The FIRST Tech Challenge had their game released two weeks prior to ROBOTICON Tampa Bay and, for some people, this event is the first time they get to see the field with robots running. The team interviewed Anaya from The Pink Team FIRST Tech Challenge 6326. This is her first year as a member and as a driver. The FIRST experience for Anaya hasn't just started, as she explained that her brother was a member of The Pink Team before her and that she is used to being surrounded by robots. Anaya became attached to FIRST through her familiarity with it and because of the influence of her father's creativity. Though she is in her first year, Anaya has already expressed interest in learning to program.
The Pink Team has been around for over 20 years and is still running strong! This team has come all the way from the Space Coast league and is different from others because of their cooperation between three different high schools on one team. It's common for a team to be based in a school, or for a team to be based in a garage, but it's less common for a group of schools to come together to build a single team. They include students from Rockledge, Cocoa Beach, and Port St. John.
The Pink Team has both a FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition team and allows team members to be a part of both, with 45 students this team is large when compared to others. Anaya talked to us about the team and how the FIRST Tech Challenge team has been dedicated to going to meetings twice a week and are working hard on their design for the new robot. Which she states should be done within the next week.
To learn more about The Pink Team go to The Pink Team website, or find them on Facebook.
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.
