Fall 2007 News
Dive into FIRST Robotics with Minnesota Splash! By Greg B.
November 10, 2007 -- Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816, The Green Machine, will help host a first-ever regional wide FIRST event, the Minnesota Splash. On Saturday December 8th, more than 30 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams from all over Minnesota are expected to participate in pre-season activities geared toward the needs of young teams. This event will take place at Lockheed Martin, Eagan, MN.
Due to space constraints however, there will be a limited number of members and mentors from each team allowed to attend. To extend the reach of this event, plans are underway to steam via Webcast several of the seminars.
At the facility, first and second year teams will have a chance to participate in a wide of variety of learning activities, ranging from seminars to actual robot demonstrations. The seminars, put on by student veterans and mentors alike, will convey valuable information relevant not only for building a robot, but also for organizing and running a robotics team. Topics such as what to expect and do at competitions, fundraising, and game strategy will also be covered during the seminars and workshops. Several FIRST teams will be invited to bring their 2007 competition robots and demonstrations of these robots in action will complement the seminars. It’s going to be very exciting, and we hope to see your team there!
In related developments, there will also be an orientation and information session for team mentors new to FIRST and the FIRST Robotics Competition. Planning is underway for this meeting to be held at the University of Minnesota on a weekday evening towards the end of November. Topics will include an overview of what the FIRST experience is, what resources are available to mentors, what it means to be a mentor, and what happens during the build/competition season.
More information on both the team mentors-only event and the Minnesota Splash will be available soon; the main contact for each team should expect more details via a notification email shortly. For directions to the site, please see the MN Splash Page.
The Green Machine Contributes to FIRST President’s Circle Resources
November 3, 2007 -- One of the most difficult things about starting up a new FIRST Robotics team is figuring out not only how to build a robot in six short weeks, but how to find mentors and corporate sponsors, and what to expect when your team arrives at a regional competition.
To answer these and other pressing questions, FIRST turned to the best resource it could find: its own teams! The Green Machine is one of 20 teams taking part in a new initiative called the FIRST President’s Circle. These teams are working with FIRST throughout the 2008 season to identify the best-known resources for rookie teams to grow into successful, long-term robotics teams.
In October 2007, FIRST designated pages on its website to President’s Circle to address the specific needs of rookie teams. These pages include listings of the top websites new FIRST teams should visit, suggestions on where teams can begin the search for financial support, and a catalog of “must have” resources. Among The Green Machine’s contributions to this project: its 2007 team handbook is listed in the top ten FIRST team manuals, and the team’s webmaster was tapped by FIRST to help design, format, and post President’s Circle web content.
Participants in the President’s Circle were selected after submitting a two-minute video aimed at inspiring, recruiting, and mentoring new teams. The Green Machine was the first team to upload a President’s Circle submission video to the FIRST Channel on YouTube in May. This video, produced and edited by team members, illustrated The Green Machine’s involvement with the start-up of seven rookie teams in 2007.
Joining our team in the President's Circle this year are: Raider Robotix, Team 25; Team RUSH, Team 27; TeknoKats, Team 45; Team Hammond, Team 71; The Navigators, Team 79; Pink Team, Team 233; Techno Ticks, Team 236; The CIA, Team 291; Starbot, Team 337; Churchville-Chili FIRST , Team 340; Miss Daisy, Team 341; MOE, Team 365; Midnight Mechanics, Team 812; Falcon Robotics , Team 842; Simbots , Team 1114; Eagle Engineering, Team 1138; Xaviermania, Team 1846; Apple Pi, Team 2067, and Panteras, Team 2283.
Noodles Fundraiser is a Hit! By Sophie B.
October 28, 2007 -- The Green Machine held a very successful team fundraiser at the Noodles & Co. restaurant in Edina on Saturday, October 27. A few team members arrived at 11 AM to set up our 2007 robot on the restaurant's patio, as well as place information about our team and FIRST Robotics within the restaurant. Through the afternoon, team members demonstrated the robot’s dual-ramp system, while others greeted Noodles customers and showed them a presentation about Team 1816 and FIRST Robotics. We even had a chance to enjoy the delicious food until the team's time-slot ended at 3 PM. The event culminated in the successful lifting of several Noodles staff members on the robot's ramps. Team 1816 especially thanks Derrick Hempel, the general manager of the Southdale Square Noodles, and all the staff of Noodles, who were so friendly and accommodating. Thank you to everyone, especially to Edina High School Band members who came in costumes directly from a Halloween event, who visited Noodles and purchased a meal. Proceeds from this event will help underwrite the team’s tournament-related travel expenses.
Help Support The Green Machine by Eating at Noodles! By Sophie B.
October 22, 2007 -- Come show your support for Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816 by eating lunch or taking home a dinner-to-go at Noodles on Saturday, October 27. The team is hosting a fundraising event at Noodles, 6531 York Avenue South, in the Southdale Square shopping center (next to Dunn Bros. Coffee). Between the hours of 11 AM and 3 PM, team members will be on hand to greet guests and answer questions about participation in FIRST robotics, the 2008 FIRST Minnesota Regional, and how we design and build competition-ready robots. Noodles will donate to The Green Machine a certain portion of the proceeds earned during this event. The money raised will help finance team expenses and events for the 2008 FIRST Robotics Competition.