Current Members and Mentors
There are many projects and tasks that a FIRST Robotics team must accomplish during the year. To meet deadlines and goals, Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816-The Green Machine, is divided into specialized subteams: Robot Build (Drive-train, Chassis and Manipulator); Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Corporate Sponsorship; Programming and Electrical Wiring; Facilities; Media (Communications and Animation), and Outreach. These subteams accomplish assigned tasks that range from promoting the team to corporate sponsors and acquiring funding, to programming a competition robot, to mentoring FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Competition and other FRC teams. Combined, all of these functions make it possible for the entire team to perform well. Team members will often cross over into other sub-teams when working on the robot, and all team members are involved with outreach and corporate fundraising. Click here to read more in-depth about each sub-team.
Team Captains
The Team Captains oversee all team activities with some assistance from the head mentors. The Co-Captain becomes captain in the next season.
Michael W.
Michael W.
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Michael W.
2012 Captain
Michael W., our 2012 Captain, credits FIRST with sparking an avid interest in military-based robotics and engineering (drones or bomb diffusing robots). He never thought he’d enjoy FIRST Robotics as much as does, with the workshop and competitions the two aspects he enjoys the most. He is fueled by Mounds bars, a fusion of tropical coconut and a palette soothing coat of chocolate. You will know when Michael is in the workshop, as electronic music (Afrojack, Tiesto) is blasting. As an avid follower of Hawaii Five-0, Alex O'Loughlin would play Michael in a movie that is sure to be a summer blockbuster. Torn over the decision between unicorns and zombies, he consulted with his “workshop cabinet.” In an unusual concurrence, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln unanimously voted in favor of unicorns and therefore the choice is unicorns.
Alex O.
Alex O.
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Alex O.
2012 Co-Captain
Alex O, a junior and an adjunct co-Captain, declares FIRST is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Not only does it allow him do what he loves to do every day (program and tinker and code and program some more), but it has taught him how to work with others to build a stronger team. What surprises him most about FIRST Robotics is how much business and finance is involved in building a robot. One doesn’t simply build and program a robot, real money is involved (Thank you, Team 1816’s Sponsors, We can’t do this without you!) His favorite candy is the 100 Grand Bar, crunch and caramel fused to make something awesome. His favorite song is “The Sound of Success.” Matt Damon would play Alex in the movies, a nonstop action/adventure with explosions. Unicorns are his choice, because if he found a unicorn, who knows what other mythological creatures he could find?
Kevin K.
Kevin K.
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Kevin K.
2012 Safety Captain and Co-Captain
Kevin K., a junior, is in his 2nd year on Team 1816. This year, he’s a co-Captain as well as our Safety Captain. To Kevin, FIRST is a wonderful organization that has impacted his life greatly. What he has learned by involvement with FIRST has made him a better person and already has impacted his future plans, which definitely include engineering. “The amount of things you learn in six weeks building a robot is more than we learn in six weeks of school,” he says. Kevin’s favorite candy is dark chocolate, and his choice of music leans toward One Republic and Muse. Johnny Depp is Kevin’s casting choice, as they are so much alike. Kevin prefers unicorns over zombies, because unicorns don’t try to eat his brains, and the rainbow dust from the rainbows that follow them can be used to create a source of infinite happiness and energy.
Head Mentors
There is something unique about FIRST Robotics that brings together students and adults, season -after-season, to build both a team and a robot. The Green Machine extends a wink of its “Gear Eyes” to its many adult volunteers and mentors, and thanks them for the countless hours they spend helping us reach out to sponsors, design, build and program our robots, build websites, and most of all, inspiring us to reach out to others as graciously and professionally as possible.
Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence
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Mark Lawrence
Operations Director
Mark Lawrence, our mentor of longest duration, is Team 1816’s Operations Director. After a career spanning more than three decades in the high-tech business, he retired from Cisco Systems. Retirement lasted about a day before he got “a call” to help mentor a fledging FIRST Robotics team. His favorite candy is Snickers, and fellow mentors have been known to offer him a bar before stating the nature of the emergency. A Rock 'n Roll guy at heart, his tastes range from Classical to Grunge to Indie to Musicals. Mark mostly likes the composition and creative process - putting together individual instruments/vocals to create an entirely new sound. His favorite piece: Beethoven’s Ninth. Harrison Ford is Mark’s choice to play him on-screen, because Mr. Ford’s not afraid to make fun of himself. The one thing that has surprised Mark most about FIRST Robotics is the passion that people have for the program, which equates to the amount of time they are willing to spend participating in the different activities. He didn’t say, but we figure zombies are his choice over unicorns, because we’re all pretty much like zombies at the end of the 6-week build.
