Team leaders, lots going on to get your team excited and prepared for the new season.
“small town ROBOT” – Twin Cities Film Festival
Minnesota’s own FIRST Team 5172, the Gators, from Greenbush/Middle River is the topic of a feature documentary showing at the TCFF on Oct 24th at the West End Theaters in St. Louis Park. See this page for details and tickets (http://twincitiesfilmfest.org
Also Joe Brandmeier, the documentary director, will be on the KARE-11 Saturday Morning Show this coming weekend talking about the film.
Jumpstart for Mentors – St. Cloud State University
This is a training day specifically for mentors at St. Cloud State University. Topics include:
Legal Aspects for Coaches and Mentors
Team Logistics
Core Values and Team Sustainability
Mentor Panel Discussion
Hosted by CIS, Team 4607, the seminars run from 9am to 2pm on October 27th. Please see this page for registration (https://goo.gl/forms/MAaGvO86
JumpStart for Teams – St. Cloud State University
CIS is also hosting the JUMPSTART Training Event at SCSU is scheduled for December 1st. More information can be found (https://sites.google.com/frc4
In addition to the main event, on Friday, Nov 30, there will be hands-on sessions available for teams. More information will be provided to teams after they register for the main event.
CAD/SolidWorks training – St. Paul
NoMythic is running three free CAD/Solidworks workshops for mentors and students.
• October 20, 8-noon: Beginning CAD for mentors
• October 21, 8-noon: Beginning CAD for students
• October 21, 1-5 pm: Intermediate CAD for students
For more information, email 2491nomythic@gmail.com. Be sure to Register – the sessions may fill. Registration also reveals the location 🙂
Pre-season Training and Week 0 event – Grand Rapids
Pre-season training – Saturday, December 1st , 2018 – 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
Pre-season training is a splash of seminars and hands-on workshops to help your team and its members prepare for the season. Experienced robotics teams, along with ICC students and instructors, offer informational seminars and hands-on workshops throughout the day. There is no fee for this event. Registration information and a schedule will be available mid-late October. This is a great opportunity to prepare for the season, so watch for more information.
Note to Experienced Teams:
I am currently looking to confirm session leaders so schedule and registration info can be finalized.
We need session leaders in programming languages (C++, LabVIEW, Java, etc.), drive trains and transmissions, robot specific electronics, team management, competition strategy, robot specific pneumatics, team management & fundraising, project management, etc. and any new sessions that you feel may add to the training options.
Please let me know ASAP if you are willing to lead a one-hour seminar, focus discussion group, or a longer hands-on workshop and I will incorporate your session into the developing schedule.

Pre-Competition Scrimmage – Sunday, February 17, 2019 – 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
• The pre-competition scrimmage is held a few days before you have to seal the robots for competition.
• This event is held on a full sized field constructed by ICC Engineering and key teams.
• The morning will consist of time for teams to work in their pits and practice on the field elements, weigh robots, do mock inspections, etc.
• The afternoon with be full matches with robots ready to compete
• Scrimmage specific awards are selected by guest judges.
• This is a great opportunity to test out your robots, fix problems and get into the spirit of the competition.
• The cost of this event is 85.00 per team. Please watch for registration information as the season approaches.
We look forward to working with all of you during this year’s FIRST Robotics season. Please contact me if you have any questions and watch for more information on these events as the season approaches.

Kim Damiani
Director of Engineering Outreach
Itasca Community College
218-322-2370
kimberly.damiani@itascacc.edu
Training Weekends at Dunwoody – Minneapolis
For the 9th consecutive year Dunwoody College will be hosting FREE High School Robotics Training Sessions on the following Saturdays, 10/6, 11/3 and 12/1. This is a great opportunity for FRC team members to learn more about electricity, electronics, CAD design, mechanical skills, LabVIEW programming and industrial robotics.
Use the Eventbrite link below to sign up. SIGN UP QUICKLY AS THE NUMBER OF SPOTS ARE LIMITED.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/s
Aspirations in Computing Awards – applications open
It’s the time of year when female high school students (grades 9-12) can apply for the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Awards. Applications are being accepted now through November 5, 2018. When students apply they become eligible for Minnesota and National recognition through the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT).
Applying for the award (whether selected for special recognition or not) has its privileges. Throughout the 2018-19 school year, all applicants receive exclusive notice of FREE or low cost technology skill building activities and opportunities to network with their peers who have technology aspirations, as well as technical women and men who are passionate about supporting young women to pursue their STEM interests. Please see this link for more information: https://mnstateitcoe.org/aspir
There’s an educator award as well for teachers (formal and informal) who guide the technology development of a young woman. To be eligible to apply for an educator award, a minimum of one student will need to be endorsed for her award application. https://www.aspirations.org/pa
Regards, Mark Lawrence
Chairman, MN FIRST Regional Planning Committee