INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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Chelsey Roebuck - FIRST Alum

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FIRST mentor leads students into brighter futures

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Chelsey Roebuck

FIRST Alum, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1218; Mentor, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1660; Co-founder, Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (ELiTE)

“For many students, myself included, FIRST was a vehicle that helped to create a spark while developing values and traits such as Gracious Professionalism, Coopertition, and grit, and I’m excited to partner with FIRST this year as a STEM Equity Community Innovation Grantee to help spread the vehicle to impact more students. I’m excited to see FIRST continue to impact the lives of so many others, just as it has my own.” –FIRST Alum Chelsey Roebuck

FIRST Alum and mentor Chelsey Roebuck co-founded the nonprofit Emerging Leaders in Technology and Engineering (ELiTE), a Harlem-based youth development organization that uses STEM education to empower students from underserved communities to realize their academic and career potential. As part of his efforts to create equity and improve access for opportunity youth attending public schools in New York City, Chelsey formed ELiTE’s Harlem Robotics Coalition through a FIRST STEM Equity Community Innovation Grant. The coalition is establishing a multi-site network of school- and community center-based robotics programs within Upper Manhattan’s Community School Districts 4, 5 and 6. Chelsey, who graduated from Columbia University with a mechanical engineering degree before starting ELiTE, is a mechanical mentor for the Harlem Knights, a FIRST Robotics Competition team from Frederick Douglass Academy.

Chelsey received the Evelyn Kamen Rising Star Award for his accomplishments in leveling the playing field in STEM for underrepresented populations at the 2017 FIRST Inspire Gala, where he was honored alongside President Barack Obama. “Chelsey is using the skills and passion he gained as a member of a FIRST team to profoundly impact the lives of young people,” said Donald E. Bossi, president of FIRST. “I’m extremely grateful that our alumni network is brimming with people who are not only well equipped to tackle any challenge; they’re using those hard-earned skills to truly make the world a better place.”

Chelsey has been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30: Education list and in a U.S. News article about FIRST  promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.


Teamwork Makes Machines Work: Young Roboticists Power Up Their Peers at FIRST Robotics Championships

Jun 29, 2018 By Jennifer Deauville, NVIDIA


Nvidia, a FIRST sponsor, highlights young roboticists who are exploring artificial intelligence and virtual reality through FIRST – including FIRST Robotics Competition Dean’s List Award winner Grace Lam, who teaches workshops for other FIRST students on deep learning.

Inspiring STEM Education and Life Skills via Robotics

Jun 21, 2018 By Donald E. Bossi, President, FIRST


Originally published on eSchool News, FIRST President Donald E. Bossi shares three lessons from FIRST programs and events that can be applied to any classroom to help young people grow a lifelong love of exploration.

FIRST Alumni Make Manufacturing More Accessible with 3-D Printing Startup

Jun 14, 2018 By FIRST Staff


FIRST Alumni Jonathan Schwartz and Max Friefeld co-founded Voodoo Manufacturing, a Brooklyn-based robotics 3-D printing factory, after selling their first company to MakerBot. They shared what inspired Voodoo, advice for entrepreneurs, and what FIRST taught them about engineering, and teamwork.

INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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FIRST Alum Max Friefeld

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FIRST helped me gain confidence to launch a manufacturing startup

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Max Friefeld

FIRST Alum, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 687; Co-founder, Voodoo Manufacturing

My high school, the California Academy of Math and Science, didn’t have a football team; we had robotics teams. In fact, a quarter of the student body was involved in robotics. When I heard about it, I was like, “I need to do this.” I was into tinkering and building things with my hands and interested in math, but I didn’t know what engineering was as a profession until I joined FIRST. My team mentors, who included engineers from local companies like Boeing and Northrop Grumman, really taught me what it meant to be an engineer.

My team, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 687 “The Nerd Herd,” was more focused on community outreach and engineering design excellence than winning; we ran summer camps and other activities to get lots of people involved in FIRST. I learned how to teach complex problem solving, leading younger students through complex and difficult subjects that don’t have obvious answers at the beginning.  It was one of the most enjoyable parts of being on the team.

I also learned a lot about failure. Our mentors were not afraid to watch us lose, probably knowing the entire time what was going to happen. I learned to be ok with that, and to rely on myself and my team to get things done. This had a strong impact on my willingness to go into the startup world because failure is the outcome 90 percent of the time.

My favorite memory is from the year we really wanted to get the Engineering Inspiration Award and make it to the world championships. We were putting together this technical data package about the robot, and like typical high school students, we left it to the last minute. We pulled an all-nighter the night before the competition putting the entire thing together, but at the end we were so proud of this document. It was a remarkable experience of teamwork that I didn’t feel again until starting a company.

Max Friefeld co-founded Voodoo Manufacturing, a robotic 3-D printing factory, with FIRST Alum Jonathan Schwartz. Read more about their experience launching Voodoo on the FIRST Inspire blog.


These Young Innovators are Solving Global Water Challenges

Jun 07, 2018 By FIRST Staff


A travel device that cleans produce. An app that helps families conserve shower water. A kit that tests ocean water quality on-site. These are just a few inventions from the 20 FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Semi-Finalists, who will be honored in a ceremony June 21 in San Jose, Calif.

INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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FIRST Alum Alex Kaplan

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FIRST gave me a safe place to fail and problem-solve

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Alex Kaplan

FIRST Alum & Mentor

FIRST Alum Alex Kaplan was a participant on FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1086 “Blue Cheese” from Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia, where he gained a lot problem-solving experience as his team overcame various obstacles. Today, Alex is working on a graduate degree in aerospace engineering at Stanford and preparing for a SpaceX internship in pursuit of a career in the space industry. He also mentors two FIRST teams. “FIRST gives you a safe place to fail. You can try new things and learn from your mistakes,” he says.

What did you do after becoming a FIRST Alum?
I completed my undergraduate at Virginia Tech in aerospace engineering. I used my FIRST experience to help with my senior design project: helping to design a robot for the NASA Mining Competition. I also took a class at Virginia Tech where I helped mentor FIRST Robotics Competition Team 401. I am currently working on my graduate degree at Stanford in aerospace engineering.

What are your future plans?
This upcoming summer I will be interning at SpaceX in Los Angeles, and I am hoping to be able to stay with Space X or another private space company.

How has your FIRST experience impacted your post-graduation life?
FIRST gives you a safe place to fail. You can try new things and learn from your mistakes. The only thing that matters is the time when you succeed. The different obstacles my FIRST team overcame has given me a lot of problem-solving experience.

You’ve continued to be involved with FIRST as an Alum; what have you been up to?
After I graduated, I became a mentor on FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1086. In 2016, I helped Team 1086 while my brother was a senior on the team. They were on the winning alliance on Einstein, so it was great to share that experience with him. At Virginia Tech, I took a class where I mentored Team 401. As the years have passed and I am pursuing my degree, I have become a remote mentor for both 1086 and 401. During my spring break I was able to attend both a FIRST Chesapeake District Event and the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship. It was amazing to see 401 and 1086 and work with them in person.

You shared that you’ve made and kept great FIRST friends/established a great network within the FIRST community – any advice to current participants on how to do that?
As a FIRST Alum and a FIRST mentor, it doesn’t matter what team you are from; it matters what you make from the experience. The people who ultimately get the most from FIRST are from teams that have to be scrappy and try hard.  The most important takeaway from FIRST is that you should never be happy with good enough. There is always room for improvement and you have to keep working until you get it right. Work hard and give back to others and you will be successful.


Do you dream, like Alex, of exploring space?
Alex’s FIRST experience gave him the confidence to reach for the stars.
This season, FIRST programs will blast off with space-themed challenges as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of mankind’s first walk on the moon.
You won’t want to miss this exciting season….

Blast Off with FIRST !


Reaching Students with Special Needs Using Kinesthetic STEM Programs

May 23, 2018 By FIRST Staff


When the STEM director for New York City’s special education district sought kinesthetic programs to reach students with special needs, she partnered with FIRST NYC to pilot FIRST LEGO League Jr. The program has proven to be a tremendous success, including an annual expo at the NY Hall of Science.

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INSPIRATION IS EVERWHERE

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FIRST Alum Anthony Hennig

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FIRST helped me discover my love of engineering

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Anthony Hennig

FIRST Alum, Volunteer, & Mentor

FIRST Alum Anthony Hennig discovered his love for engineering after becoming a programmer for FIRST Robotics Competition Team 422 “Mech Tech Dragons,” in Richmond, Virginia. He later became double valedictorian for both engineering and liberal arts colleges at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a graduate research assistant in systems engineering at George Washington University. He stays connected with the FIRST community as a volunteer and mentor.

What did you do after becoming a FIRST Alum?
After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as a double valedictorian for both engineering and liberal arts colleges, I went straight to George Washington University (GWU). Currently, I'm working in Washington, D.C., at GWU as a graduate research assistant in systems engineering, trying to understand some of the specifics and theories behind how we break up, or decompose, large and complex engineering systems and how that interacts with solvers and designers.

What are your future plans?
I want to work on technology development and be a project manager for a project that I can see evolve from beginning to end.

How has your FIRST experience impacted your post-graduation life?
During my sophomore year of high school on FIRST Robotics Competition Team 422, I became a programmer (I was also mechanical lead later in high school) – that’s when I realized how much I loved engineering. The hands-on aspect and the designing of the robots gave me an introduction to engineering and has opened up so many doors for me to learn more.

You’ve continued to be involved with FIRST as an Alum; what have you been up to?
I was out of the loop for the first few years I was at RIT, but then I came back to FIRST by volunteering with FIRST LEGO League during a co-op in Cincinnati. In doing so, I realized how much I missed working with FIRST teams. Since then, I have done some robot inspecting (lead robot inspector at the Finger Lakes Regional), I have been a judge in southern Ohio, and I have also been mentoring Team 2900, which is down the street from where I am studying.

You shared that you’ve made and kept great FIRST friends/established a great network within the FIRST community – any advice to current participants on how to do that?
Stay connected with your community! If you move away from your hometown team, find a local team that would like a mentor or even start a new team. I love watching the students get excited about challenges and make new memories on the team, all while learning about robots.

Visit firstinspires.org/alumni for more FIRST Alumni spotlights. Share your story for a chance to be featured.