notre dame robotics first team 1967 business...

Notre Dame Robotics

FIRST Team 1967

Business Plan 2015

Team 1967 Business Plan 1

Table of Contents ♠ Executive

Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………3

♣ Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….………. 3

♣ Mission Statement…………………………………………………………………………..……….3

♣ Team Goals……………………………………………………………….………………….…………. 3

♠ About Us……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

♣ FIRST and FRC…………………………………………………………………………….…………….4

♣ Notre Dame High School………………..…………………………………………..……………. 4

♣ The Team………………………………………………………………………….………………..……. 5

♣ Team History……………………………………………………………….………………….………. 5

♠ SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………….……………………………………. 8

♣ Strengths……………………………………………………………….………………………………... 8

♣ Weaknesses……………………………………………………………….……………………………. 8

♣ Opportunities……………………………………………………………….……………….…………. 8

♣ Threats……………………………………………………………….……………………………………. 8

♠ Outreach……………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….… 9

♣ Impact on School……..………………………………………….……………………………….….9


♣ Impact on Community.…………………………………………..…………………………….….10

♣ FIRST Outreach……………………………………………………………………………………….. 11

♠ Team Structure…………………………………………………………………………….……………………… 12

♣ Team Leadership………………………………………………………………………………….…. 12

♣ Student Leaders……………………………………………………………………………………….12

♣ Committees……………………………………………………………………………………….……. 13

♠ Financial Plan………………………………………………………………………………….…………………... 15

♣ Budget…………………………………………………………………………………….……….………. 15

♥ Estimated Revenue…………………………………………………………..….……….15

♥ Estimated Expenses…..………………………………………………………...……….15

♠ Support………………………………………………………………………………………….……….……..……. 16

♣ Sponsors……………………………………………………………….…………………………………. 16

♣ Why Support Us? ………………………………………………….……………..…………………. 16

♣ Ways to Support Us……………………………………………….……………….….……………. 16

♣ Sponsor Benefits…………………………………………………….………………….…………….17

♠ Contact Info……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…. 18


Executive Summary

Introduction We are an all-girls Notre Dame Robotics Team, known officially as Team 1967, the

Janksters. Our team was founded in 2006 by a group of hard-working, dedicated students. But over these last ten years, our team has gone from 7 students working in the school garage to a more advanced team of 39 students, supported by a dozen mentors. Through each season and competition we participate in, the team grows as each individual student learns values that will stick with them long beyond their four years as a high school student.

Mission Statement Our mission is to create a community where students can explore STEAM (Science,

Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) through robotics. Students learn from professional engineers and Notre Dame educators, while aiming for a common goal—building a robot to compete in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Robotics Competition in six weeks.

St. Julie Billiart, founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, once said, “Teach them what they need to know for life.” The Janksters enforce this concept, fostering teamwork, leadership, and service through their experience on the team as they learn and grow. The team strives to maintain an attitude of gracious professionalism and team spirits as they put their best effort into building a robot.

Team Goals One of our team goals is to push each student past their limit and help them step out of

their comfort zone. We strive to create a safe learning environment in which students can learn new skills and develop leadership and communication skills.

Another team goal is to steady and sustain team growth. We hope to do this by increasing sponsorship and getting our mentors more involved. While the Janksters may be an all-girls team, we lack female mentors. We would like to develop stronger bonds with professional female engineers and encourage them to mentor our team. Having steady sponsors and more sponsorship would allow our team to explore more outreach events and new ideas to spread STEM within our school and community.

We find it vital to inspire young girls to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) because engineering is a male-dominated field. Over the years, we have participated in events that allow us to meet young girls, but we would like to expand what we have done so far by mentoring an all-girls FIRST Lego League (FLL) team and hosting an FLL competition at our school. Beyond that, we aim to help mentor a rookie FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team and demonstrate our robot at more places to raise STEM awareness. Within our school, we would like to collaborate with the numerous class departments, like math and science. We have already taken the first step in this direction by beginning an Introduction to Engineering class and by building a confetti shooter for the theater department’s 2014 Spring Musical.


About Us

FIRST and FRC

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a program designed to spark excitement and interest in technology and science among youths from grades K-12. Faced with a new challenge each year, students grow into critical thinkers, creative innovators, and strong team players, as well as develop skills in the science and engineering fields. FIRST’s goal is not simply for participants to learn what it takes to build a successful robot, but to also reflect values such as gracious professionalism and coopertition (the concept that teams should help and cooperate with each other even while competing).

