST season, one of the team’s two lead Coach/Mentors must complete the application by deadlines listed below.

    Application open to FTC & FRC teams in the PG&E service areas that meet at least one of the PG&E funding priorities.

    • PG&E employee mentored team
    • Title I school 
    • Over 50% under-represented team members (Female, Non-Binary, Black/African American, Hispanic, Native American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Students with Disabilities)
    • Public school

    Application Deadlines:

    FTC 
    9/30/22 – Priority
    10/28/22 – Final

    FRC
    10/26/22 – Final

    Outreach Opportunity for Teams

    Outreach Opportunity for Teams

    Outreach Opportunity at the Aerospace Valley Air Show!

    Edwards Air Force Base, FIRST California, and Aerospace Valley Robotics are sponsoring an opportunity for FIRST Robotics Teams to participate in the 2022 Aerospace Valley Air Show on October 14,15, &16th.

    The Aerospace Valley Air Show is an entirely new event dedicated to showcasing the best of STEM and aviation.  It’s an Air Show, STEM Expo and Open House all in one!

    The weekend consists of:

    • the Largest USAF STEM Expo In History with nearly 60 hands-on displays and activities
    • a large air show headlined by the USAF Thunderbirds Flight Demonstration Team
    • the first open house for the base in 13 years.

    Participation Details:

    • Each team participating will be provided a 10×10 booth for the robot and outreach material.  Your team will have the opportunity to reach out to over 100,000 people.  Many business and potential sponsors will be in attendance during the 3-day event.  
    • You will be required to bring a robot and do demonstrations along with other teams at all levels FLL, FTC, and FRC.  Demonstrations will be held from 10am to 3pm daily.  We are asking for teams to be there all three days.

    Basic Logistics:  

    • October 13:  The big items will have to be brought on base on Thursday October 13th.  There is NO ability to drive up to the hangar any other day. 
    • October 14,15,&16:  Teams will have to staff their booths and be ready to give demonstrations starting at 10AM.  
    • FTC field and LEGO tables will be available, but game elements will have to be provided.
    • FRC carpet and a wooden hub and hangar will be available for demonstrations.  Teams are asked to bring their own cargo.

    There is no cost to register, participate or attend. 

    We are hoping that the Southern California teams will step up and represent FIRST, their community, and their team!  For more information please contact FIRST Senior Mentor David Voracek.

    California Teams Advocate for STEM in DC

    California Teams Advocate for STEM in DC

    Four California FIRST teams -Team Spyder 1622, MSET Fish 649, MSET Cuttlefish 6165, and Eagle Engineering 1138 – traveled to Washington, DC where they joined more robotics students from across the nation to advocate for increased federal STEM funding during the 9th annual National Advocacy Conference (NAC) June 26th – June 28th.

    The conference, presented by the Student Association for STEM Advocacy, helps develop student advocates to expand access to STEM opportunities. SASA founder and president, Frank Ferrari, had this to say about the conference: “The impact these students have on shaping our future is real! The relationships the teams develop impacts how our elected officials vote on important STEM issues as we attempt to make STEM accessible to everyone!”

    Students and Mentors were prepared for meetings with their Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill with:

    • a walk through of the basics of advocacy while focusing on how to build and leverage relationships with elected officials to advance STEM programs
    • hands-on and practical introduction on what skills are needed to be an effective advocate for STEM at the local, state, and federal levels.
    • education about ESSA and Title IV-A, and USICA
    • coaching and live role plays to help them talk to their Members of Congress
    • time to get together in advocacy groups, by state, to practice speaking to Senator’s and Congress representatives.

    By the end of the conference, our California FIRST teams were ready to put their practice into action and had meetings with the following Senators and Representatives:

    • United States Senator Alex Padilla – California
    • United States Senator Dianne Feinstein – California
    • United States Representative Sara Jacobs, 53rd District – California
    • United States Representative Darrell Issa, 50th District – California
    • United States Representative Mike Levin, 49th District – California

    During their meetings with these Congress Members and their staff, teams urged lawmakers to increase funding for grants used for STEM engagement activities, including raising funding for grants in Title IV-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to the authorized level of $1.6 billion and supporting the NSF grants in the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA).

    Team Spyder member, Brendan Aeria said, “Participating in the National Advocacy Conference has made a huge impact on me, because it has taught me a lot that I would have never known about our government, and how I can be active and push for policies that I believe in, such as robotics funding. I gained a lot of confidence in my everyday conversations and especially with future public speaking by advocating to elected officials and their staff.

    By the end of the conference, team members gained valuable real-life skills and saw first-hand how advocating as a group can create great impact.

    Robotics California Advocacy Coalition begins.

    On July 20, 2022, California robotics teams that attended the NAC 2022 gathered together via Zoom across the state to organize unified robotics and STEAM advocacy efforts with MSET Fish and Team Spyder leading the way with five founding members of this coalition, namely FRC 649, FRC/VEX 1138, FRC/FTC 1622, FRC 6165 & FTC 12675. 

    They will be working with local and California government through policy legislation, to influence, and advocate to legislature in the state Senate and Assembly. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Robotics California Advocacy Coalition and upcoming events, indicate your interest via their sign up form.

    X