Back to School: How to Build a Classroom Culture and Routine, Even Remotely
Aug 31, 2020
By Libby Simpson, Director of Education, FIRST
Building a routine and classroom culture is the most important element of having a safe, successful and fun educational experience. FIRST Director of Education Libby Simpson shares ideas on what to incorporate in your first week of school plans, no matter what school looks like this year.
Engineering Ambitiously: Why NI is Investing Boldly in the Future of FIRST
Jun 16, 2020
By Tabitha Upshaw, Head of Corporate Impact, NI
The world needs engineers now more than ever. They are everyday heroes, using problem-solving skills to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges, from launching rockets to creating life-saving medical devices. They are engineering hope for our world. Today at NI, we launched an updated brand that puts the engineers we serve front and center. We’ve changed our name from National Instruments to NI and have a new look and a rallying cry – to “engineer ambitiously.”
INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE
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FIRST inspires students to be forces for change in their communities
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FIRST® RISESM powered by Star Wars: Force for Change Season Teams
Star Wars actors Daisy Ridley, Kelly Marie Tran, and Oscar Isaac highlighted a few of the FIRST® teams tackling challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic in a video message to the FIRST community.
The 2019-2020 FIRST season, FIRST RISE powered by Star Wars: Force for Change, set out to prepare students to reach new heights and tackle the many challenges that face our galaxy. When their robotics competition season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many FIRST teams quickly turned from tackling challenges they faced on the game field to those facing their own communities, demonstrating truly what it means to be part of FIRST and a Force for Change.
As professional scientists, engineers and health experts around the globe battle the coronavirus pandemic, FIRST alumni and FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® LEGO® League teams have found many ways to use their STEM skills for good: They’ve built cost-effective ventilators and respirators in partnership with regional medical and research institutions. They’ve tackled the shortage of personal protective equipment by 3-D printing face shields, creating ear-savers for healthcare workers on the frontline, and sewing masks for community members, first responders, and healthcare professionals. They’ve repurposed their robots to dispense touch-free hand sanitizer and deliver contact-less groceries.
These examples are a true testament to why Dean Kamen founded FIRST 31 years ago, and why partners like Disney and Lucasfilm support the organization: to inspire generations of young people to develop a passion for STEM and innovation and apply their skills to the most pressing challenges humanity will face.
Three Lessons for Robotics Parents from “black-ish”
Feb 27, 2020
By FIRST Staff
Jack Johnson joined a FIRST robotics team and his parents wondered how to best support him on this week’s episode of “black-ish.” On the Inspire blog, we share three lessons parents can take away from the episode, which featured a cameo from FIRST founder Dean Kamen.
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An Engineer’s Greatest Legacy: Inspiring the Next Generation
Feb 21, 2020
By Larry Cohen, FIRST President
To celebrate Engineers Week, FIRST President Larry Cohen shares stories from the documentary “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” and reflects on the importance of mentorship in creating a diverse pipeline of engineers and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE
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Making our community a better place
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Rogue Robotics
FIRST Robotics Competition team
Rogue Robotics, FIRST® Robotics Competition Team 2987 from Farmington, Minnesota, seized an opportunity to use the technical, problem solving, and community engagement skills they’re learning through FIRST to bring joy and accessibility to a local family. The students built a power wheelchair for Cillian, a two-year-old born with a genetic condition that makes mobility difficult. The team, whose story went viral in places like NBC Nightly News and the New York Times, is one of many in the FIRST community building adaptable ride-on cars for local kids – being a force for change to many families for whom accessible technology is typically out of reach. Watch their story below.
“These kids, they don’t know the lives that they’re changing.” –Krissy, Cillian’s mom
“I really appreciate what FIRST® does to encourage taking what you know and what you’re capable of, and using that to make your community a better place.” –Spencer, team coach
While DeAnna’s home life in Chicago’s South Side was going through turmoil, she struggled to stay engaged in school – until FIRST® gave her an environment and mentorship that helped her stay connected and find purpose. She joined a FIRST® Tech Challenge team led by team mentor Bruce, a retiree who wanted to help kids achieve a bright future and stay engaged himself. Through Bruce’s encouragement and support, DeAnna graduated, went to college, and landed her dream job, and now the FIRST alum helps younger members of her family find their own paths forward. Watch her story in the video below.
