FIRST Robotics Chairman's Award

Chairman’s Chairman’s AwardAward

George ChenFRC 294 & 812 - SCRRF, TSD

Introductions

✦ Name

✦ Team #

✦ Years in FIRST

✦ Done Chairman’s before

✦ Special requests

Outline

• Definition• Approach• Examples• Q&A

Definition

✦ The Chairman's Award was created to keep the central focus of the FIRST Robotics Competition as our ultimate goal for transforming the culture in ways that will inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encourage more of today's youth to become scientists & engineers.

What's the difference between CA & EI?

✦ EI: The extent and inventiveness of the team's efforts to recruit students to engineering, the extent and effectiveness of the team's community outreach efforts, and the measurable success of those efforts.

Why Chairman’s

✦ Bragging rights

✦ Education

✦ Prestige/perks

✦ Good skills to learn

Six Questions

From the chairman’s application

Question 1

How strongly does the submission document the impact FIRST has on the learning experience ofthe students, school

curriculum, engineers, and/or community?

Question 2

Has the team explained/demonstrated

why/how it should be a role model for other FIRST teams to

emulate?

Question 3

How well has the team communicated its excitement and impact within the entire

school,community, and beyond (state/nation) through participation in FIRST?

Question 4

Has the team documented an innovative way to spread the

FIRST message?

Question 5

How strong of a year-round team partnership effort is reflected?

Question 6

As a whole, does the content of the documentation exemplify the true meaning of FIRST?

Parts of Submission

✦ Essay (+ 4 images)

✦ Yearbook page

✦ Executive summary

✦ Presentation

✦ (Optional) Handouts

✦ (Optional) Media

✦ (Optional) Judge’s book

How are you judged?

✦ Presentation

✦ In Pits

✦ In stands

✦ Q&A

How do you approach the

award?

Timeline

✦ Get started early

✦ Revise, revise, revise

✦ Leave time to practice presentation

✦ Factor in printing time

Map out what you do

✦ Outreach✦ Public

✦ School

✦ Sponsors

✦ Students

✦ Robotics (team related)

Theme

✦ Covers overall message

✦ Catchy

✦ Personalize for team

Executive Summary

✦ It’s a summary! Use bullets & lists

✦ Note character limit

✦ Cover things:✦ Not in essay

✦ Very important (reiterate)

Yearbook page

✦ Raw statistics

✦ Used to determine diversity

✦ Mission statement

Submission

✦ ~4 pages; 10,000 characters

✦ 4 images - does not always mean pictures (totalling ~1mb)

✦ “Highlights Reel” for team

Submission

✦ Outline first!

✦ Be sure to answer 6 questions

✦ What makes you stand out?

Judge’s book

✦ Optional

✦ Covers in depth your team

✦ Don’t make it too long

✦ Not submitted to FIRST - given to judges at regional

✦ “Annual Report” for team

✦ Great promotional material

Laying out a judge’s book

✦ Table of Contents

✦ Theme page

✦ Yearbook Page

✦ Executive Summary

✦ Submission

✦ Submission - Extended edition (Director’s Cut)

Presentation

✦ 3 students

✦ 10 minutes total✦ 5 minute presentation

✦ 5 minute interview

✦ Usually lasts longer

✦ Public speaking skills

Styles of presentation

✦ Charts/graphs

✦ Storytime

✦ Product Release

Questions asked

✦ Personal experience

✦ Greatest weakness/strength

✦ School involvement

✦ Mentor's work vs student work

Things to avoid

✦ Excessive media

✦ Multimedia

✦ Reading - Judges have already read your submission

✦ Lying

✦ Having mentors talk

Success Stories

FRC 294 & 812

294 Beach Cities Robotics

Themes✦ 2003 -

Organized Chaos - EI

✦ 2004- It’s Everywhere - CA

✦ 2005 - Odyssea - EI

Programs

✦ Weekly open house

✦ TV Show/Media coverage

✦ Sponsor involvement

✦ FIRST Links

✦ SCRRF/FLL involvement

✦ FIRST presentations

✦ Girls in FIRST

Presentation

✦ Mini crate

✦ Binders

✦ Posterboards

Team 812- Midnight Mechanics

✦ Themes✦ 2005 - Latch-Key Kids - CA

✦ 2006 – Kids teaching kids – CA

✦ 2007 - ??? (Secret!)

Programs

✦ FIRST STEPS

✦ FIRST BUDDY

✦ Volunteerism

✦ Tutoring

✦ FLL

✦ Vex

✦ Underserved minorities

Submission

Submission

Judge's book

Presentation

✦ Poster boards

✦ Personal experiences

Q&A Session