Alyson Purdy
Alyson Purdy
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Alyson Purdy
Faculty Advisor
Alyson Purdy, our team’s faculty advisor, is in her sixth year with Team 1816. During the day, she’s a science teacher at Hopkins High School, but as soon as the bell rings, she shifts gears into all robotics, all the time. She thrives on chocolate – real chocolate – and good conversation with team members and mentors. She never dreamed it possible to have as much fun mentoring and coaching teenagers as it is with our FIRST Robotics team. Sigourney Weaver would play her in the movies, because that way, she’d be tall. Zombies rule!
Laurie Shimizu
Laurie Shimizu
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Laurie Shimizu
Communications Mentor
Laurie Shimizu is in her seventh year with our team, taking on responsibilities as the team manager in addition to mentoring students in all facets of media. She is amazed that FIRST, more than any other job, has taken full advantage of her Communication Arts degree, and is now thankful that her undergrad years were filled with biology, chemistry, physics as well as a smattering of (very early) computer programming (think punch cards). Her preferred candy is dark chocolate, delivered by the semi-truckload. Bonnie Hunt would be her choice of actress for her 15 minutes of big screen time. Music by Bruce Springsteen, Don Dixon, Marti Jones, Martin Zellar and Trombone Shorty can’t be beat. As to unicorns v. zombies: She prefers that they form an alliance and work graciously and professionally together.
Members
Cody A.
Cody A.
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Cody A.
Cody A., a junior, is a rookie member of our Programming subteam. He believes that involvement with FIRST will help prepare him to reach his dream of studying computer science in college. He’s surprised by how much leeway the team members have to figure out the answers, that the adult mentors don’t simply give away the solution. His favorite candy is Three Musketeers because he’s always been able to eat them, even when he had braces on his teeth. His favorite song is “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse. He picks zombies over unicorns because there are so many variations of zombies.
Matthew B.
Matthew B.
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Matthew B.
Matthew B., a sophomore rookie on our CAD subteam, expects being on the robotics team will help him learn how to work better in a group and how to design machines beyond the basics. He’s thinking that these life-skills will help him decide what type of engineering to study in college. He didn’t expect a FIRST team to operate like a business, with as much discussion about finance and sponsorships as about designing robot parts. He also didn’t expect high school students to be in charge of team operations. Swiss chocolate can be found in Matthew’s backpack and he’s been known to hum a classical music tune while designing objects at a CAD workstation.
Kyle C.
Kyle C.
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Kyle C.
Kyle C., a junior, a rookie member of our CAD subteam, anticipates that FIRST will immerse him in all facets of engineering. What surprises him most about FIRST is that unlike most competitions, helping opponents is encouraged and rewarded. His favorite candy is Skittles. His favorite song is “Satellite” by Guster. Kyle selects Dolph Ludgren as his movie body double, because so many people have commented that he looks like Dolph. He greatly prefers majestic unicorns to filthy zombies.
Rachel E.
Rachel E.
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Rachel E.
Rachel E., a junior and first-year on our Facilities and Corporate Sponsorship subteams, thinks FIRST will expose her to new experiences and ideas in science-related fields. She is surprised by how FIRST Robotics promotes the idea of making your opponents better competitors, that FIRSTers are expected to act as gracious professionals. Her favorite candy is any sour candy because of the contrasting sweet and sour flavors. Her favorite music is holiday songs and classical pieces. Jennifer Aniston would play Rachel in the movies because she played the famous Rachel on the TV show Friends. She prefers unicorns.
Rebecca E.
Rebecca E.
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Rebecca E.
Rebecca E., a sophomore rookie on our Facilities and Corporate Sponsorship subteams, believes FIRST will provide her with opportunities to explore science and technology. She was surprised by how welcoming and friendly the team is to new members and how quickly rookies were expected to contribute. All candy is delicious, she has no reason to choose just one. Her favorite song is “Don’t Stop Believing,” because it conveys the idea to never stop believing. If an actress were to play her in a movie, it would be her sister because they look a lot alike. She prefers unicorns over zombies.
