Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FRC | Tagged: FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, Orlando Regional, STEM education, ultimate ascent | Leave a Comment »
Tampa Bay area FRC Teams: Team 79 Invites You to an Open Inspection, Saturday Feb. 16, 11am-4:30pm
Posted on February 12, 2013 by tmw2010
Get a jump on working out inspection problems before the Orlando Regional, by attending the Open Inspection opportunity offered by FRC Team 79, Team Krunch, on Saturday, Feb. 16. FRC Team 79 will host the Open Inspection at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, for all FRC teams in the area. Lead by 79′s software mentor, Andrew, the team will be hosting a full competition inspection for any robots that will be competing in the Ultimate Ascent game.
The goal of this is to catch major trouble spots and address them early rather than at the event. 79′s students and mentors will be on hand from 11am until 430pm to walk through the inspection process and help teams so that we can all play as many matches as possible at our events.
Address: 1300 Silver Eagle Dr, Tarpon Springs, FL
Point of Contact – Andrew Schreiber (248) 202 7475 or email schreiaj@gmail.com
Parking is in any of the parking lots, suggested that teams bring their robot carts.
RVPS appreciated before Saturday!
Go! It will be good!
Filed under: FRC, Orlando Regional | Tagged: East Lake High School, FIRST resources, FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, Open Inspection, Orlando Regional, Team 79, Team Krunch, ultimate ascent | Leave a Comment »
Tampa Bay FIRST Benefit Showcase Brings Teams & Business Community Together
Posted on February 5, 2013 by tmw2010
The first ever Tampa Bay FIRST Benefit Showcase event, sponsored by USF Connect and the Florida High Tech Corridor and held February 3rd at the University of South Florida, brought area teams and members of the Tampa Bay business and technical community together to raise awareness about the academic and career readiness value of FIRST, and to build support for the Orlando Regional FIRST Robotics Competition event.
FIRST founder Dean Kamen recorded a special message, just for our event, and FIRST alumni Barry Bohnsack, now with Lockheed Martin and an 
active FIRST volunteer, provided the keynote address, giving a powerful overview of FIRST and its proven relationship to academic achievement and workforce readiness. FIRST alumni Jessie Poen, a Dean’s List winner and FIRST Ambassador at both the Orlando Regional and the South Florida Regional, shared her experience, which included earning six community scholarships based on her FIRST involvement and a spot in the USF Honors College. And special guest Patricia Gehant, Director of Workforce Initiative with the Tampa Bay Technology Forum and the value of FIRST to help close the technology gap for students and satisfy workforce needs for Tampa Bay.
Area teams from Academy at the Lakes in Land O’Lakes, who brought their FLL & FRC Wired Wildcats teams, Middleton High School’s Minotaur FRC team and Palm Harbor University High School’s FTC team, Pandara did a fantastic job showcasing their work for event attendees. Showcase attendees were even treated to a great research presentation by the Wired Wildcats FLL team, that pretty much stole the show!
We’re deeply grateful to the business leaders and organizations that showed up on Super Bowl Sunday to celebrate a different kind of 
hero – youth and their mentors who are transforming our culture by creating the science and technology leaders we need in the world. In addition to representatives from USF Connect and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, we were happy to welcome business leaders from the Southeast Capital Equity Group, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Basler Electric, 2Z Consulting Inc. and Bar Camp Tampa Bay, among others.
FIRST Alumni members Andrew Schreiber, Victoria Burg, Barry Bohnsack and Jessie Poen.
The involvement of Florida FIRST Alumni was an especially powerful part of the program, giving guests an opportunity to meet and hear firsthand the personal experiences of former FIRST students and how FIRST paved the way for academic and career opportunities for them.
Thank you to all who made the Tampa Bay FIRST Benefit Showcase possible, and so enjoyable!
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FTC, FLL, STEM news, FRC, Orlando Regional | Tagged: Dean Kamen, STEM education, FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, FTC, FRC, FIRST Robotics Competition, Orlando Regional, Middleton High School, Schrödinger's Army, USF connect, Florida High Tech Corridor, Dean's List, FIRST Ambassador, Tampa Bay Technology Forum, Patricia Gehant, Tampa Bay Workforce Analysis Studies, Wired Wildcats, Minotaur, Palm Harbor University High School, Southeast Capital Equity Group, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Basler Electric, 2Z Consulting, Bar Camp Tampa Bay, Florida FIRST Alumni | Leave a Comment »
ANNOUNCING the Orlando FIRST Robotics Regional Commemorative Logo Contest!!
Posted on September 18, 2012 by tmw2010
To help celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Orlando FIRST Robotics Regional in March 2013, the Orlando Regional Planning Committee is conducting a contest to design a distinctive logo that reflects both the FIRST competition and our Central Florida heritage.
The Orlando Regional 15th Anniversary logo should incorporate the FIRST logo although there are restrictions fromFIRST about how it can be used (spacing, color, changing, etc.), outlined here.