Founded in 1989 by renowned inventor and advocate for science and technology Dean Kamen, FIRST has a “family of programs” to reach a broad audience of students, schools, potential mentors, and sponsors. The FIRST LEGO League, made up of FLL for grades 4-8 and Junior FLL for grades K-3, introduces students to the world of robotics with LEGO components. These young students learn strategy, presentation and technical skills, and how to work in a team along the way. Student in grades 9-12 can participate in two different competitions, both involving instruction from professional engineers and can help students gain scholarships. In the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), teams actively build robots, which use the LEGO NXT brain and metal parts, and participate in global competition. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is on a much larger and more rigorous scale. Robots are more intricate, must be built from scratch, and must be programmed with a more complicated language than LEGO Mindstorms NXT. Each competition is designed to introduce students to the exciting world of robotics. FIRST gives students a chance to be part of a team while pushing the mind to think innovatively through a competition.

FRC is open to high school students (grades 9-12) and is one of the most intense and exciting programs that FIRST hosts. “It’s the hardest fun you’ll ever have” (FIRST). Tens of thousands of students from 12 different countries participate as a part of over 5,000 teams. Teams are given 6 weeks to design and build a robot from scratch, using only the new game concept for that year and a Kit of Parts. Each team receives a Kit of Parts on the first day of the six weeks, with an average of 600 pieces, which can be used in the construction of the robot. In addition to the materials from the kit, teams are able to order parts with their own funds to add to the creation of their unique robot. There are, however, limits to what the teams can use and build with their robot, in terms of budget and materials, which adds to the challenge of prototyping, strategizing, and constructing. Teams must make use of their resources, which may range from ordering materials online and raising money, to workshops or help from mentors who are industry professionals. In addition, teams can serve as each other’s resources through their websites and forums, adding to the spirit of gracious professionalism.

Notre Dame High School Notre Dame High School was established in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de

Namur, who were founded by St. Julie Billiart. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to California in 1851 to establish a school for girls in San Jose. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur value certain hallmarks that we follow, and have goals for their students that we strive to


achieve. As we grow into a connected team, our values are consistently rooted in the hallmarks of Notre Dame.

First, our team values the appreciation of diversity and respect of all people. We embrace all and any talents our members have to offer the team and gladly accept them with open arms. During the build season, every member uses her talents to make a successful robot. Students return with more enthusiasm, understanding and appreciation of robotics every year.

One of Notre Dame’s main focuses is on community service. Our team actively participates in this commitment to the community on an individual and team level. Some things our team has participated in is Toys for Tots, leading STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workshops, and demonstrating our robot at Martin Luther King Library.

“Teach students what they need to know for life.” Notre Dame’s philosophy is reflected in our team, as we develop an active learning community where students can learn and grow together as a cooperative team. Teamwork and the appreciation of every effort are two of the most important values we uphold. We believe that in order to be successful, each student must put hard work and dedication into robotics—learning that it is not just about the end result, but also a journey that we embark on together as students of Notre Dame.

The Team The Notre Dame Robotics Team, the Janksters, has been participating in FRC since 2006.

The team started as a small group of strong-willed and determined students, guided by a Notre Dame teacher Ms. Roxanne Lanzlot, in the school garage. Since then, our team goal has remained maintaining a predominantly student-run team and creating a student-built robot, as well as maintain a spirit of gracious professionalism. So far, we have accomplished this goal and intend on continue doing so. We also pride ourselves in being an all-girls team and hope to exemplify the spirit of our school and the representation of women in the robotics, technology, and engineering fields.

Currently, our team has grown to encompass 39 members and 13 mentors, 6 who are returning team members and alumnae of the school. Of our 39 members, 2 are seniors, 7 are juniors, 16 are sophomores, and 14 are freshmen. The current coach, Marta Carrillo, manages the team. Our mentors have strong backgrounds, and are often professionals, in robotics, engineering, marketing, or project organization. The mentors work alongside students, teaching them concepts that will help them in putting the robot together, while maintaining a distance so students can learn from their mistakes.

Team History Our team has grown and developed tremendously since our first year of competition.