Kate E.
Kate E.
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Kate E.
Kate E., a senior, is an adjunct member of our Animation subteam and our Game strategy/Scouting subteam. She travels quite a ways to be with our team, and we hope her time with us is worth the long hours in the car with Mom. She tells us that FIRST teaches the importance of working as a team and of pushing oneself past the comfort zone and to go for what you want. Plus, it has immersed her deeply into math, science and computers. She prefers Heath Bars, a perfect combination of yummy chocolate and toffee. If a song has heartfelt lyrics or a catchy beat, chances are Katie is belting out the tune and/or dancing up a storm. Sigourney Weaver will play Katie in the movies because she is tall and funny. Zombies are Kate’s choice because they are nearly undefeatable and super dedicated when it comes to reaching their goal – just like FIRST Robotics teams!
Joe F.
Joe F.
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Joe F.
Joe F., a junior, is in his second year on our team and is our CAD subteam leader. FIRST has helped him further his interests in design and engineering, and has pushed him to use his time more efficiently. He’s been most surprised by how big the competitions are and how significant a time commitment it is to be a member of a FIRST team. His favorite candy bar is the Twix ice cream bar: chocolate, caramel, cookie crunch AND ice cream. Matt Damon is Joe’s avatar in the movies, because he played Jason Bourne. Zombies are Joe’s choice because they are good target practice and one doesn’t have to worry about making them extinct.
Jens F.
Jens F.
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Jens F.
Jens F., a rookie senior, is on the Facilities subteam. He is looking forward to an engineering immersion and working as part of a team, both aspects that fit into his future plans. The most surprising thing about FIRST Robotics is the level of dedication that all the members have toward the team, he says. His favorite candy is Reese's peanut butter cups. Favorite songs is “Scary Monsters” and “Nice Sprites” by Skrillex, and his favorite type of music is dubstep. If an actor were to play Jens in a movie, it would be Jesse Eisenberg, because he's reserved like Jens. His preference is zombies over unicorns.
David G.
David G.
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David G.
David G., an adjunct rookie senior, believes FIRST greatly broadens his future academic and career options in computer science. He’s been shocked by the level of participation by parents, students, and all of the people that put together FIRST events. “It is clear to me how passionate a lot of people are about this organization,” he says. His favorite candy is Reese's because of the way the sweetness of the peanut butter accents the bitter-sweet chocolate. A match made in heaven! His favorite song is “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” by Franz Liszt. Hugh Laurie would play David on the big screen. To David, zombies do nothing but kill. Unicorns have magical properties and could also defend us from enemies. The choice, he says, is clear.
Leslie G.
Leslie G.
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Leslie G.
Leslie G., a rookie sophomore learning Animation, believes that FIRST will teach her how to work better with a team, delve deeply into engineering, and how to work well with deadlines. The organization required for FIRST Robotics surprises her the most. Her favorite candy is Rollos. Leslie prefers unicorns over zombies.
Danny G.
Danny G.
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Danny G.
Danny G. is a sophomore and a rookie on our Programming subteam. FIRST surprises him with the sophistication of the resources it allows its members. His favorite candy is an Almond Joy. He enjoys rap music and his favorite song is "Prize Fighter" by Grieves. If a movie was ever made he would like to be played by Robert Downey Jr. He also prefers zombies over unicorns.
Peter J.
Peter J.
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Peter J.
Peter J., a junior, is in his second year on 1816 and is now lead of our Facilities subteam. Peter tells us that FIRST convinced him to seriously look into an engineering based career. He’s quite amazed that so many universities and companies are seeking FIRST alumni, there is a staggering amount of scholarship funds out there. He lists Twix as his favorite candy; Heavy Metal as his music choice and actor matt Damon to play him in the movies. Zombies are his choice – as if there really was one.
Sam K.
Sam K.
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Sam K.
Sam K., an adjunct senior in his second year, is our Robot Build lead. He declares that FIRST forces him to optimize his time, a good skill for a future engineer. Because of FIRST, Sam decided to pursue a college major in electrical engineering. He was most surprised by FIRST the first time he stepped onto the field at a large competition: “Tom Sawyer” by Rush was playing – and it was then that he realized that FIRST not only was a true high school sport – but it was a lot better. Pretzel M&Ms are his choice of candy; New Orleans Jazz, is his favorite music. His fave of all time is “St. James Infirmary” as performed by Davina and the Vagabonds. He prefers unicorns simply because unicorns have no desire to ingest any part of his body including his brains. In reality, who would prefer seeing the world sent into chaos by flesh-eating undead creatures over pretty horsies with sparkly narwhal horns?
