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Upcoming FRC Dates and Deadlines
First District Event registration for the 2016 season opened today at noon! If you have not done so already, please be sure to register for your first event. Second District Event registration opens on Thursday, Oct. 8 at noon. If you have any issues with registration, contact Team Support (1-800-871-8326 ext. 0 or [email protected]) and your local Regional Director.
Here are the next few upcoming FRC deadlines (times are at noon unless otherwise specified):
- Thursday, Oct. 8 - 2nd District Event registration opens
- Thursday, Nov. 5 - Unrestricted Regional/District Event registration opens (District teams must wait for Unrestricted Regional Event registration to register for a Regional Competition)
- Thursday, Nov. 12 - Inter-district registration opens
- Monday, Nov. 23 - Payment due for 1st and 2nd District Events; event registration closes
Important dates are also listed on the FRC calendar.
If your team is running into any problems, don't hesitate to reach out to your local Regional Director for support!
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Boston Celtics Fundraiser Night
We have been contacted by the Boston Celtics with a team fundraiser idea! Tickets for Celtics games in Boston are usually about $40 a seat. However, can get them for $30/seat. Teams can sell the tickets for $35, resulting in a discount for attendees and a bonus $5/ticket for your team. Teams can also sell tickets to team members at $30/seat while still using other tickets as a team fundraiser.
The potential dates are Friday, Nov. 6 or Friday, Nov. 20 and tickets have been blocked off for FIRST. Additionally, if your team can build or still has a robot that can shoot basketballs, we can also have your robot take part in a mini face off with other robots or even members of the Celtics team. Teams might be able to set up a display for the game on the mezzanine and tell your stories to the people who come.
This event will only happen if there is sufficient interest. Please contact Steve Cremer ( [email protected]) with the dates that work for you if you are interested in participating in the event. We hope to make a FIRST Robotics night with the Boston Celtics an annual event, but we need to know if there is interest in making it happen.
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New England 2016 Kickoff Events
Kickoff registration opens next Friday, Oct. 2, at noon. Teams have the option of attending a local kickoff event to pick up their kit or having their kit shipped to them. However, teams that have their kits shipped to them will also have to pay for the cost of shipping. Here are the kickoff events that will be held in New England:
Connecticut - Wolcott High School
457 Boundline Rd
Wolcott, CT 06716
Massachusetts - Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School
215 Fitchburg Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
Massachusetts - Shrewsbury High School
64 Holden St
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Maine - Abromson Center, USM Campus, Portland, Maine
Hannaford Hall (Auditorium)
88 Bedford Street
Portland, ME 04101
New Hampshire - Southern New Hampshire University
2500 North River Road
Hooksett, NH 03105
More information about Kickoff, including a full list of events, can be found here.
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FRC Blog Updates
The following posts come from recent updates to the FRC blog. Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed if you have not done so already!Help FIRST with the 2017 Championship! FIRST HQ is forming a committee, to be made up of volunteers and FIRST staff, which will be tasked with making recommendations to Senior FIRST Management regarding these elements for the 2017 Championship: - What geographic regions will be assigned to which FIRST Championship as FRC teams' 'home' Championships, including the way in which teams outside the United States would be included
- A potential way in which teams may volunteer and be selected to attend their non-home Championship
One of the volunteer slots available on the committee is an open slot, to which any member of the community may apply. Interested in being involved? Please send an email outlining your experience in FIRST, along with the reasons why you think you would be a good participant on the committee, to [email protected], with the subject '2017 Committee' by Wednesday, Sept. 30. FIRST will make their selection and announce committee participants in early October. See the blog post for more details!
Robotalk by PTC
PTC has announced the start of Robotalk, a series of weekly webinars, for the 2015/2016 FIRST season. The weekly webinar series will be hosted by David Price and will feature PTC experts, as well as several FIRST teams and mentors. The webinars will be held Wednesday evenings, from Sept. 23 - Nov. 18 at 7-8 p.m. The full list of topics can be found in the original post. Robotalk sessions will be recorded and posted to the PTC FIRST Community Site and you can register for the live sessions here. FIRST Future Innovator Award The FRC community creates unique innovations every year! Read Jamee's blog post and see the FIRST Future Innovator Award, sponsored by the Abbott Fund, to see how you can use innovation to make a difference by addressing some of the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Engineering Challenges. Submissions are open through Friday, Oct. 30.
