Charging Robotics

FIRST TEAM 6560 CHARGING CHAMPIONS IS A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM IN IRVINE, CALIFORNIA FORMED BY STUDENTS WHO ALL SHARE AN INTEREST IN ROBOTICS AND STEM PROGRAMS SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH. IN 2017, OUR TEAM BUILT THREE ROBOTS AND PLACED HIGHLY IN REGIONAL AND WAS ONE OF THE TOP TEAMS TO REACH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE FRC CIRCUIT. DURING THE 2018 SEASON, OUR TEAM REPLENISHED WITH EXTREMELY QUALIFIED FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORE STUDENTS FROM VARIOUS HIGH SCHOOLS IN IRVINE, AND WE INTEND ON IMPROVING UPON OUR PAST SEASONS WITH FIRST ROBOTICS BY REFINING OUR DESIGN AND BUILD PROCESS, IMPROVING OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH. THE FRC ROBOTICS PROGRAM TEACHES AND REFINES THE STUDENTS' STEM SKILLS IN ROBOT-BUILDING, PROGRAMMING, MECHANICAL DESIGN, MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS, COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN CAD, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, TECHNICAL STRATEGY AND VIDEO PRODUCTION. OUR STUDENTS ALSO LEARN BUSINESS SKILLS BY DEVELOPING OUR MARKETING PLANS, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES, FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH. SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS WERE ALUMNI OF FIRST LEGO LEAGUE AND FIRST TECH CHALLENGE, TWO PROGRAMS FOR YOUNGER KIDS TO LEARN ROBOTICS. THE TEAM MEMBERS WILL GROW TREMENDOUSLY, LEARNING HARD AND SOFT SKILLS RANGING FROM HARDWARE AND MECHANICAL DESIGN, SOFTWARE CODING, SYSTEM INTEGRATION, MANUFACTURING / TOOLING, CAD DESIGN, BRANDING, COMMUNITY SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND IMPROVED COLLABORATION SKILLS. COMMUNITY SERVICE BRINGS A MEASURABLE IMPACT THROUGH OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND STEM EDUCATION. STEM OUTREACH IS A KEY COMPONENT IN FIRST CULTURE AND IS PART OF FIRST TEAM 6560'S' IDENTITY. OUR TEAM IS AWARE OF ITS LOCAL COMMUNITY AND HAS A DEEP DESIRE TO BRING A POSITIVE IMPACT, CREATING A DETAILED BUSINESS AND OUTREACH PLAN. FIRST IS A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION WITH THE MISSION TO INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE'S INTEREST IN STEM SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH RELATED CAREERS. FIRST ENABLES MENTORS TO ENGAGE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS WITH STRUCTURED, GOAL-ORIENTED AND ACCESSIBLE PROGRAMS WHILE PROVIDING THEM WITH INTERPERSONAL WORKING, PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROVIDES SELF- CONFIDENCE AND CRUCIAL LIFE SKILLS. THE TEAM MEMBERS, WITH GUIDANCE FROM MENTORS, WORK ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE ROBOT. OUR FRC ROBOTICS PROGRAM TEACHES AND REFINES THE STUDENTS' STEM SKILLS IN ROBOT-BUILDING, JAVA PROGRAMMING, MECHANICAL DESIGN, MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS AND DATA ORGANIZING, COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN CAD, WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, TECHNICAL STRATEGY AND VIDEO PRODUCTION. OUR STUDENTS ALSO LEARN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND BUSINESS SKILLS BY DEVELOPING OUR BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGIES, FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNITY OUTREACHING. THE WIDE RANGE OF SKILLS INVOLVED ALLOWS OUR STUDENT TO LEARN AND GET FAMILIAR WITH THE SKILLS THAT WILL COME INTO USE LATER IN THEIR LIFE, EXPANDING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND SUCCESS IN THOSE ASPECTS. THE PROGRAM CURRENTLY IS SUPPORTING TWENTY-ONE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE MENTORS WITH BACKGROUNDS IN STEM WHO GUIDE THEM AS THEY BUILD AND REFINE A COMPETITIVE ROBOT.