Alexander L.
Alexander L.
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Alexander L.
Alexander L. joins us as a rookie sophomore on our Robot Build subteam. Alex says the most surprising thing about FIRST so far is the creativity in the robots. So many robots, so many different designs! His favorite candy is Milky Way; his favorite song is “Paradise Lost” by Hollywood Undead, and Daniel Craig is his choice of actor to portray him on the big screen. Zombies by far outrank unicorns.
Seth L.
Seth L.
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Seth L.
Seth L., a sophomore rookie Programmer, comes to us from one of our middle school FTC teams, Piece of Cake. Now that he’s stepped up to FRC, Seth hopes FIRST will give him more team-wide, real-world, problem-solving opportunities. After graduation from high school, Seth plans on getting a degree in electrical or mechanical engineering or maybe even both. One of the most surprising things about FIRST is the number of design variations for the robots and the different approaches teams take to executing those designs. Seth would much rather have a slice of bread than candy; his favorite song is “photograph” by Def Leppard. Seth prefers zombies as a pet, for they are relatively low maintenance and can be confined to a smaller place than unicorns. However, if transportation was needed, he would rather have a unicorn for it is rather difficult to ride a zombie and they are not that fast.
Ben L.
Ben L.
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Ben L.
Ben L. a junior member of our CAD subteam, comes to Team 1816 as an exchange student from Beijing, China. He is an invaluable contributor to our CAD subteam, always ready with a helpful hint or another way of looking at a design. When at competitions, Ben is delighted to dress up as a giant hornet and be our team mascot. He wowed the crowds at the 2011 Championships, so much so that he captured a cameo appearance in the “I.Am.FIRST” TV special that aired in August 2011. When he’s not modeling robot parts in Solidworks, Ben can be found carving the ice as a figure skater. Demonstrating his gracious diplomacy, Ben deferred taking a stand on whether he prefers zombies or unicorns.
John N.
John N.
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John N.
John N., a sophomore, is a new member of the CAD subteam. He likes rock and jazz music. John is interested in FIRST because it gives him valuable experience in designing robots, and it will sure come in handy when it’s time to apply to colleges.
Karl O.
Karl O.
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Karl O.
Karl O., a sophomore on our Programming subteam, hopes to learn more about engineering, programming and robots, subject areas that have fascinated him for years. He’s surprised by how comprehensive FIRST Robotics is – it’s not only robotics but marketing, fundraising and community outreach. Swedish fish is his choice of sweet snack, mostly because they have a delicious chemical flavor. Arnold Schwarzenegger is his choice of actor, which goes along with zombies as his pick over unicorns.
Allan O.
Allan O.
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Allan O.
Allan O., a sophomore, is a member of the Programming team. He joined our team with an interest in JAVA. One thing that surprises him about FIRST is that Gracious Professionalism is expected from even rookies. His favorite candy is Skittles, and he doesn't listen to music. Zombies and unicorns both have benefits, so he would merge them into a Unibie that would do something cool.
Alex P.
Alex P.
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Alex P.
Alex P., a junior and in his second year on our Robot Build subteam, believes FIRST provides a real-life engineering work environment, deadlines included. What really surprises him is the Gracious Professionalism that FIRST promotes and encourages. Toblerone is his favorite candy, the almond clusters and marshmallow add to the Swiss chocolate greatness. His favorite song is “The Man who Can’t be Moved,” by the Script. Johnny Depp is Alex’s pick as actor. He prefers zombies: “I’d much rather get eaten by a zombie then killed by a unicorn,” he declares.
Joe R.
Joe R.
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Joe R.
Joe R., a rookie sophomore on the CAD subteam, hopes FIRST will prepare him for college and eventually a career in engineering. Nothing surprises him about FIRST Robotics because, like Chuck Norris, he is prepared for everything. His favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. His favorite song is “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green. Joe will play himself in the movies because he is the only person who could play that part well. When asked whether he prefers unicorns or zombies, Joe promptly replied “Zombicorns!”