The contest is open to individuals on FRC teams in the State of Florida, other teams that have competed in the Florida (now Orlando) Regional, and all Regional volunteers. Submittals should be sent electronically (.jpeg or .png) to the Fundraising Committee at OrlandoFIRSTRegional@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on November 1, 2012. The winning entry will be displayed on the Orlando Regional website following the winning selection. Please note that some additional editing of the winning logo may be applied before the logo is finalized. When sending your submittal, please include the following information in the email: your name, team name & number, email address, contact phone number and a paragraph on how you came up with the idea and your thoughts about the design. If you are able, please include a photo of yourself and your teammates with your logo design.
The winning entry and its designer(s) will be recognized at the March 2013 competition and in the Regional Program Book, and the logo will be used on 15th Anniversary t-shirts that will be available for pre-order, and delivered at the competition. It may also be used on other items in honor of the Anniversary.
It is possible that a version of the logo, without the 15th Anniversary reference, or one of the other submittals, may be used in future official Orlando FIRST Robotics items, correspondence, etc. A determination of whether to use the winning logo or an alternate will be made later, but this may help contest entrants in designing the 15th Anniversary Logo.
All 15th Anniversary logo submissions will be the sole property of the Florida FIRST Robotics Education Foundation.
© 2010 The United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®). Used by special permission. All rights reserved.
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FRC, Orlando Regional | Tagged: FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, FRC kick off, Orlando Regional, Orlando Regional 15th Anniversary, Orlando Regional logo contest | Leave a Comment »
Welcome to a New Season of FIRST®in Florida!
Posted on August 28, 2012 by tmw2010
Whether you’re a veteran or a newcomer to the FIRST community in Florida, we’re delighted to welcome you to another great season of hands-on STEM fun and learning! Our progression of programs offers educational opportunities for K-12 youth in schools and community groups like 4-H Clubs, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Homeschool groups and more.
The attached companion information sheet provides a broad overview of the FIRST Family of Programs. We encourage you and your students to explore each progressively more challenging level of FIRST to maximize your students’ academic experience and to enjoy all that FIRST has to offer.
Jr. FIRST LEGO® League (Jr. FLL) starts youth as young as 6 on the road to critical thinking and problem solving, building simple models with LEGO elements and showing children how to do elementary research. The Jr. FLL challenge was released August 1, and the event season runs from November to the following May. FIRST LEGO League (FLL) kicks things up with a rigorous research project, an all autonomous robot build with LEGOs, and a fast paced table competition. The FLL challenge will be released August 28, with the program season running through January 2013.
Students aging out of FLL will find FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) an exciting next step. Building on the engineering and programming experiences they enjoyed in FLL, FTC employs the NXT brick familiar to FLL students, combined with the more robust TETRIX® build system and other materials. The FTC challenge will be revealed on September 8th, with qualifying events running into early 2013. FIRST Tech Challenge can function as a full scale high school program or, after experiencing FTC, students and teams might enjoy transitioning to the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), posing a whole new set of exciting challenges with bigger teams, a much larger robot and a short, fixed build period that kicks off on January 5, 2013 and ends just six weeks later. All four of these programs build rigorously upon one other, and can create a seamless opportunity for unparalleled K-12 hands-on STEM learning, and come together in April in St. Louis, MO for the annual FIRST World Festival Invitational for FLL and FIRST World Championship for FTC and FRC.
Registration for teams is currently open for Jr. FLL, FLL and FTC. FRC registration opens September 27, 2012. Rookie team grants may be available for FLL, FTC and FRC teams. Additionally, FIRST Graduation Grants are available for FLL teams transitioning to FTC. To be eligible for the grant, FTC rookie teams must have at least one FLL graduate. The grant covers the FTC team registration fee of $275 and provides $300 towards parts and materials for the competition. Visit http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/grow for more information.
All programs welcome volunteers for upcoming tournaments and meets, for everything from sign-in to judging. Contact individual Florida program organizers for information about funding support that may be available, or to volunteer as a mentor, coach or at an event, or if you’re interested in being a community liaison:
- Laura Melnik, FIRST LEGO League/Jr. FIRST LEGO League Partner: flrobotics@gmail.com
- Michael Coleman, FIRST Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner: michael.coleman@flfirst.org
- Sandra Contreras, FIRST Regional Director/South Florida FRC Regional : scontreras@usfirst.org
- Theresa Willingham, FIRST Regional Director/Central Florida/Orlando Regional: twillingham@usfirst.org
- Chuck Kennedy, FIRST Regional Director/North Florida & GA, TN, AR, AL: ckennedy@usfirst.org
Visit usfirst.org for program specific information, and www.FIRSTinFlorida.wordpress.com for updates on FIRST programs and events in Florida.
We are FIRST, and we’re glad you are, too!
Jr. FIRST LEGO® League and Jr.FLL®, FIRST LEGO League® and FLL FIRST®, FIRST®Robotics Competition, FRC®, FIRST®Tech Challenge, and FTC®, are registered trademarks of FIRST®(www.usfirst.org). © 2010 The United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®). Used by special permission. All rights reserved.
