Survey says...

Good Afternoon Teams,

On the 14th I mentioned the results from the preliminary Brandeis survey had just arrived in house.  I've had some time to look them over and thought you'd like some details.  Participating teams were asked to have one mentor and multiple student team members complete separate mentor and team member surveys.

Mentors told us:

• The teams they represent have been involved in FRC for an average of 5.2 years.  79.3% are school based and 28.6% of the school based FRC teams use the KOP in the classroom.
• The FRC teams who participated in the survey have an average of 6.5 mentors and 22.7 members with an almost 3/4-1/4 male female split.  High School Juniors are the most represented class on FRC teams at 27.6% followed by Seniors 25.8% and Sophomores 22.7%.
• FRC has had a positive impact on everything from student awareness of how math and science is used in the real world 96.1%, to student understanding of basic scientific principles 94.1%, to teamwork skills 95.6% and problem solving skills 95.8%

Student team members told us:

• 0.4% of responding FRC students were on a JrFLL team in the past, 13.7% were on a FLL team and 5.2% either were, or currently are on a FTC team.
• The majority of responding students indicated they were actively involved in deciding team strategy 89.9%, robot design 86.3%, robot build 86.7%, and fund raising 81.9%.  (Community service came in at 70.4%.)
• 93.4% of responding students stated they had the chance to do lots of different jobs on their team, 93.9% indicated they had important responsibilities and 93.2% felt they were an important contributor to their team.
• FRC students acknowledged the impact mentors had on their experience.  93.3% felt they had a chance to get to know at least one adult on the team really well and 92.4% felt they learned a lot from the adults on the team.  91.5% gained self-confidence.

We will be meeting with Brandeis next week to determine exactly what we want to measure in the upcoming longitudinal study and to determine the best way to identify and track participants.  The plan is to follow individual students from FLL, FTC and FRC for as long as possible to measure the impact FIRST has on their lives.  The information we gather in the study will not only help FIRST improve, but will be invaluable for fund raising, development and marketing.  If your team is chosen to participate, please do everything you can to ensure students return their surveys in a timely manner.

On a separate note, I mentioned last Friday that Sunday, August 14th 7-8pm ET ABC will be airing a made for TV special about the FIRST Championship.  Don't be surprised if the FIRST website has a temporary new landing page soon (like the landing page that appeared just before will.i.am's performance at the Super Bowl).  We're gearing up for an increase in public interest after the special airs.  You can help out by promoting the upcoming special in your area and by fielding any and all questions you can about FRC and FIRST as a whole.  With any luck, this special will generate more support for teams and events throughout the USA.

164 days until Kickoff
See you then!

Will.i.am and i.am.FIRST

Good Afternoon Teams,

What are you doing Sunday, August 14th around 7pm?  ABC entertainment just announced they will be airing i.am.FIRST – Science is Rock and Roll.  Everyone in FRC knows the Black Eyed Peas and Willow Smith performed for FIRST teams at Championship, but what you might not know is the entire event was filmed for a television special.  The ABC entertainment release says(and I quote) “The … special takes an inside, up close look at the 20th Annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, a worldwide science and robotics K-12 competition that celebrates technology and features live performances by The Black Eyed Peas and Willow Smith, as well as special appearances from a host of high profile celebrities speaking out to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.”
You can read the whole press release here.

If you can, spread the word both to existing FIRST fans who might want to see the show and to possible sponsors, donors, mentors and future team members who want to know more about FIRST.  This is a national opportunity for us to get FIRST in the public eye.  Be prepared for an increased interest after the 14th.

169 days until Kickoff
See you then!

I’m really not here

Good Morning Teams,

Officially, I’m out of the office on vacation this week, but you know how it is, once you’ve discovered FRC, you’re never really not thinking about FRC.  I’m trying to enjoy my time off, but really I’m mulling over the strategic plan for FIRST and looking forward to starting the 2013 game plan with the GDC. Yes, I said 2013.

I’ve been told HR has just posted the new FRC Program Coordinator position opening on our website (along with several other opportunities).  Please spread the word.  I’d really like to see applicants with FIRST experience.

