Team 1124 – The ÜberBots

1. Team 1124 – The ÜberBots Parents Meeting November 5th 2008

2. Agenda • Introduction • Background • Plans for 2008 – 2009 Season • Overview of the program • What to expect • How to support the team • Team Handbook • Questions

3. Introduction • The ÜberBots – Know as Team # 1124 • Participates in the US FIRST organization • A Student run organization • Operates through the generous donations of corporate sponsorship, mentors & parents • Is a part of Avon Robotics - 501(c)(3) organization which supports • US FIRST, FRC - ÜberBots – Team 1124 • Two US FIRST Lego Leagues • Others on the way…

4. Avon Robotics

5. Avon Robotics Vision To create an environment for Avon students where science and technology are celebrated... where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes Charter To gather resources (money, talent, support) from members of the Avon and surrounding communities to help the students in the pursuit of their vision.

6. US FIRST www.USFIRST.org

7. US FIRST • FIRST • Founded 1989 • Projected for 2008/09 season • Over 194,000 students • 17,425 teams • 16,225 robots • 53,000 mentors • 33,000 event volunteers • 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition • 1,725 teams (projected) • 43,125 high-school students • From Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the U.K., and every state in the U.S. • Events in Canada, Israel, U.S. • FIRST Robotics Competition Championship at the FIRST Championship in Atlanta, GA, April 16-18, 2009

8. The ÜberBots • Approximately 48 high school students • Compete in FIRST Robotics Competitions • Founded in 2003 as the Cheetahs • Primary meeting place is Avon High School • Practice field located at 50 Tower rd Avon – otherwise known as Reflexite • Utilizes a student management structure • Voted in by their peers at the end of the season

9. How far have we gotten? 2003: Rookie of Year 2006: UTC Regional Championship Winners 2007: Connecticut Regional Championship Winners, Innovation in Control Award 2008 Connecticut Regional Championship, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award 2008 Divisional National Champions – Atlanta Georgia

10. Extracurricular Activities • Community Events • PQ Controls • Peppermint Farms (180 loaves of bread / minute) • da Vinci Robot @ Hartford Hospital • Whittmann Robotics • UTC Fire & Security • Elementary School • Senior Center • Avon Day

11. ÜberBots - Student Structure • President (Sirui Sun)– • Duties: Schedules, organizes, and presides over team meetings and leadership team meetings; represents team where singular presence is required. • Public Relations (Margaret Valerio)– • Duties: To preside over and join together spirit committee, fundraising team and press team. Also responsible for sponsor relations and letters. • Vice President(Matt Bedard)– • Duties: Assists the President and assumes duties of the President in her absence; collects and organizes committee reports. • Treasurer (Ben Henry)– • Duties: Works with adult mentor and team leader. Keeps accurate record of receipts and disbursements. Maintains team budget and reports on such at team meetings. • Secretary (Ketaki Shashank)– • Duties: Takes accurate minutes of all team meetings and disseminates such to team members and parents/guardians. Keeps records of contact information for team members, parents/guardians, school administrators, town officials, and sponsors for purposes of communication. Also responsible for documentation of team procedures.

12. Participation Areas Last Year Example

13. ÜberBots It is not about building a robot… It is about building a team and the associated processes which is able to operate in a competitive environment, collaboratively, to produce a winning solution to a unique game. The meets almost year round to prepare for the yearly competition. During the school season teams are only given only 6 weeks to conceptualize and implement their proposals so it is critical the team has prepared properly to operate at their peak performance when the game begins. The solution includes strategy and product (the robot) which must interact with other teams both competitively and collaboratively to win the game (currently the USFirst competition).

14. A cohesive team – Operating well together The Challenge Input from 45 students Input from mentors and parents Rules ‘shifting’ Budget constraints Part availability & lead-time Time Constraint  6 Weeks Unknowns: snow storms, mentor travel… Defined strategy, play book Robot that operates as expected Students who have practiced

15. Calendar of Events

16. Team Building • Trust & Respect • Do what you say you are going to do • Take the extra moment to see other points of view • Work as a team – do not ‘out smart’ others • Communication • Take the time to ‘slow down’ and explain • Try and develop a common vocabulary • Utilize the ÜberBots website • www.UberBots.org

17. WWW.UberBots.org

18. Management Team ÜberBots Coach Administration Students Mentors Parents Sponsors Media Group Interactions Avon High School Interface Council Community Liaison ÜberBots Portal Parents ÜberBots Portal Mentors See Sponsor Spreadsheet ÜberBots Portal Students