Megan R.
Megan R.
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Megan R.
Megan R. is a sophomore rookie on the Animation and Corporate Sponsorship subteams. She expects FIRST will give her hands-on experience with “real” engineering projects. What surprises her most about FIRST is how many people are involved with it, both locally and around the world. Her favorite type of candy is dark chocolate. Her favorite song is the original version of “99 Luftbalons” by Nena. She thinks that zombies are cooler than unicorns because zombies don't have a moral code. This makes them more interesting.
Ken S.
Ken S.
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Ken S.
Ken S. is a sophomore in his second full-year on the team. He is enthusiastically the lead of the Media subteam, overseeing the website, and avidly participating in Game Strategy/Scouting. FIRST gives him a chance at new learning experiences and prepares him for further studies in engineering beyond high school. What surprises him the most about FIRST is the awesome experience it provides, one just has to take advantage of all that FIRST offers. His favorite candy is gummy bears. He likes to listen to jazz and mainstream music. Bill Murray is choice to be him on the big screen, especially if the movie is as funny as Caddyshack. He prefers zombies over unicorns, why is there a discussion over this?
Joe S.
Joe S.
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Joe S.
Joe S., a sophomore and rookie on our Robot Build subteam, believes FIRST is a lot of fun, and that’s mostly because he has yet to fully live the entire 6-week build experience. Skittles is his choice of candy and he’s sure to have them on hand beginning January 7. Zombies totally get his vote over unicorns.
Anisha S.
Anisha S.
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Anisha S.
Anisha S., a junior, is a second-year a co-lead of our A nimation subteam. She is often surprised by how much autonomy is granted to team members: The expectation is that FIRST members get the job done! Her favorite candy is the Kit Kat, because they contain wafers and chocolate. She much prefers unicorns over zombies because unicorns can fly and zombies, well, are just creepy
Andrew S.
Andrew S.
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Andrew S.
Andrew S., a junior and a second-year programmer, has a major interest in C++ programming. He also has some experience with Python, much experience with graphical design programs such as Gimp and Photoshop; and even more experience with vector graphics programs like Inkscape and Illustrator. That’s on top of approximately four years of experience with the Blender 3D modeling and animation package. His primary passion is the application of mathematical and scientific concepts to engineering tasks. With all of these on his plate, who has time to decide between zombies and unicorns? Over zombies and unicorns, he favors giraffes.
Melissa S.
Melissa S.
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Melissa S.
Melissa S. is a junior and in her second year on The Green Machine. FIRST already has had a impact on her future by giving her the opportunity to learn things that she would not be able to in other teams, such as safety, gracious professionalism and teamwork. FIRST Robotics has surprised her most by the amount of work and contributing factors it takes to build a robot. Her favorite candy is Snickers bars. Melissa’s choice of actress to play Melissa would be Emma Watson. Zombies are so much better than unicorns, Melissa insists, because unicorns are just cute while zombies are good for a good scare.
Connor S.
Connor S.
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Connor S.
Connor S. is super excited to be in his second year of robotics and another great year of programming robots in LabVIEW. A junior, Connor really thinks FIRST is helping further his interest in the sciences, specifically physics. FIRST Robotics really surprised Connor in how different it is from other extra -curricular activities. His favorite candy is anything fruity or chocolate, but never together. He enjoys music from 1960s Broadway, and is especially fond of “The Phantom of the Opera.” If someone were to play as Connor in a movie it would have to be Michael Crawford because of his fantastic singing abilities. Also, he believes unicorns are better than zombies because unicorns are made of rainbows.
Songnan W.
Songnan W.
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Songnan W.
Songnan W., a junior, comes to us from a FIRST Lego League team in China. An exchange student, she hopes that the skills and techniques she learns will benefit her future studying and career. Song is on our Robot Build subteam. She’d like to be an orthodontist, which has a lot to do with engineering. “It will undoubtedly be my life treasure to be in FIRST, experiencing real team-working as well as competing,” she tells us. What surprises her is how large a FIRST robot is because in China, she worked with robots that were a lot smaller. Skittles are her favorite candy because they last a long time. Favorite singers include Jay Chou(Chinese), James Blunt, and Coldplay. Ziyi Zhang, a renowned Chinese actress, would play Song. Zombies are her pick over unicorns because “they make me excited somehow.”