Frank Answers Friday: Pool Noodles
Bumpers will be returning to FRC in 2016. Frank also confirmed in the comments of his blog post that 2015 game pieces can be recycled as 2016 bumpers and both hollow core and solid noodles will be permitted. Have a good question for Frank? You can e-mail your questions to [email protected]. Please include your name, team number and where you're from, which will be shared, if selected.
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3D Trading Pin Contest
FIRST and 3D Systems are challenging teams to design a 3D printable trading pin for the inaugural "FIRST, Inspire" Celebration fundraiser in New York City, where guests will be inspired with the impact of FIRST and honor Michael R. Bloomberg, will.i.am and FIRST Alumna Diana Lee Guzman. The winning pins will be 3D printed and presented as gifts so our guests can experience the pin-exchange that teams participate in at competitions.
Create a design to demonstrate how FIRST has changed your world and help us inspire our guests with the infinite awesomeness that is FIRST. Submissions may be made until Friday, Oct. 2.
Eligibility & Rules:
- You must currently be on an FRC or FTC team.
- You may submit as an individual or team.
- Use one of the base models here as a template.
- Use any or all of the 5 colors in the "FIRST, Inspire" logo shown here.
- Designs must be 3D printable, uploaded as STL files to Cubify and tagged as "FIRST, Inspire Pin". A file can be uploaded in the "My Cubify" section of the site.
- Files must be set to "public" so judges can access them.
- Participants are welcome and encouraged to submit multiple entries.
- Submissions must be made in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism�.
Up to 10 winners will be announced prior to the November 4 Celebration by FIRST and 3D Systems via email and social media.
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Call for Presentations: NE FIRST University Day at UMass Amherst
NE FIRST University Day at UMass Amherst is coming! We are in negotiation with UMass Amherst for a University Day in early November. Got an idea for a presentation or a topic that you or your team really wants to see? Email Dana Henry ([email protected]) or Lauren Jefferson ([email protected]) with your suggestions!
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Upcoming Deadlines
UTC Grant
Deadline: Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 5 p.m.
United Technologies is now accepting team grant applications for all four FIRST programs in the upcoming competition season. To qualify for a UTC grant, teams must have at least one mentor who is an employee of UTC or a UTC business unit. Additionally, teams must compete in at least one official FIRST event during the 2016 season. The grant application can be found here.
NASA Grant
Deadline: Friday, Oct. 2 at 1:59 a.m. (Thursday, Oct. 1 at 23:59:59 PDT)
Notification: Friday, Nov. 6
NASA is offering three types of grants for FRC teams for the 2015-2016 season. Teams may only apply for one type of NASA sponsorship per year. Please read the instructions carefully. All funds for the NASA grants are sent directly to FIRST and the application can be found here.
National Instruments FIRST Grant
Deadline: Friday, Oct. 2 at 11 p.m.
Notification: Friday, Dec. 11
NI is pleased to provide grants to assist FIRST teams participating in FLL, FTC and FRC. Teams will be awarded grants based on their submitted application, financial need, use of LabVIEW and commitment to the FIRST program.
If your team is selected for an NI FIRST grant, you will be required to:
- Program in LabVIEW, LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS, NXT-G or EV3
- Maintain regular communication with NI regarding team initiatives, community and marketing activities
- Feature the NI logo on the team robot, t-shirts or signage; use the NI logo according to logo guidelines (guidelines provided by NI)
- Ensure at least one team member takes the NI Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) exam by the end of 2016 (NI will communicate to teams about exam preparation and logistics)
The application can be found here.
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Upcoming Events
Bash at the Beach
Saturday, Oct. 3
Lyme-Old Lyme High School
69 Lyme St, Old Lyme, CT 06371 Waitlist Link
Greater Hartford Mini Maker Faire
Saturday, Oct. 3
Tunxis Community College
271 Scott Swamp Rd, Farmington, CT 06032
Boston NE FIRST University Day
Saturday, Oct. 10
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Behrakis Center
30 Leon St, Boston, MA 02115
River Rage 19
Saturday, Oct. 17
Memorial High School
1 Crusader Way, Manchester, NH 03103
Robot Rodeo
Saturday, Oct. 17
Gardiner Area Middle School
161 Cobbossee Ave, Gardiner, ME 04345
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