“To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”

Vision of FIRST® founder Dean Kamen

        Two Treasure Valley robots traveled to St. Louis this past April for a multinational championship competition. Enthusiastic high school students from Boise (Team Tators) and Meridian (the Bullbots) built them. The robots’ task? To accomplish certain challenges announced in early January in a broadcast-webcast via NASA-TV. All work had to be completed by mid-February when regional qualifying competitions began. Upon arrival at a competition, the students put the robots through their paces in a series of challenges to earn points. They must program the robot to work independently, control the robot to accomplish specific tasks within the playing field (this year, pick up and hang a variety of inflatable shapes in a row), and also work cooperatively with other robot builders against other alliances of robots.
        These two teams are representative of many other teams throughout Idaho and the world. I had the opportunity to learn more about their impact on the Treasure Valley and how participation in the FIRST® Robotics program helps students become more technologically savvy while having fun.

        From preschool through high school, one area that invites extracurricular participation is the field of robotics. The international organization called FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) plays a predominant role. Founded in 1989, FIRST® keeps 90,000 volunteers involved with kids. Thousands of corporations and professional institutions, and local backers such as Hewlett-Packard, Micron Foundation, and the Whittenberger Foundation, lend major support. Students in all age groups put their minds and fingers to work designing and constructing robots and entering local, regional, and national competitions. Students can also vie for scholarships worth millions of dollars.

        Boise and Meridian FIRST® kids in grades K–3 can join a Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr. FLL) team. They build LEGO® models with motorized parts. Adult-led groups give them a taste of real-world math and science while participating with a team of their peers. A celebration of the product for parents or community helps them share the joy of their efforts.

        By grades 4–8, students in FIRST ® LEGO League (FLL) are into the real thing. They strategize, design, build, program and test a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology. It’s the team’s choice whether they enter official tournaments that could lead to invitations outside Idaho. Suzie Steiner is the coordinator of FLL teams in Southwest Idaho. She keeps track of teams in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Kuna, and beyond. Qualifying events typically number 20–30 teams (150–250 kids). They meet two hours a week after school or with a Gifted and Talented program, 4H group, or Scouts. She watches kids thrive, exhibiting creativity, problem-solving skills, math and science knowledge, and even practicing public speaking as they explain technical aspects of their projects to competition judges and parent groups.

        In line with the acquisition of more advanced skills and experience, Boise and Meridian students in grades 9–12 on a FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) team work with mentors who either teach or work in technology. The time commitment is intense during the build season (winter) but the students love it. Loid Sherwood and other volunteer mentors work with Meridian students on the Bullbots team. Sherwood teaches engineering classes at Renaissance and Mountain View High Schools. Mark Wibbels is an engineer at Hewlett-Packard and is the lead mentor for the Team Tators students in Boise. Mentor expertise allows students to benefit from the experiences of professional engineers.

        Renaissance High School buzzes with activity on a Tuesday night. I sidle up to a team hunched over a design program on the computer and pretended to understand what they were doing. I am lost in a sea of formulas and programming hieroglyphics. Then a cheer from across the room draws me in. A team had resolved a glitch in a robotic system they have designed. Accelerated brain activity is at work.

        Braeden Henze is a sophomore with only one year in the Meridian club. He says that working on LEGO® teams gave him a good orientation for more complicated work. His nickname is “axle man” because he worked on the axle. He says that everyone gives their trust to other people on the team. With 30 members on the team, everyone has different responsibilities with the electrical, programming, or mechanical elements of the robot.

        A senior at Mountain View High School, Reilly Scott has been on the team for four years and loves everything about her time building and competing. Going off to college next year, she expects to apply her experiences on the team to further studies and her life work.

        The Bullbots offer a summer day camp for younger robot enthusiasts. High-schoolers become mentors for camp attendees and help supervise the building of a working robot. At the concluding tournament, points are awarded for best-built robot and teamwork.

        A robotic team has all the makings of a sports team: enthusiasm for the tasks at hand, specialty skills held by each member of the team, hours of practice before competing with other teams, strategic thinking, refining procedures, listening to coaches, and supporting the team.

        Justin Rue, a senior at Mountain View High School, says that being on the Bullbot team gives him more confidence, more knowledge of robotics and engineering, and trust for his team members, who are like a family. He says that pressure will get to you more than anything. During competitions, you discover the value of team member specialties. He advises sticking to your objectives and solving problems that develop, such as wheels that don’t turn or claws that don’t grab.

        Boise’s Team Tators is based out of the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center (TVMSC). Principal Holly MacLean is enthusiastic about the program and welcomes students from around the district as well as home-schooled kids. She knows that the robotics program prepares kids for college and gives them skill sets and opportunities to contribute to a team with creativity and flexibility.

        Mark Wibbels mentored and led Team Tators to a first place win in Utah’s FIRST® Robotics Regional Event in both 2010 and 2011. The team also received the Quality Award for a robot that demonstrated robustness in concept and fabrication. At the final championship in St. Louis this year, the Treasure Valley robots faced 341 teams from around the world. Wibbels and other dedicated mentors spend the entire year preparing the teams, helping kids hone skills and build that team cooperation necessary for competitions and lifelong application. He wants students to understand what they can contribute to the world. The energy is contagious.

        The FIRST® website describes the FIRST® programs as “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.” With this much local interest and knowledge from mentors, Treasure Valley kids have rich resources to draw from.

Judy Ware, Ph.D. is a Boise writer who marvels at how many ways a robot claw can perform.