Rita W.
Rita W.
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Rita W.
Rita W., a sophomore, is a rookie on our Animation and Corporate sponsorship subteams. She has found that FIRST helps create a sense of community and team spirit and opens up opportunities that otherwise would not be available. What surprises her most about FIRST Robotics is the number of people involved and the number of subteams to join. Her favorite candy is Reese’s because it combines peanut butter and chocolate. Her favorite song is “Dynamite.” Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) would play Rita in a movie because she sort of looks like her. Like Luna, Rita much prefers the magical creatures, like unicorns.
Sam W.
Sam W.
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Sam W.
Sam W., junior, is in his second year with Team 1816 and this year, he’s dividing his time between Media and the Game Strategy/Scouting subteam. He says FIRST robotics has taught him quite a few new skills that he plans to use in the future. FIRST introduced him to journalism, and now drags him tooth and nail towards each deadline. Robotics also has shown Sam how important every single member on a team can be, no matter how small they perceive their individual role. His favorite candy is Reese’s peanut butter cups, a delectable combo of salty and sweet. He prefers techno tunes like “Faxing Berlin;” Hugh Jackman would portray Sam on screen, and he picks unicorns over zombies.
Lauren W.
Lauren W.
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Lauren W.
Lauren W. is a sophomore rookie on the Robot Build subteam and a writer for our website. She was attracted to FIRST robotics because it creates an atmosphere where she can apply her skills to help others and learn from others. She is very surprised that FIRST Robotics demands that students build large-scale robots and program their own robots- adults keep their hands off! Her favorite candy is Reese’s, because she loves peanut butter and chocolate. Lauren’s favorite rock-out song right now is “Dying Breed” by: Five Finger Death Punch. If someone were to play her in a movie, Lauren would want Pauley Perrette (Abby from NCIS) because her character on NCIS describes Lauren very well. She prefers zombies because they rebel against being dead and they don’t …emit rainbows.
James X.
James X.
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James X.
James X., a rookie senior, is delighted to be on Team 1816 at long last. His subteam for his year with us is the Facilities subteam. To his surprise, he found that it isn’t all about making robots, but how one works with a team and together make a lasting contribution. His favorite candy is dark chocolate. James is likely to be listening to happy music, especially music that he can dance to. Even though zombies are scary and frightening, he much prefers zombies over unicorns.
Mentors
Tom Benson
Tom Benson
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Tom Benson
Tom Benson is in the second-year of being co-mentor of our Facilities Subteam. This is the subteam that specializes in building our crate, practice field elements, displaying our team banners, everything and anything that isn’t “the” robot. Tom is owner of Scuba Center, which means he spends a lot of time playing water games. We’re hoping that experience comes in handy should FIRST decide that it’s time to take the competition to the ocean.
Tim Dirr
Tim Dirr
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Tim Dirr
Mechanical Design Mentor
Tim Dirr is in his sixth year as a mechanical design mentor with The Green Machine, following two years as coach of FIRST Lego League teams. This season, he is co-mentoring the Computer Aided Design (CAD) subteam as well as working with the team’s student brainstorming leads. Tim is a technical manager at 3M Co. where he leads information systems and product commercialization projects. Tim has a passion for peanut butter/chocolate candy (Reese’s!), appreciates the magicality of unicorns; lets Pandora guide the way through jazz, rock, country, and classical music, and wants Slim Pickens to play him (perhaps an FRC nail-biter akin to Dr Strangelove?.
Dave McGoff
Dave McGoff
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Dave McGoff
Lead Robot Build Mentor
David McGoff, who is enjoying his sixth year as Robot Build Engineering mentor on Team 1816, has met so many great people through FIRST that he can’t imagine a better social network. It’s also made him realize that there are so many way to solve a problem. “Each season I think that I have the game figured out only to see a number of different robots that saw the game in a completely different way.” The thing that surprises him most about FIRST is how smart and knowledgeable students today are about how-things-work. Dave’s day job is as manufacturing engineer at Graco, His favorite candy is anything with chocolate and caramel in it; favorite song would be “Layla” by Derek and the Dominos, but his iPod has a lot of different types of music from Bing Crosby to Eminem to country to rock. Jesse Eisenberg is his pick to be him in the movies because Mr. Eisenberg also has a dry sense of humor. Dave liked him in Zombieland, which makes his pick of zombies seem a logical choice.
Iain McIntyre
Iain McIntyre
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Iain McIntyre
Facilities/Build Mentor
Iain McIntyre is a co-mentor of the Facilities subteam (pit, crate, field elements). He holds a Ph.D in physics as well as a law degree, and has worked with the team in various guises for five years. What surprises him most about FIRST Robotics is the wide range of experiences available to kids on the team. Favorite candy is Caramello, because there’s nothing better than chocolate and caramel together. Favorite song is “Yours Is No Disgrace” by Yes, even after all those many years. Sean Connery would play him in a movie because “he sounds like me, don’t you think?” And zombies over unicorns, of course. Unicorns aren’t even real.
Riyan Mendonsa
Riyan Mendonsa.
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Riyan Mendonsa
Programming and CAD mentor
Riyan Mendonsa, back for his second year as a Programming mentor, is amazed that he gets to be part of a team that builds and plays with robots. Riyan is an Electrical and Magnetics Engineer at Seagate Technologies, and brings expertise in LabVIEW, Solidworks, Sketch-up and Maya animation. Smooth and creamy chocolate is his favorite, but he warns us he will eat any chocolate! Beware, team, don’t leave chocolate lying around, it will disappear. Unicorns get Riyan’s vote because “they are one of the few creatures that use their head!”
Matt Mittag
Matt Mittag.
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Matt Mittag
Robot Build Mentor
Matt Mittag, a research engineer with Dow Water Solutions/Dow Chemical Co., couldn’t wait to move to Edina and join our team as a Robot Build/Engineering mentor. FIRST changed his life, he claims, when he became involved with a FIRST team in high school (Team 93-New Apple Corps). This affiliation led Matt to choose to become an engineer – earning his degree in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University. He was a mentor for four years with FRC Team 2619 and now, he is in his second (full) year with The Green Machine. What surprises him most about FIRST is the passion, that anyone who has been involved with FIRST just once gets hooked for life. His favorite candy is Red Vines. His goal this year is simply to survive and out run the zombies at the end of the 6-week build.
Doug Purdy
Doug Purdy
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Doug Purdy
Doug Purdy, a Robot Build/Engineering mentor, got involved with FIRST Robotics after seeing how much fun his youngest son was having building robots. He’s worked in engineering projects large and small, from the Harrier jump jet to pumps of all shapes and sizes. His favorite candy is Tootsie Rolls, and he claims you can’t eat just one. He enjoys seeing all the ideas team members come up with and the lively discussions that come along with being a mentor to up-and-coming engineers. Daniel Craig would be his choice to portray him in the movies, and zombies are by far the better choice over unicorns.
Evan Seydel
Evan Seydel.
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Evan Seydel
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Mentor
Evan Seydel: an engineer at Wanner Engineering Co., is again delighted to be working with our CAD subteam. He’s a mild mannered man of few words, but is ready to assist all with a smile. It helps that he has the knowledge of that one technique that will bring those bits and pieces to life as real robot-ready parts. He has us 100% convinced that all of our lives would be so much better if only we could CAD it in Solidworks!
Steve Waldo
Steve Waldo
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Steve Waldo
Electrical Systems and Programming Mentor
Steve Waldo, our Lead Programming Mentor, is in his sixth year with Team 1816. Steve is one of those mentors that will answer texts, emails and phone calls at all hours of day and night during the build. He says his future has been enriched because of friendships formed through FIRST, not just with fellow mentors, but the students who graduate and make the transition from calling him "Mr. Waldo" to calling him "Steve"! Each year, he finds it amazing how much students can accomplish in so little time: It is no small feat to build an incredible robot in just six weeks! The students' ability to fix the inevitable glitches at tournaments shows their real understanding of what they've built, he tells us. His favorite candy is Endangered Species All-Natural Extreme Dark Chocolate 88% and he warns that only serious dark chocolate lovers need apply. His favorite music is classical, especially the Mendelssohn “Violin Concerto in E minor.” Brent Spiner (Data) is Steve’s pick to play him in a movie. Like the android in “Star Trek: The Next Generation," Steve sometimes finds himself being funny when he isn’t trying to be, but his actual attempts at humor (he thinks) sometimes fall short. Unicorns or zombies? Zombies should not be a choice. Let's change it to "Unicorns or Borg?" Steve prefers Borg!