“I started to find my purpose. Bruce was there along the way to say, ‘You can do this.’” –DeAnna
“I thought maybe I could learn something as much as I could teach.” –Bruce
Tesla invests in FIRST to support workforce development and future engineers
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Melanie Sanchez
FIRST Alum & Mentor; Tesla Workforce Development & Education Programs Intern
FIRST alum Melanie Sanchez had a transformative meeting while competing with her FIRST®team at the 2018 FIRST Championship. There, she met Tesla’s Chris Reilly and learned about an opportunity to intern at Tesla on workforce development and education programs, including FIRST. “It hooked me that I’d get to do something with FIRST, the organization that brought everything to life for me,” she said.
Melanie knew first-hand the inspiration and skills FIRST provides; she joined her Las Vegas-based FIRST®Robotics Competition team, Team 987 “High Rollers,” as a self-described shy sophomore who didn’t know how to hold a drill. She learned quickly and held team roles in data analysis, machining, and as the team’s president. By graduation, she was enrolling at University of Nevada to study mechanical engineering and computer science – and starting a new team at a different school: Silverado High School’s Team 7424.
While Melanie was discovering her passion for engineering, Tesla was looking into building a sustainable workforce pipeline in Nevada, home of its very first Gigafactory. Chris found a common theme emerged when interviewing Tesla employees about their inspirations: Many cited competitive high school robotics as the moment they decided to become a professional engineer.
In 2018, Tesla announced a $37.5 million investment in Nevada’s K-12 education over five years. Tesla’s investment plan, in partnership with the state’s Department of Education, is focused on initiatives that support the acceleration of robotics, STEAM, and sustainability programming within Nevada’s K-12 education system to develop future engineers in Nevada. With an employee engagement component, one of Tesla’s goals is to get a competitive robotics program in every high school in Nevada and 100 middle schools. “FIRST is giving kids around the world these incredible experiences,” Chris said. “That’s been our north star when launching workforce development programs, not just in Nevada but at all our facilities around the world.”
Melanie works with her teammates on a robot for Team 987 “High Rollers.”
Tesla is also investing in teacher development opportunities to empower educators to lead programs that drive students to new industries, as well as manufacturing apprenticeship programs to address the wide middle skills job gap in Nevada and further support a pipeline from high school robotics into the workforce for young people interested in project-based learning and hands-on work. “Through the Manufacturing Development Program at Gigafactory, we want to increase the number of FIRST alumni who are starting their careers at Tesla straight out of high school. Students get affordable, reserved housing, shuttles to work, and a 20-credit college scholarship,” Chris said.
Melanie is excited that Tesla’s investment means more students in her home state will have access to FIRST teams, and that she had a direct hand in helping that happen. Read on for more from this rising-star FIRST alum.
Alumni Spotlight: Melanie Sanchez
What inspired you to start a new FIRST team after becoming a FIRST alum?
For me, it was my mentors. I want to do what my mentor did for me and other kids. They helped me grow out of my shell. I was a shy student; I never wanted to speak in front of anyone. I came in with no mechanical engineering skills at all. My team shaped me for the better, so it made sense to take what I learned with my mentors and bring it to other students. Silverado was where one of my mentors was moving. The team just competed for the first time last year – and they got the Rookie All Star award. I’m so proud.
Melanie mentors Team 7424 “Sin City Robotics,” which won the Rookie All Star Award at the Arizona North Regional in 2019.
What else did you do after graduating high school, and how has that been impacted by your FIRST experience?
After I graduated, I went straight into mechanical engineering and computer science at the University of Nevada. The team solidified I was on the right path. Over the summer after freshman year, I had a chance to do an internship at Tesla. That opportunity was directly tied to FIRST. I met Chris Reilly at the 2018 FIRST Championship. He told me he saw our team and gave me his card, and then the opportunity to work with him over summer came up. I owe that experience completely to that championship and our team.
Your internship was focused on working with workforce development programs, including FIRST. What was it like?
I was in a business role, working on workforce development programs, specifically in education and manufacturing development. It was very different from my major. I’m thinking about also minoring in communications or finance since we did a lot of business work with the robotics initiative: tracking info, designing, communicating, making this great impact report. It’s a stereotype about engineers that being a great communicator isn’t as common, but, specifically because I was in FIRST, I talked to people every day. It helped prepare me for this role.
What attracted you to the opportunity?
In our initial calls, Chris mentioned I’d get to work a lot with FIRST. It hooked me that I’d get to do something with the organization that brought everything to life for me. Plus, I noticed in high school there weren’t many teams in Nevada, especially compared to California. I could see there was need to grow. When I signed up and knew I’d be working on spreading robotics, it gave me an extra push to do my best. I got to work really closely with FIRST Nevada leaders, whose names I heard growing up in FIRST, and work on the plan for starting new teams and creating a rookie handbook.