Each season has brought new challenges, new insights, and new meaning to what being a Jankster is all about. All the hardships we have faced have helped us realize our goals and ambitions, as well as help us gain the strength needed to overcome these challenges. Our team has truly been through a roller coaster ride over the years—one that has helped us mature and gain new perspectives—and we will continue to embrace the new challenges and possibilities in the years to come. 2006


The Janksters were founded in 2006 when our teacher Ms. Lanzlot took the first step in becoming coach and mentor of our robotics team. Even though our workspace was just a tiny garage, the team “aimed high” and was successful. Ms. Lanzlot led us to our very first FIRST Robotics Competition, Aim High, and help us grow as students and individuals. 2007

During 2007’s FRC event, Rack n’ Roll, we learned from our rookie mistakes and strove to accomplish more. During this season, we played defense and learned many valuable lessons. For example, our robot was on the high end of the weight limit, making it too heavy to deploy. We were able to move forward as a team and learned more efficient ways to build the robot. 2008

As the 2008 season approached, Ms. Lanzlot handed the position of coach to Notre Dame’s Instructional Technology Coordinator, Mr. Langlands, and Physics teacher, Mr. Whitney. During this season, we were able to find our identities as the Janksters, taking on the red and black team colors as well as our deck of cards theme. Brittany Reeve ’08 started the tradition of passing down practical wisdom to the newer members, via “The Binder of Collective Wisdom”. We continued learning important lessons from our 2008 robot (named Joel) as we competed in the 2008 game Overdrive, such as never using caster wheels. 2009

For the 2009 Lunacy game, the team gained a new coach, Genny Pang. During competition at the Silicon Valley Regional, the team won its first award, the Chrysler Team Spirit Award, which celebrated our extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership, teamwork, and overcoming obstacles during competition. In addition, we reached out to our sibling robotics team at St. Patrick’s Middle School, which participated in both FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge. 2010

Having gained more experience in programming, we were able to score points in autonomous mode (the first part of the match where the robot functions solely on pre-programmed code) for the first time in the 2009 Lunacy game. We were able to participate in two FRC regional tournaments, taking a road-trip to Las Vegas—where we participated in our first regional outside the Silicon Valley, allowing the Janksters to bond and build relationships with teams outside our local community. The Janksters made it to the playoffs for the first time, when we were chosen by an alliance captain to compete in the elimination rounds. In addition, our outreach program expanded as we were invited to demonstrate our robot at the award dinner for Sally Ride, recipient of the 11th Annual Legacy for Children Award from the San Jose Children’s Discovery Museum and the first American woman to enter space. 2011

During the 2011 Logomotion challenge, Ryan Epperson stepped up as coach while Genny stepped down to focus on her graduate degree. Our strong chassis, welded for the first time, helped us become a stronger force on the field. This was also the first season where we modeled parts of our robot on CAD (Computer Aided Design). At the off-season CalGames


tournament, our team was the sixth-highest seed and captained the fifth place alliance, boosting our confidence as a competitive team. In addition, this was the first time we hosted a Robot Reveal Night for parents and mentors, during which we revealed our final robot before shipping it to the competition. After the Silicon Valley Regional, we hosted a team social with three other FIRST teams, and had a fun night bonding outside of competition. 2012

We kicked the 2012 Rebound Rumble season off by modeling our entire robot on CAD before building it. It introduced new challenges with time management because CAD is time consuming, which meant we had to push back preplanned deadlines further back. However, the use of CAD allowed us to see placement issues on the robot before we actually built it, saving the time it would have taken us to take the robot apart and put it back together. We significantly improved the image of the robot by powder-coating our shooter red, and incorporated out Janky theme into our pit and promotional materials. Another Robot Reveal Night was held, inviting faculty as well as parents and mentors. It helped spread awareness of our team within the school, as we spread it within our community as well through social networking. 2013

We won the Silicon Valley Regional during the 2013 Aerial Assist challenge! Having 13 seniors on the team helped keep the team focused. The coaching position was given to Marta Carrillo, the parent of a former team member. The team expanded sponsorship by working with the TechShop in San Jose, as well as its community participation by working with 7th grade LEAD students and teaching a robotics class to low income students. 2014

The 2014 Aerial Assist season was very challenging for student leaders that had returned from World Championships with numerous new ideas and few team members to execute them. That was the first year the team focused on recruiting and creating a sustainable team. The summer started with Boot Camp, a new way to expose students to the technical world and encourage them to join the team. The 2 seniors and 4 sophomores on the team were able to recruit 17 new students. With a lot of mentor support, great student leadership and dedicated rookies, the entire team grew and learned new things, using new mechanisms. 2015

As the Janksters celebrate their 10th year, we look back to see the progress the team has made over the last few years, and anticipate where we’ll be heading in the future. Boot Camp was improved from the previous year, incorporating more ideas and activities. The team now consists of 39 members, giving our team the opportunity to try out more ideas and use new mechanisms this 2015 season.