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FIRST Resources, FLL, FRC, FTC, Jr. FLL, Orlando Regional, South Florida Regional, STEM news | Tagged: FIRST LEGO League, FIRST resources, FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge, FLL, FLL resources, Florida FIRST, FRC, FRC kick off, FRC registration, FTC, FTC grants, Jr. FLL, Orlando Regional, South Florida Regional, STEM education | Leave a Comment »
Invitation to Be Part of the Orlando FIRST Regional Planning Committee
Posted on July 14, 2012 by tmw2010
The Orlando FIRST Regional Planning Committee (RPC) is reaching out into the Florida FIRST community seeking new committee members and volunteers from among team mentors, supporters and alumni. Please reply to Ms. Harer at the address below by Thursday, July 19, if you’ d like to volunteer with the committee, and attend the July 21st meeting in Orlando, or if you have any questions about the Orlando Regional Planning Committee.
______________________________________
The Orlando FIRST Regional Planning Committee (RPC) is gearing up for another exciting year of robotics, culminating in the March 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Regional Competition at the University of Central Florida Arena. We are seeking new members of the Committee to help with planning this annual event so we can continue to make it the success it has been over the years.
2013 will be our 15th anniversary of holding a Regional in Florida. Our first ones were at Kennedy Space Center before moving to our current location. FIRST continues to grow and we now have a second Regional in South Florida, while the number of high school FRC teams in our State also continues to grow. The Orlando Regional is very popular among the teams and fills up to the maximum 63 team very early in the registration process. Teams come from throughout the US as well as from other countries. This past year, we had teams from Germany, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
Some of you have worked with teams for a number of years but have also expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the Regional Competition planning as well. You are familiar with the concentrated effort required to put on the 3-day event. The Committee works all year round to assure it is a positive experience for the teams, team mentors, the public and volunteers alike. If you would like to become involved with that effort, we would like to have you join the Committee.
Attached is an application asking for some basic contact information and a summary of experience and interest areas. Please complete it and return it to me at kharer@earthlink.net .
We are planning a meeting for Saturday, July 21, at one of the Disney facilities. We will start at noon with sandwiches and drinks provided by the RPC to discuss plans for the coming year and the outlying years. We have a number of topics listed on the application form that we will be brainstorming ideas for, which is why I’ve asked for your preferences in areas to work. We will be breaking down into smaller groups for the brainstorming sessions and having several running concurrently. Each attendee will be able to participate in at least 2 sessions. Each group will prioritize their ideas and report back to the full group. Each participant will be asked to serve on at least one of the RPC subcommittees at that point, based on what you’ve heard about RPC activities and what your interests are. We should finish around 3:00-4:00.
Finally, we want to make more of an effort to involve team alumni in Regional planning activities. If you keep a contact list of your recent graduates, we would like to invite them to participate in the July 21 meeting as well. The students have a lot to offer and we want to keep them involved as much as possible while they pursue their educational goals.
I know giving up a Saturday is a significant donation of time, especially during the summer, so I want to thank you in advance for doing this. I look forward to working with you on the Committee.
Kathleen Harer
Orlando FIRST Regional Planning Committee
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FRC, Orlando Regional | Tagged: FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, Kathleen Harer, Orlando Regional, STEM education | Leave a Comment »
2012 Orlando Regional in Pictures
Posted on March 18, 2012 by tmw2010
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FRC, Orlando Regional | Tagged: FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, Orlando Regional, Orlando Regional photos, Rebound Rumble | Leave a Comment »
Orlando Regional is Rocking, Rolling and Rebounding!
Posted on March 10, 2012 by tmw2010
It was the first day of game play today at the Orlando Regional at the University of Central Florida. 63 teams in various stages of readiness but collectively energetic and enthusiastic filled the UCF Arena with power tools and cheers as robots took to the field in this year’s Rebound Rumble.
The Orlando Regional was awash in Gracious Professionalism as veteran teams piled into rookie team pits to help with everything from building to programming.
Match play resumes Saturday, with the final round of awards. Check out the Florida FRC Facebook page for photos and
The Aussies are here!
first hand accounts, and look for a slide show here at FIRST in Florida later next week.
Visit FIRST Chat for Orlando Regional teams specs and stats!
All in the family, as grandmother and granddaughter show their Exploding Bacon spirit!
Filed under: FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FRC | Tagged: FIRST Robotics Competition, FRC, Orlando Regional, Rebound Rumble, STEM education | Leave a Comment »
FRC Event Registration Opens September 29!
Posted on September 26, 2011 by tmw2010
From Bill’s Blog: “TIMS is now scheduled to open for Event Registration on Thursday, September 29th. As of this morning, 341 FRC teams have completed the pre-registration process in TIMS and are ready for Registration. Are you ready?”
Florida has two – count ‘em! Two! – regionals this year:
- Orlando Regional on March 8-10, 2012 and
- South Florida Regional in Boca Raton March 29-31, 2012
Read the full blog for lots more information and to see the current roster of events at http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/2011/09/list-new-region.html
Filed under: FIRST events, FRC | Tagged: Bills Blog, FIRST Robotics Competition, Florida regionals, FRC, Orlando Regional, South Florida Regional | Leave a Comment »
