Fall 2009

Welcome...

VirginiaFIRST is pleased to bring you the first edition of the newsletter; our purpose is to shine a spotlight on all of you - the students, alumni, parents, mentors, teachers, and sponsors - who have come together to make VirginiaFIRST a reality. In addition, we will provide updates about FIRST activities across the Commonwealth so you can participate and volunteer for upcoming events.

Last year was a landmark year for VirginiaFIRST and here are a few of the noteworthy highlights:

• We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the FRC NASA/VCU Regional.


• Nearly 1,800 students were involved in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) programs.


• According to Virginia’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Operational Partner, FLL is growing at an amazing rate; over 3,500 9-14 year old students participated in FIRST LEGO League last year.  We expect that these roboteers will be clamoring for more robotics in their future and hope they will move into FTC and FRC programs as they transition into high school. This is the beauty of FIRST; there is something for all age groups!


• Hundreds of FIRST alumni are employed or are pursuing advanced degrees. They are on the move! Our FIRST graduates have just left for universities and colleges around the state and across the country. Most certainly, they will find a FIRST welcome wagon awaiting them; we hope that they will mentor and volunteer to assist FIRST teams in their “adopted” communities. Others, closer to home, will support their “original” team. We urge all of them to join the VirginiaFIRST alumni network and stay in touch with us so we can continue to track their progress and work with them to provide FIRST opportunities for youth in the future.


• We cannot forget the amazing cast of thousands of volunteers who generously donate time and energy and help us produce the events, workshops, scrimmages, tournaments, and competitions throughout the year.


• Even in this difficult economic climate we were able to add eight additional sponsors.

As you can see, this is a community effort and we are proud of our community!

On behalf of the VirginiaFIRST Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, we want to thank all of you who have made it possible for us to present the seamless pipeline of FIRST programs for the youth of Virginia.

Pattie Cook
Executive Director
VirginiaFIRST

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Calendar of Events

FLL

• Regional Tournament Registration
  October 1-15, 2009


• Virginia State Fair Exhibit
  October 1-4, 2009
  The Meadow Event Park, Doswell


• Local Tournaments
  November 7-8, 14-15, 2009


• Championship Tournament
  December 5-6, 2009
  James Madison University

FTC

• Virginia State Fair Exhibit
  October 1-4, 2009
  The Meadow Event Park, Doswell


• Meet the Field Scrimmage
  November 21, 2009
  VCU School of Engineering


• Qualifier Events ("Q-Vents")
  December 12 & 19, 2009
  January 16 & 23, 2010


• Regional Championship
  February 27, 2010
  University of Virginia

FRC

• Team Info. Mgmt Systems
  Opens September 24, 2009 TIMS


• Registration (Initial Event)
  Opens October 1, 2009 TIMS


• Virginia State Fair Exhibit
  The Meadow Event Park, Doswell
  October 1-4, 2009


• Robot Rumble
  October 3-4, 2009
  Virginia State Fair Exhibit
  The Meadow Event Park, Doswell


• Workshops
  November 21, 2009
  VCU School of Engineering

If you'd like to make a donation to support these programs,

VirginiaFIRST Partners with The Science Museum of Virginia

VirginiaFIRST has joined forces with the Science Museum of Virginia to promote a greater interest in science, technology, and engineering to Virginians across the state. This partnership allows VirginiaFIRST the ability to exhibit, and to schedule scrimmages, as well as providing other key opportunities to showcase all of VirginiaFIRST’s programs at the Science Museum.

"Our collaboration with VirginiaFIRST is a great example of the new direction the Science Museum is now taking,” says Science Museum of Virginia Director and CEO Richard Conti. “In order to be an effective museum for informal science learning across Virginia, we have to work closely with partners like VirginiaFIRST. We are proud to support them and look forward to VirginiaFIRST’s continued participation in Science Museum events. It will be inspiring and fun to see working robots created by competing teams in the upcoming qualifiers.”

"We are excited about this unique opportunity to partner with the Science Museum of Virginia and work together to collaborate and cultivate initiatives that will promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) related activities within the state," says Pattie Cook, Executive Director of VirginiaFIRST. "The Science Museum of Virginia is the ideal venue to showcase robots that were designed and built by 9-18 years old students. We also plan on having a number of hands-on activities to involve museum guest".

Come check out the FLL Tournament on November 7 and the FTC Qualifier on December 12, both in the Thalhimer Pavilion of the Science Museum of Virginia. We are planning additional exciting events at the Science Museum, so stay tuned to our website for updates.

VirginiaFIRST Rumbles at The State Fair of Virginia

Our partnership with the State Fair goes back to the very first year of the FRC Regional in Richmond, when 13 teams and a handful of volunteers manned the exhibit from opening to closing for all eleven days.  This year, we’re following the Fair to their new home at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. With generous support from the State Fair of Virginia and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, FRC teams from around the state will meet to compete in the 4th Annual VirginiaFIRST Robot Rumble.

The off-season events provide teams with a chance to train new drivers, shake out their robots and invite potential new members, partners and supporters and to kick off “robot season” for their teams. “The off-season provides the best team-building experience out there,” says Dee Tomczak, Assistant RD for Virginia. “The atmosphere is a bit more relaxed, but teams are competing in far more primitive conditions with aging robots and brand new drivers, in many cases. If a robot breaks, it has to be repaired on the spot to get it back on the field in time for its next match. Teams come together in the finest display of Gracious Professionalism – sharing tools and supplies and helping one another to compete like crazy.”

