Things Every FRC Team Should Know

1. Things Every FRC Team Should Know Glenn Lee – Team 359 – The Hawaiian Kids Collin Fultz – FRC Team Advocate

2. FIRST is not just for Technology Enthusiasts… • Variety of skills are needed • Marketing • Business • Team Spirit • Technology • FIRST Promotes Inclusion • Opportunities for hands-on STEM learning for non-traditional or underserved populations

3. FRC Calendar Year • FRC Calendar: • Pre-Season • Kickoff (first Saturday in January) • Build Season (6 weeks) • Week Zero Events • Stop Build Day • Competition Season (7 weeks) • Championship (April) • Off Season (mid-May to mid-November)

4. It’s Going To Take Time (a whole lot of precious time) • Average Mentor Volunteer Hours/ Week • In Season (Kickoff to Championship) • 4-7 Hours: 5% • 12-19 Hours: 25% • 30+ Hours: 28% • Off Season • 4-7 Hours: 31% • 12-19 Hours: 10% • 30+ Hours: 4% • Tips to Avoid Burnout • Take breaks • Don’t completely abandon your non-FIRST friends and family • Get others involved to share the load and maintain energy

5. It’s Going To Take Money (a whole lot of spending money) • Registration Fee • Regionals vs. Districts • Other Costs • Robot Parts (including spares) • Construction Materials (for robot and practice field) • Tools/Equipment • Team Uniforms/Mascot • Travel to Events • Outreach Activities • Unexpected Costs (be prepared!)

6. How Much Spending Money? Example Budget from Team 2470 (The Blitz Team), posted to the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit NOTE: Team Budgets vary widely • Range: $6,000 to $100,000+ • Most Common: $10,000-$20,000 (28%)

7. Where to Find Resources & Support • Know what you Need • Develop a Budget & Business Plan • Examples in the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit • It’s Difficult to Meet Needs Through Fundraising Alone • Seek out partnerships and other long-term resources • Apply for grants • Seek In-Kind Donations, Not Just Cash • Ask for donations of service/equipment- from equipment rental to pizza • Find Local Resources • Meet with parents and mentors to develop a list of possible sponsors/partnerships • Grants • NASA Grants • Rookie Grants

8. It’s Going To Take Mentors (to give their patience and time) • Mentors and Parents are the Backbone of your Team • Where to Look: • Schools • Colleges • Sponsors • Parents • Alumni • What to Look For: • Skills your team needs (technical and non-technical) • Redundancy is good

9. What Kinds of Mentors? From the Business Plan of Team 1625 (Winnovation), posted to the FIRST Fundraising Toolkit

10. Be Organized • Run your Team like a Business • Peer Mentorship • Provide leadership opportunities for experienced members • Train new mentors (ensure knowledge/experience stays with the team)

11. Team Organizational Chart Robotics Documentation Robotics Outreach Robot Construction FRC Team 359 Robotics Administration Robotics Support

12. Robotics Administration Coordination Planning Finances Fundraising Class Setup Schedule Team meetings Purchase Orders Team Travel Grant & Financial Support

13. Robot Construction ROBOT CONSTRUCTION Rules of Competition Kick-Off Meeting Rules Person: Student Team Captain ROBOT ASSEMBLY & COMPETITION TEAM Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, AutoCAD Operational Prototype Final Robot Controls Fabrication Spare Parts Pit Crew Driver Selection Tactician Scouting ROBOT SUPPORT Field & Goal Fabrication Crate Modification Cart Modification Control Fabrication Fabrication Training Field Setup Safety Captain Control Systems Robot Programming Autonomous Mode Electrical Pneumatics Controls Layout Driver Station

14. Work Flow Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 • Robot Assembly Tasks • Prototyping, Drive/Chassis Fabrication & Subsystem Design • Subsystem Fabrication & Drive/Chassis Assembly • Drive/Chassis Testing & Subsystem Bench Testing • Driver Practice • Subsystem Integration & Final Assembly • Driver Practice • Final Testing • Driver Practice • Robot Support Tasks • Fabricate Field, Goals, Etc. • Complete Field & Start Fabrication Training, if any • Build/Update Control (wood) & Cart • Build/Fix Crate • Dead Time • Fabrication Training Tasks • Mill, Lathe, Cut-Off Saw, Band Saw, etc. Familiarization • Continue As Time Permits • Robot Parts & Continue As Time Permits • Robot & Spare Parts Fabrication • Spare Parts Fabrication • Game & Parts Overview • State the Challenge • Brainstorming • Select Robot Design Parameters • Define Human Player & Other Team Functions

15. Robotics Support Robotics Support Coordination Planning Robotics Regional Support Team Uniforms Team Agenda & Booklet Team Schedule & Activities Spirit items-Buttons, Pencils, Magnets, Calculators Banners Collection of Payments/Dues-Admissions Meals Raffles and Trivia Robotics 6-week meal schedule Snacks Lunch Supervision support

16. Team Documentation Team Documentation Digital Media Production Multimedia Presentations Facilities Tours STEM Outreach Events Team Web Page, Animation Video, Team Video Documentary Web page design-Adobe, Animation Tutorials Team Roster and Organization Video Tutorials Team Updates Photos, Instagram, Twitter, FaceBook Evidence of Student Learning Post-Secondary Plans Competition Awards, Mentor/Student Awards, Pit Crew Manual, Engineering Design Manual, Safety Manual, Business Plan, Annual Team Documentation Supporting documents Media, newspaper, Interviews

17. Community Recognition & Outreach • Participate in Community Events- as much as possible! • Join local parades and other activities • Set up a display at your local library, sporting events, etc. • Press releases to local media • Show Off Awards & Trophies • Display in school/organization trophy case • Post to social media • Reach out to Alumni

18. TEAM 359 COMMUNITY OUTREACH Maintaining robotics in Hawaii & the Hawaii FRC Regional: ●Hawaii Robotics Planning Committee ●Waialua STEM Learning Center Promoting STEM in Hawaii: ●Working with Governor Lingle to promote STEM & FIRST in Hawaii ●Robot demonstrations at engineering events: Ex: Engineering Week (Kahala Mall) • Sponsorship of School- oriented Projects & clubs: • ●Blood Drive • ●Christmas Parade • Community Service: • ●Beach Clean-up • ●Annual Robotics Open House • Dole Robotics Fundraiser Luau Other Teams -Uses of facilities, materials and equipment -Access to mentors -Sharingideas Support Feeder Oranizations -Through funding & coordination STEM Workshops -Sustainability -Grant Writing -Business Plan

19. Don’t Know Where To Start? • Reach out to: • Regional Director • FIRST Senior Mentor • VISTA • Other FRC Teams • FRC Team Support • 603-666-3906, x0 • frcteams@usfirst.org

20. Other Resources • Progression of Programs (Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC) • Chief Delphi • FRC Resources: • Kit of Parts (www.usfirst.org/frc/kitofparts) • Technical (www.usfirst.org/frc/technicalresources) • General (http://www.usfirst.org/frc/resources) • Look for changes to the FRC website to make these easier to find

21. Thank You for Watching! Next Behind the Lines Episode: 2015 Control System Introduction Wednesday, October 15th 8:00 PM (ET) Experts: Representatives from the Control System Design Team This episode will be followed up with another discussion featuring Beta Test Teams