Within the FIRST community, it is not unusual for a student to start in FIRST LEGO League and graduate into FIRST Tech Challenge or FIRST Robotics Competition. It is also not uncommon for a whole team to take that journey together. What is less common is a team moving through all three leagues, but that is exactly what the rookie Rock Star Robotics team has done.
Alexa Baires explains how she started with the team as a FIRST LEGO League member, upgraded to FIRST Tech Challenge and this year the team has joined FIRST Robotics Competition. With this unique view of FIRST, we talk about the differences between her experiences in the three leagues and what new challenges this season has presented that she has not experienced before.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.