SWOT Analysis

Strengths

● Our team is primarily student-run, allowing students to grow as leaders and develop skills in a variety of fields.

● Our team’s mission statement is aligned with Notre Dame’s vision and mission, which encourages strong school support for our team.

● Our team puts a bigger focus on the process that goes into building the robot than on the end product. We learn by making mistakes, and all those experiences become pivotal to our learning as individuals and as a team.

● Since our team embraces a variety of talents, each student contributes something vital to the team.

● Our team bonds throughout the school year, forging a sisterhood that extends to networking in college and beyond.

Weaknesses ● Our school encourages students to explore different options, but that means most

students are not 100% participants in robotics, leaving gaps in some students’ knowledge regarding the robot.

● Our team does not have a learning curriculum that shows the full progress and growth of each robotics student from the first year they join the team to the year they graduate.

● While our team strives to increase the number of women in STEM, our team still lacks professional female mentors (who are not returning alumnae of the school).

● Our team does not have a consistent set of sponsors. ● Our team is limited in lab/work space, using a few classrooms to do our work.

Opportunities ● As an all-girls team, the Janksters have the opportunity to role model and mentor other

all-girls teams. ● We have the opportunity to meet and interact with professional female engineers. ● As our team grows rapidly grows in size, we are challenged to adjust to such a large

team, when our team had always remained small. This gives us the opportunity to try new activities and understand how to be flexible to changes in the team every year.

Threats ● Loss of sponsorship: we would not have the sufficient funding needed to build our

robot. ● Losing our coach and mentors: robotics requires a lot of time and dedication from

students, as well as the team coach and mentors. If we lost them, it would be hard to find new mentors that are willing to dedicate as much time as our current mentors do.

● Loss of student interest: as our school increases STEAM awareness, there are more opportunities for students in other clubs instead of Robotics.


Impact on Community

Impact on School ● Notre Dame Kid’s Carnival

o Our team set up a booth at the Notre Dame’s Kid Carnival, allowing kids to play with our robot while talking to them about what robotics is.

o Outcome: Kids develop an interest in robotics from a young age. ● Spotlight Week

o The school allows each club one week to showcase what they are all about. Our team uses this week to host school-wide activities during lunch, including having guest speakers come over (e.g. Mark Leon, Mouse Reeve ’08), giving girls the opportunity to take devices apart, and dancing to songs used at robotics competition events.

o Outcome: Students and faculty are more engaged with robotics and offer more support by coming to robotics competitions.

● Boot Camp o Our team began boot camp in 2013 with two main goals. One is to help students

see that there are numerous ways to get involved with robotics. The second is to expose students to using tools, programming, driving the robot and marketing.

o Students start with no experience, but learn various skill sets with the help of supportive and encouraging veteran students. By the end, every girl is able to use a drill, CAD (Computer Aided Design) something of their own, create simple circuits, program, and drive our robot.

o Outcome: Using a survey at the end of Boot Camp we found that students who attend are more confident in trying new things and are not as scared to join robotics and sometimes they even discover STEM interests.

o Outcome: 85% of the students who participate in Boot Camp join the Robotics Team.

● STEAM Camp o The team helps host activities during Notre Dame’s STEAM camp. In previous

years, we have split the girls participating into several groups and let them put together a small VEX robot as a team.

o Outcome: Girls who participate in the camp are more interested in robotics and consider enrolling at Notre Dame to become a potential team member.

o Outcome: More girls are exposed to STEAM and understand the applications of math and science outside the classroom.

● Hour of Code o Our robotics team helps teach and work with the school while they allow

students to participate in the Hour of Code, an hour in which anyone from anywhere can code together as a community for an hour using a simple easy-to-learn software.

o Outcome: More girls within our school are exposed to programming and what it is like.