The competition will feature the 2009 Lunacy game, where robots move on a surface designed to mimic the gravitational conditions of the moon. Robots slip and slide on the playing field while trying to collect “moon rocks” in order to score points.

The Rumble will feature up to 24 teams from around the state. For more information, contact Dee.

Flat Dean & Woodie Go Global

In 2008, Team 1086 began a global outreach initiative called Flat Dean and Woodie World Wide. Our two flat figures, in the theme of "Flat Stanley", have been traveling the world visiting other FIRST teams, universities, and our team's own family, friends, and relatives. Flat Dean and Woodie World Wide are on a mission to spread the spirit of FIRST around the world.

"Science, technology, and engineering are the best," says Dean, "But don't forget your gracious professionalism!" says Woodie.

The project has traveled to over 1100 different recipients in over 54 countries on seven continents in an effort to increase awareness of the FIRST programs and to encourage new teams to get started!

Gallery
More Information...

New Life for a Faltering Team

2009 was a pivotal year for FRC Team 1829. Originally started by Arcadia High School in Oak Hall, VA, the team was on the brink of total collapse in late 2008 with only three remaining students, one mentor, and a severe lack of funding.

In October 2008, everything changed when the Navy's Surface Combat Systems Center (SCSC) heard about FIRST and wanted to find ways to get involved. Pattie Cook and Dee Tomczak made the introductions and Team 1829 was reborn as a coalition team led by SCSC. In the following months, the team grew rapidly to include over forty students, ten mentors, four high schools, and six major sponsors from two states! In the 2009 NASA/VCU Regional, Team 1829 was awarded the Xerox Creativity Award and the Engineering Inspiration Award. With a little financial support from VirginiaFIRST and some creative cost cutting (the team went camping instead of staying in a hotel) they were able to attend the FRC Championship in Atlanta!...but they didn't stop there.

During the off-season, the team formed a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called Eastern Shore Robotics with the purpose of "inspiring the next generation of science and technology professionals." Since then the team has:

• Recruited over 30 younger students to join FIRST LEGO League
• Partnered with SCSC, NASA, and local colleges to establish a new Student Research Laboratory for hands-on education
• On September 26th, Team 1829 will hold their First Annual Engineering Challenge - a local competition started to keep the creative juices flowing during the off-season.

From the brink of total collapse to transforming their community, Team 1829 has made significant progress in less than a year. It will be interesting to see how this team and their new organization progress in the years ahead...can't wait.

The FIRST Tech Challenge in Virginia

As a new season begins for the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) program, we can look back on 2008 as a highly successful year. Sixty-one teams registered and competed, as well as did demonstrations, worked exhibits, and mentored FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams.

The 2008 season ended with two weeks of summer day camp at VCU School of Engineering, with an FRC team taking the lead to teach kids ages 12-17 how to build and program robots using Tetrix and LEGO parts.

The 4th season is now underway as of the September 12th kickoff and the program continues to grow and evolve. For the first time, teams will have to qualify for the Regional Championship. Four qualifying tournaments, nicknamed “Q-vents”, will be held across the state during December and January, sending 48 teams on to Charlottesville where the State Championship will be hosted by University of Virginia in February.

FLL Team Gracefully Ages Out

After an incredible four years, the Green GLOOOCS celebrated at the World Championship in Atlanta this April. The Green GLOOOCS (Ground Level Ozone (O3) Creatures) are a FIRST LEGO League Robotics team from Henrico County.

This year the theme was “Climate Connection” and the team focused on the importance of switching from paper and plastic to reusable bags. Aside from hosting numerous educational events in their community, the team spoke before Governor Kaine’s Commission on Climate Change on how Virginia could become a national leader in the use of the reusable bag. The team was even invited to meet with Governor Kaine. They also worked closely with the Virginia General Assembly to support a Statewide Recycling/Waste Reduction bill, speaking before the Senate and House Committees and even distributing reusable bags to Delegates and Senators.

The Green GLOOOC’S grand finale was representing over 350 teams across Virginia/DC at the World Championship in Atlanta. The experience of meeting teams from throughout the United States, as well as from 26 countries, was one the team will always remember. The Green GLOOOCS' four-year adventure ended at the World Championship with a third place trophy for their research presentation – what a grand FIRST LEGO League finale for the Green GLOOOCS!!

FIRST Reduces the Cost For FRC in 2010

Reaffirming its commitment to bring robotics to all young people to increase their interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, FIRST, the leader in after school robotics competitions for K-12, today announced a price reduction of $1,000.00 for Veteran teams in its high-school program, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). This represents a 17% reduction in the initial registration cost for the upcoming 2010 season for Veteran teams compared to last year.

Read More...

Calling For Volunteers...

All of the FIRST programs in Virginia are actively seeking new volunteers to fill the many and varied roles at the events. Inspectors, referees, queuers, pit admin, judges, and many other positions need to be filled throughout the state. Events begin in early November and continue through March. No prior experience is necessary. Training is included.

Click here for more information and to find out how to register.

Thank You to our Much Appreciated Sponsors

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