19. Accessing the email list

20. UTC Fire & Security Reflexite TRUMPF OFS Specialty Photonics Division Legere Group Ltd. Mintz & Hoke Wittmann Inc. PMP Corporation Walmart fundraising Stop &S hop fundraising Walmart / Community matching Avon/Canton Rotary Club 8th Grade Orientation fundraising Ninety-Nine AEF Grant Exxon Mobile Grant Procon Inc. Flat Bread NAPPA Auto Simsbury Bank Peoples Bank Farmington Savings Third Millennium Marketing, LLC Mountain Laurel Biomedical Sovereign Bank Transcendigital Avon Day Current Sponsors

21. Contribution Levels • Major Sponsor >$ 15K • Name of team • Predominate name (& Logo) on the Robot • Predominate name (& Logo) on shirts & promotional material & Web site • Name on team Jackets (If we have them) • Key supporters >$1K • Name (& Logo) on shirts • Mentioned in promotional material & Web site • Link from our we web site to contributor web site • Supporter > $250 • Smallest print on shirts • Smallest print on promotional material & Web site

22. How money is raised • Support by major sponsors • Companies asked to provide finical support for the program* (see contribution levels) • Fundraising Activities • Working with local restaurants • Silent Auctions of donated goods • Standing outside local supermarkets • Direct Parent support The majority of the funds raised are in close proximity to Avon Connecticut

23. How ÜberBots spends money • Fee for entering the competition • Regional event $6,000 / year • National event $5,000 / year • Purchase parts for the team operation • Typically around $13,000 / year • All expenditure of funds is spent either directly for fees to participate in the program, or the purchase of materials & tools for the students to build with.

24. High level Objectives • We are here for ALL the Students!!! • This is the student’s team, they have a large part in determining how & why things are done • If a decision has to be made, the students need to buy-in • Building a structure to last many years • Create the ‘by laws’ for operation • Foundation based on ‘student input’ • Coupled with technical input from mentors • Experiences from the community • Continued input – Continuous improvement

25. High level Objectives • We will always include more kids than less kids • The more mentors (properly assigned & focused) the better • Always side in favor of learning more • We will never hold any students back, if they can learn faster & more, we will teach faster & more • Avoid, ‘at all costs’ anything that looks like “mentor’s kids” have the inside track • Operate in an environment which is respectful of our sponsors, the school and community

26. What is not said While the coaches & mentors will always do there best to be fair & equal, it is not the responsibility of the mentors to ensure that all students take in the same amount of knowledge & experience (all students will be exposed equally, but it is up to the student to decide if they choose to engage)

27. Observations • Students work best in teams of 4-6 (or so….) • Students like to make decisions in these small groups and do not enjoy having to ‘wait’ for those that are not putting in as much effort • Students do not want decisions to be revisited or overturned (unless they come to that conclusion on their own). • Students like to do and see what happens, they like to learn by doing.

28. Mentor Structure

29. How Parents can Help • Three Mentor levels • Every night (& weekends) – during build season • Usually becomes a ‘key mentor’ for one of the functional areas. Helps guide the students in a logical process to obtain a consensus • Some periodicity • Will join and assist with a group already in process – often the same group. Need to be particularly careful in respecting the decisions the group has made in your absence • Come when you can • Typically fill in where the team needs the most support – may not directly align with your skill set and or interest

30. Raising money & Setting policy • All communication related to our primary sponsor UTC Fire and Security must be approved by the designated UTC F&S interface. • All communication related to our key sponsors must be approved by the mentor responsible for the relationship with that key sponsor. • All communication or contact with sponsors at the supporter level must be approved Community Liaison Mentor. • All communication from the ÜberBots or representing the ÜberBots to the administration or the Board of Education or USFIRST are to be approved by the Coach. • Any Activity or event which otherwise commits the team to time and or resources, must have the prior approval of majority of the student management team. • On any days which a team lunch is ordered, a designated student, collects money and orders the food. Any changes to the normal lunch process must be approved by the majority of the management team in advance.