If you’re at IRI this week, be sure to say “Hi” to the representatives from The Bridgespan Group.  They’re working with FIRST to develop the FY 2013-2017 Strategic plan.  They weren’t able to get to any competitions during the 2011 season so we thought it would be a good idea if they saw an off season event to get some idea of what we’re all about. 

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy week and I’ll be back on Monday raring to go. 

171 days until Kickoff
See you then!

It’s a good thing Ben & Jerry’s delivers

Good Afternoon Teams,

This is the time of year that the engineering staff are almost glad they work in the basement of the old mill where FIRST is headquartered.  It’s hot here in Manchester and most of us need regular applications of ice cream to keep going.  Matt and Ryan are camped out on the third floor with a field improving radio performance in the presence of a large number of wifi networks.  Derek, Rob and Monica are behind closed doors testing prototypes and finalizing designs for the 2012 field elements.  We know enough about what the game will look like to want to remind everyone, “’tis the season to buy pool noodles”.

Here on the fourth floor, Marketing is switching the usfirst.org website to a new content management system which should be up and running by August.  The website will look very much the same, but behind the scenes the system will allow us to make important functional changes.   During the transition we’re limiting content changes (to prevent having to make the changes twice) but once the system is in place we’ll be back up and running and we can start improvements to functionality. 

The initial results from the May Brandeis survey of FRC teams arrived today.  Brandeis will be in next week to discuss their findings and if anything interesting comes from that conversation I’ll be sure to let you know.

I hope you are enjoying the warm weather.  If you can’t get enough LOGO MOTION during the off season, be sure to check out the Off Season Events listing on our website.

Congratulations to Sergio Seguel of Team 2576 The Chilean Heart who mentored the FLL team that has been selected to participate in Moonbots 2.0.   To every FRC team member who mentors other teams – you make an important difference.  Thank you for changing the culture one student at a time.

Best Buy is offering Community Grants that could benefit your team (if you have a 501 ( c ) (3) ).  The deadline is August 1st.

Time Warner Cable is holding a trivia contest every day until Aug 4th based on “It Ain’t Rocket Science”

177 days until Kickoff
See you then!

It’s all fun and games

Good Morning Teams,

This time of year I think wistfully of summer vacations and long days spent by the water.  In reality I’m besieged by decisions about the 2012 season that have to be made soon in order for the staff to get to work making the next season a reality.

Everything is up in the air (as usual) but we do have a big picture plan.

• TIMS will open for team profile information in late August.  
• Registration for FRC events is scheduled to begin in late September.  
• We have several additional new Regionals planned.
• FIRST staff and key volunteers are working to contract venues at all event locations.
• When we have a firm competition schedule, I will share it right away.

We’re also discussing:

• We need to find ways to reduce trophy costs.  Here, the cost cutting discussion includes weighing the benefits of eliminating the second trophy vs. downsizing the two trophies currently awarded to winners.
• We have to plan for the future of Championship.  When the number of Regionals x6 exceeds the number of berths at CMP, how should we determine which teams should be invited to participate?
• We’re looking closely at the volunteer model in FRC as compared to the rest of FIRST and other youth centric programs.  Should we be background checking every volunteer who comes in contact with students?
• We continue to look for ways to reduce Regional expenses, examining everything from venues and dates to equipment rental and contracted services.

In other news:

My congratulations to the FRC Teams in Mexico who attracted the attention and interest of President Calderon this year.   The forum “Foro Mexico FIRST” is a direct result of their conversation with the President and provides all FRC teams an opportunity to make suggestions and offer support to the growing FIRST community in Mexico.  Please visit the website and share your tips for success and lessons learned in bringing FIRST to your community.  Go Mexico Teams!

Dean Kamen and several FIRST teams are featured in Time Warner Cable’s newest Connect a Million Minds TV special called “It Ain’t Rocket Science” which is now available for viewing on line.                                                                                                                    http://www.connectamillionminds.com/videos.php#79
http://www.connectamillionminds.com/videos.php#80
http://www.connectamillionminds.com/videos.php#81

183 days until kickoff
See you then!