● School Departments


o Over the years, the Janksters have tried to collaborate with the different school departments, spreading our robotics influence.

o In the 2014 Spring Musical, the theater department asked the robotics team to help them put together a confetti shooter.

o Outcome: The school started an Intro to Engineering class and the school as a whole is more aware of our robotics team and the numerous tasks we can do—besides building our robot during the build season.

Impact on Community ● Cancer Walk

o Light the Night Walk, hosted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, is an opportunity for the community to come as a whole and walk around Downtown San Jose to raise money for leukemia research. At our last walk in October 2014, over $1,000,000 was raised.

o Our team was inspired to start participating in the local Light the Night Walk when we discovered one of our Jankster alumnae and mentors is a cancer survivor.

o Outcome: Our team is more involved with our community and supports our team members while raising money for a wonderful cause.

● Toys for Tots o Team members volunteer at our local Toys for Tots. Some students dress up as

Santa’s helpers, while others help out in the workshops to put toys together for the kids.

o Outcome: Underprivileged kids are given the opportunity to enjoy Christmas while team members are able to share the Christmas spirit with other robotics teams and little children.

● Bring Your Kid to Work Day o Since the summer of 2014, out team has demonstrated our robot at Intel’s Bring

Your Kid to Work Day. We allow the children to drive our robot around and talk to older kids and adults about FRC and what we do as a part of it.

o Outcome: spread awareness of robotics and ● Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Events

o From time to time, our team helps run events and assist in workshops hosted by SWE. We’ve attended symposiums and lectures about women in STEM for middle school girls.

o Outcome: Our team is exposed to women in the engineering field. These events also allow our team to be a part of encouraging more girls to

● LEAD Program

o Our team works with 7th grade LEAD girls, planning numerous activities that allow them to understand what

o Outcome: Our team is able to help develop their leadership skills by teaching them about robotics, communication, and collaboration.

● YWES


o Starting 2014, the robotics team put together a symposium open to all high school girls where professional female engineers talk about what it is like to work in a male-dominated field, while putting together fun and engaging workshops.

o Outcome: High school girls are exposed to what it would be like if they choose to pursue STEM.

● Demonstrating the Robot o Our team demonstrates our robot at numerous places every year, including the

locations of our sponsors, schools, and camps that reach out to us. Over the years, we’ve demonstrated our robot at Intuitive Surgical, Maker Faire, Martin Luther King Library, and Lowell Elementary School.

FIRST Outreach ● FIRST Lego League (FLL) Tournament

o For the last three years, our team has volunteered at Intel’s FLL Tournaments, selling food and providing lunches for the teams participating in the event.

o We help build the competition tables, prepare models used in matches, and help set up and clean up the event.

o We set up our robot, allowing the kids (and adults) to drive it, and miscellaneous projects that would interest little kids, such as a mini Frisbee shooter.

o Outcome: This event serves as an opportunity to fundraise for the team, as well as allow kids participating in FLL to deepen their interests in STEM by trying out the different activities we have set up and seeing what the next level of FIRST is.

● Team Social o On the second day of the Silicon Valley Regional, our team invites a few other

teams to Notre Dame to join us for dinner and a night of fun. We dance to a variety of songs, singing the night away as we head into the last day of competition.

o We invite teams travelling long distance and help provide dinner at a low cost that helps them save money.

o Outcome: Out team is able to expand our circle of FRC friends beyond local teams.


Team Structure

Team Leadership

Team 1967 is managed by Marta Carrillo, who was first introduced to the team 7 years ago, when her daughter joined as a freshman. This is her third year working as the team’s coach, and she’s still as excited to be a big part of the team as she was when she started off. In addition, our team coach has the help of 13 mentors with 35 years of combined FIRST mentoring experience. These mentors advise and help the team in all areas, including teaching students numerous ways to put the robot together, the different components used on the robot, CAD, programming, marketing, as well as course options in college and possible career choices.

Student Leaders

The Janksters are a predominantly student-run team, with seven student leaders in total. At the end of each year, students willing to step up into leadership roles are elected into their positions by their peers.

The team is split into four committees, each headed by a committee leader. Their main responsibility is to make sure any needs of their committees are met throughout the school year, as well as assign task to committee members during the build season.

The entire team is managed by three student leaders, who coordinate with the team coach and mentors to come up with agendas and activities that will help the team grow. The seven student leaders work together to ensure deadlines are met and the team keeps its spirits up.

● The Team Captain serves as the build season project manager and represents the team. She handles the organization of the team’s committees, including coordinating deadlines and tasks. The Captain creates agendas and leads meetings and discussions amongst the team. She makes sure all tasks are completed on time and that there’s always something for everyone to do. She’s the go-to person when anyone has a question about what’s going on or what will happen at the next few meetings, or when there is any sort of public event going on.

● The Social Activities Director maintains the public face of the team. She makes sure the team’s social media accounts (including Facebook and Twitter) are always updated and well maintained. She coordinates special events for the team, such as a behind-the-scenes tour of Cirque du Soleil and a team Scavenger Hunt. She coordinates guest speakers that come and speak to the team, and sometimes the school. In addition, she makes sure our sponsors are kept always well informed on what’s going on with our team. In order to forge a bond that lasts long beyond their years on the team, she’s in charge of team bonding events.

● The Team Administrator documents everything and makes sure finances are well managed. She’s in charge of making sure the team sign-up sheet is always updated, the team roster is complete, and permission slips are turned in on time. She documents everything that happens at events and meetings, so that it can be referred to in the future. She also manages finances and resources, making sure each committee has enough resources to buy what they need, while ensuring there’s enough for social events and workshops.


Committees

The team is divided into four committees: mechanical, programming, electronics and pneumatics, and marketing. Each committee is responsible for a certain aspect of the robot, whether it be building it or promoting it once it’s built. Students pick which committee they’ll be a part of 1½ months prior to the start of the build season, so that they’re exposed to what each committee does before they choose.

During the build season, it’s important for the committee heads to communicate the needs of each group and find a way to work together and meet all of them. While committee members work together in their individual committees, part of the responsibility of committee heads is collaborating with everyone else on the team so that everyone is on board with what’s going on and to ensure that everything will come together smoothly when the build season comes to an end. Mechanical

The Mechanical Committee is in charge of designing and building the entire physical robot. The committee head often divides the entire committee into sub-groups to work on the chassis (base/drive train) and the different game component pieces (pieces that are directly involved in the game and help score points). Students that are a part of this committee learn a lot about motors, gear ratios, physic concepts, how to operate machines (welding, laser jets), safety, prototyping, how to bring a design from conceptual to physical, and how to use a variety of tools.

The mechanical committee models the entire robot on CAD. As a bonus and thanks to sponsorship from the TechShop, the committee is able to use more advanced skills, like water-jetting, powder-coating, laser-cutting, welding and metal-bending. Starting 2014, we acquired a 3D printer from one of our sponsors. With the help of CAD, the 3D printer and the tools available to us at the TechShop, our team has been able to customize pieces for our robot that save space and make its performance more consistent. Programming

The programming committee is responsible for coding the entire robot. Members of this committee use the C++ language to write commands for the robot that will control the functions of all its parts. The programming of the robot is seen significantly during the autonomous mode of the competition. During the autonomous mode, the robot functions solely on preprogrammed code. Our programmers also code the X-Box controllers and joysticks we use to control the robot during the teleoperated period (the time when students drive the robot around on the field using the control system). In addition, the programming committee writes out the entire code for the drive station, so that the robot moves and maneuvers quickly in the direction the driver intends for it to go.

Students in this committee use both critical thinking and logic to write efficient code that will control the robot. They spend a lot of time debugging their code and troubleshooting problems with the mechanical and electrical committees, as well as understanding how the robot should perform in order to write out the commands to make it do just that. Electronics and Pneumatics


The Electronics Committee is in charge of wiring the entire robot together using electrical and wired components. Members model the entire placement of electrical parts on CAD. Taking advantage of the TechShop, students are able to cut the electronics board out using the laser-cutter and the ShopBot. The electronics committee helps ensure that the code written by the programming committee reaches the mechanical parts of the robot. In addition to electrical wiring, the committee is in charge of pneumatics, which is wiring using air rather than metal to operate pistons used by the mechanical committee.

Students in the electronics committee develop important skills in critical thinking collaborating, when finding the best way to place all the components on the robot while negotiating space with the mechanical committee. The electronics committee spends a lot of time troubleshooting alongside the programming committee, deciding whether issues with the robot are a hardware of software issue.

Marketing

The marketing committee is in charge of promoting the team, applying for awards, updating social media, photographing the team, and running the team website. Members have designed team t-shirts, buttons, earrings, rally towels and seat savers to represent the Janksters during competitions. Marketing collaborates with other committees to produce promotional materials, like pamphlets, buttons, calendars, and robot info cards. Marketing helps with pit layout at competition, including a PVC pipe display with red curtains and a huge banner hanging from it. Every year, they expand on the black-and-red card suit theme and form more connections with other teams and schools.

Students in the marketing committee learn how to be creative when coming up with promotional ideas and design layouts. They work with tools like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Word Press while expanding on their talents in art, writing, and graphic design. This allows students who don’t enjoy “technical” work to still be a part of the team and contribute in a big way.


Financial Plan

Budget

Estimated Revenue

$21,250 Sponsor contribution ● Notre Dame ($15,000) ● Qualcomm ($2,750) ● BAE ($1,500) ● Intuitive Surgical

($1,000) ● Kirkland ($1,000)

$4,000 Program Fees (student fees) $5,000 Travel Fees

Total: $30,250 Total Revenue

Estimated Expenses

$9,800 FRC Tournament Fees $7,000 Robot parts, Inventory, Tools

● Drive train parts ● Aluminum, wood, PVC

pipe, polycarbonate ● Electrical components ● Pneumatics

$2,000 Equipment Upgrades and Replacements $1,000 TechShop Memberships $500 Classes and Workshops

$1000 Outreach Events $8,000 Travel $1,500 Marketing $900 T-shirts $500 Recognition and Mentor Thanks $600 Food

Total: $32,800 Total Expenses


Support

Sponsors

Robotics is a large program that requires lots of funding and sponsor support. In order to receive that, our team reaches out to potential sponsors, like Notre Dame High School, FIRST, Intuitive Surgical, Qualcomm, SolidWorks, Google, TechShop San Jose, and NASA. In return, each of our sponsors receives newsletters produced by team members with updates of team progress, as well as having their logo displayed on our robot, website, and team shirts as a show of appreciation for their support.

Why Support Us? Our robotics team reaches out to young women in the community and allows them to

experience real world engineering and business. Robotics allows girls to apply textbook concepts from class and see them come to life in the form of a life-size robot. Along the way, we encounter numerous problems that require troubleshooting. Many of these problems are similar to those that professionals encounter in their careers (which our mentors can attest to). Robotics builds business skills, people skills, and leadership skills as team members work together and function as a unit.

In addition, one of the Janksters’ main goals is to promote STEM for women. We understand that there are few female engineers (our mentors and alumnae have told us as much). Our team focuses on reaching out to young girls and encouraging them to give pursue STEM through workshops and demonstrations of our robot and team. Being an all-girls team, we are able to become an inspiration for young women, not just as engineers, but as leaders and friends.

Ways to Support Us There are numerous ways to help support the Janksters. We are always grateful for

monetary donations, which help fund new projects and allow us to pursue more outreach ideas. We are also thankful for food donations, which is imperative to keep the team well fueled and efficient while working. If a store sells merchandise our team could use, discounted prices are also helpful since it allows us to cut back on spending and use those resources elsewhere. In addition, we have a Wish List of desired items that will help the team grow and develop (as well as work quicker).


Sponsor Benefits Level Benefits $5000

Ace of Spades

♠ Company name on robot ♠ Company logo on competition t-shirt ♠ Company logo on team banner ♠ Website link to sponsors ♠ VIP invitation to robotics events ♠ Visit from Janksters and robot to worksite ♠ Display of company banner at team events

$3,000 - $4,999

King of Clubs

♣ Company Name on robot ♣ Company logo on competition t-shirt ♣ Company logo on team banner ♣ Website link to sponsors ♣ VIP invitation to robotics events

$1,000 - $2,999

Queen of Hearts

♥ Company Name on robot ♥ Company logo on competition t-shirt ♥ Company logo on team banner ♥ Website link to sponsors

$500 - $999

Jack of Diamonds

♦ Company Name on robot ♦ Company logo on competition t-shirt ♦ Company logo on team banner


Contact Info

Website: team1967.ndsj.org

Team Email: [email protected] Coach’s Email: [email protected]

Phone: (408) 294-1113 Facebook: Team 1967 Janksters

Twitter: @Team1967


mailto:[email protected]




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