31. Spending Money • Prior to a financial commitment, the student or mentor must get an ‘email’ approval from the student treasurer authorizing the expenditure. • Original receipts must be signed by the originating mentor and given to student treasurer for processing. • Student treasurer must sign receipts to be eligible for dispersion of funds. All receipts will be approved by the coach prior to payment. • Only the student treasurer can request funds from the Avon Robotics account. • Mentors or others, who which to make donations to the team, by purchasing and not turning in receipts should notify the student treasurer so it can be accounted for properly

32. Team Operation ÜberBots Avon High School Robotics Team Handbook 2008 – 2009 Season

33. Key Points of the Handbook • Calendar of year’s events • Defining the team structure • Team Operation • Area’s of Participation • Officers - Responsibilities • Competitions • Regional • Nationals

34. Priorities • School work comes first • ÜberBots Safety is first priority • Safety program • All team member have the right to learn & participate • All created equal – no entitlements • The best suited students play the position • The ÜberBots play to win

35. 10 13 12 14 11 8 9 1 7 5 4 3 2 What it takes to run a team Key Roles • Safety Captain • Energy Management • Scouting • Alliance building • Sprit • Mechanical • Coding (software) • Spare parts • Practice sign up • Coach • Human Player • Driver #1 • Driver #2 • Press / media PITS Play Field

36. Possible Awards • Regional Chairman’s Award FIRST’s most prestigious award, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. The award helps keep the central focus of the FIRST Robotics Competition on the goal of inspiring greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology. • Engineering Inspiration Award Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community. • Woodie Flowers Award The Woodie Flowers Award celebrates effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design. Dr. William Murphy founded this prestigious award in 1996 to recognize mentors who lead, inspire, and empower using excellent communication skills. The Woodie Flowers Award is presented to an outstanding engineer or teacher participating in the robotics competition who best demonstrates excellence in teaching science, math, and creative design. • Regional Winners This award celebrates the team or alliance that wins the competition. • Regional This award celebrates the team or alliance that makes it to the final match of the competition. • Autodesk Visualization Award Presented by Autodesk, Inc. and recognizes excellence in student animation that clearly and creatively illustrates the spirit of the FIRST Robotics Competition.

37. Possible Awards • Chrysler Team Spirit Award • Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and • teamwork. • Delphi “Driving Tomorrow’s Technology” Award Celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature. • General Motors Industrial Design Award Celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively achieves the game challenge. • Highest Rookie Seed Award Celebrates the highest-seeded rookie team at the conclusion of the qualifying rounds. • Imagery Award Celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance. • Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism Award Celebrates outstanding sportsmanship and gracious professionalism in the heat of competition, both on and off the playing field. • Judges’ Awards During the course of the competition the judging panel may decide a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition. • Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award Celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that, since inception, has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.

38. Possible Awards • Motorola Quality Award Celebrates machine robustness in concept and fabrication. • Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components to provide unique machine functions. • Rookie All-Star Award Celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology. • Rookie Inspiration Award Celebrates a rookie team for outstanding effort as a FIRST team in community outreach and recruiting students to engineering. • Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award Celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards. • Website Award Recognizes excellence in student-designed, built, and managed FIRST team websites. • Xerox Creativity Award Celebrates creativity in design, use of component, or strategy of play.

39. Calendar – Build Season

40. What is the importance and the measurements of the attributes for the robot; Robot Design Process 3 2 1 • What attributes will the robot need to support the strategy's • Climb stair • Pick up ball • Turn around • Hang • Move forward • Discuss on how we plan on playing the game to win (multiple scenarios) • Playing offensively • Playing Defensively • Working with a partner • Understand the rules of the game • What is said • What is written • What we think 4 5 • What is the best way to build a solution for each, or a group of, the required attributes (example) Wheels & Piston to climb stairs VS Tank treads Proposed design

41. Key Dates 2009 season • Connecticut Regional Hartford, CT • March 26th – March 28th, 2009 Open Capacity: 0 • 2009 FIRST Championship Atlanta, GA • April 16th - April 18th, 2009 Open Capacity: 0

42. Possible costs • Lunches • Every Saturday $5.00 lunch money • T-shirt at < $15 • Two if you go to Atlanta • Sweat shirts < $45 • Atlanta • Not to exceed $950

43. Atlanta • Commitment • $50 due November 15th • $450 due December 18th • $450 due January 10th • While all monies are non-refundable, the team will make every effort to return any funds which had not already be allocated (as determined at the end of the trip – May 1st) • Capacity may be limited to first 25 students – All students must travel with the team

44. ÜberBots Recognition • Recognition by college and universities • Scholarships • Look at www.usfirst.com • Image in public / representing our sponsors • Wearing the shirt to support our sponsors and the team • Winning team in Atlanta – goes to the White House to meet the president

45. Sounds Great! How Can I Help? ÜberBots need a ton of help every year to succeed If you would like to help, you can donate time, money, supplies, moving the Robot, etc… Interested? Contact the team at AvonRobotics@comcast.net

46. Team 1124 – The ÜberBots Questions? Sponsored By: