Making an Impact
Community is key, and we strive to give back
Our STEAM Classes
To continue our desire to make an impact on our community as we combat the pandemic, our team has hosted STEAM classes. Through our exhaustive classes, we aim to foster an interest in STEAM as well as the core values of FIRST in the next generation of bright minds. Feel free to contact us and keep an eye out for when we resume conducting classes!
Competitive Mathematics
40 students taught
In our 6-week comprehensive competitive math course (that we conducted independently), we focused on covering all the important concepts required to ace the AMC 8 –the most prestigious international mathematics competition for elementary and middle school students– as a way of sharing our fascination for the sheer complexity and beauty of mathematics while helping our class of 40 students build their mathematical aptitude and problem-solving skills.
Python Programming with Art
280 students taught
Through our partnership with the SEWA Bay Area ASPIRE International program, we were able to conduct our 5-week Drawing with Python class where we taught underprivileged children the fundamentals of programming and drawing with Python and introduced them to the intriguing world of computer programming while inspiring our class of 200 students to pursue a career in STEM.
Introduction to Robotics
180 students taught
We conducted 4 workshops (with 20 different students participating in each) to get young students familiar with fundamental engineering concepts and acquainted with basic robotics skills. In addition, we introduced them to the world of FIRST and competitive robotics. These extensive workshops were conducted in collaboration with the Sewa International Bay Area ASPIRE program. We host similar recurring workshops at Ardenwood Elementary School.
Block-Based Coding
130 students taught
In collaboration with the Newark Library, we taught Scratch to 30 students who were new to the U.S. and learning English. We started by explaining the basics of programming and its numerous applications. Then, we complied curricula to provide a comprehensive course on programming with Scratch. Finally, we individually guided them to create their own game using the coding language. We hosted similar classes at Forest Park Elementary School in an intensive 6-week course.
MOEMS Preparation Series
30 students taught
We conducted 4 classes at the Centerville Library. In each class we covered an important mathematical concept that is crucial to obtain a good score on the Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS). We also solved practice problems from past sample tests after each class to better understand the concepts’ applications on the actual exam.
AMC 8 Preparation Series
30 students taught
We hosted a series of workshops to prepare middle school students for the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) 8. We also taught strategies to get a better score on the test, while teaching students how to apply similar strategies and core mathematical concepts to other competitive math competitions such as the AMC 10/12, Math Kanagaroo, Math League, MOEMS, and MATHCOUNTS.
Robot Demonstrations
Quest Science Center
We partnered with Quest Science Center in their Science of Engineering expo at Stockmen's Park. We were one of the main presenters at the event with over 800 attendees, and we even hosted a halftime show in addition to setting up an engaging booth for students to learn more about competitive robotics and FIRST.
Bay Area Maker Faire
We introduced FIRST and competitive robotics to students, parents, and robotics enthusiasts at the Bay Area Maker Faire in collaboration with Playing at Learning. There were over 10,000 attendees at this innovation extravaganza! We also engaged with local startups and organizations to bring FIRST robotics to their audience.
Newark Library FIRST Seminar
In our FIRST Seminar, we gave a thorough presentation on the central notions and values that FIRST actively promotes and the different levels of FIRST tournaments. Additionally, we gave a high-level overview on the subsystems and control system of our robot and also hosted an interactive demonstration session where the younger attendees (aged 5-12) were able to control and watch our robot in action. Fremont Council Member Teresa Kang graciously accepted our invitation, and attended our seminar.
Forest Park Elementary School
We hosted a 6-week intensive Python course for about fifty 4-6th graders and a 4-week intensive Scratch coding course for about fifty 1st-3rd graders. Additionally, we hosted multiple FLL webinars and guidance workshops for both students and parents to get involved with competitive robotics. In the end, we founded and mentored 3 FLL teams in the community.
Ardenwood Elementary School
We host recurring FIRST Lego League workshops and FIRST robot demonstrations for over 100 elementary-school students of all ages at Ardenwood Elementary School. We even host recurring informational sessions for these students’ parents to help the community get more involved with FIRST and robotics.
STEM Awareness at Local Schools
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Cybersecurity
⊛ Cybersecurity Executive at Google (Head of Global Autonomic Security Operations)
⊛ Cybersecurity Executive at Google (Head of Global Automation Security)
⊛ Author of the McGraw Hill Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect AIO Exam Guide
⊛ Advisory Board Member at Virginia Tech
⊛ Co-Founder @ AfghanRefugeeRelief.org
⊛ 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree
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Neuroscience
⊛ Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory University
⊛ NINDS DSPAN scholar
⊛ Co-Founder and President-Elect of Black In Neuro
⊛ Burroughs Wellcome Fund Postdoctoral Enrichment fellow
⊛ Adjunct professor at Agnes Scott College
⊛ Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree
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Cosmology
⊛ Bruce V. & Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago
⊛ Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences for the US National Science Foundation
⊛ Fellow of the American Physical Society
⊛ Elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society
⊛ Helen B. Warner Prize of the American Astronomical Society
⊛ Coined the term “Dark Energy”
Live Fireside Chats w/ Renowned Speakers
Sharing Our Knowledge
Our Blog
Our blog posts have been instrumental to other rookie teams and hobby roboticists. We teach the fundamentals of CAD, autonomous software, and mechanics to succeed in FRC through our posts.
Our Self-Taught Python Crash Course
Our self-taught Python course server as a crash course for young students who want to learn the popular programming language.