2010 Pittsburgh FIRST Regional Competition - March 12-13, 2010, Petersen Events Center
Thanks to all teams and volunteers for a great regional competition! Submit Feedback on the Regional
The the Pittsburgh Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (www.usfirst.org) is less than two months away! From March 11th through 13th, teams of high school students from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Canada will be competing at Petersen Event Center. They will be competing in the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition game, Breakaway!
We're looking for volunteers to help run this exciting event. If you are available to join us at the Pittsburgh Regional, we would love to have you volunteer. Registration can be completed at https://my.usfirst.org/vims. Information on specific volunteer opportunities can be found on that page as well. Questions about volunteering should be directed to our Volunteer Coordinators.
The final schedule for the event has been released. See what's in store for this exciting two day event.
Unloading information:
In addition to the excitement of the competition, the Petersen Events Center Lobby will showcase great demos and hands-on robotics activities:
- Robotics workshops will include two working robots that students can drive, plus a "Please Touch Museum” for elementary, middle, and high school students to learn about many parts (such as pistons, motors and switches) used to build robots. Created and run by The Firebirds, an all-girls robotics team from Flourtown, PA, the workshops will run from 9AM-4PM on both Fri & Sat (flier).
- Data Science Automation is sponsoring and running “5th Gear”, an interactive computer simulation of the same BREAKAWAY game that’s being played by the robots in the arena. Sounds cool? Give it a shot! Lockheed-Martin developed the software, and is providing tools to be awarded as prizes for this tournament.
- Wonder what it’s like to ride a Segway? Segway of Western PA will have a demo for people to ride.
2010 Pittsburgh FIRST Kickoff - January 9, 2010, NREC
Tentative Schedule
(Note: The final schedule may have some minor changes, but the start, Live Webcast, and ending times won't change.)
7:30 - 8:30 AM Registration – Breakfast - Kit of Parts Distribution* (Norm Kerman)
8:30 - 8:45 Welcome / What's New in Pittsburgh / Resources & Essential Info (Patricia DePra)
8:45 - 9:15 Robot Design Considerations (Robin Shoop & Norm Kerman)
9:15 - 9:45 LabVIEW & C-RIO (Tim Nolan, Jeff Scott, Rich Brueggman)
9:45 - 10:00 Break
10:00 - 11:30 Kickoff! and 2010 FRC Game Presentation / Live NASA Webcast
11:30 - noon Robot Inspection / Designing by the Rules (David Dujmic)
noon - 12:15+ The 2010 Playing Field (Gabriel Goldman)
After 12:15, some members of the Regional Planning Committee and CMU Robotics Academy will stay to answer questions.
We gratefully acknowledge the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy and NREC for hosting us. A Huge Thank You to Norm Kerman for receiving, organizing, and distributing kits, to Gabriel Goldman for the 2010 Playing Field, to Jess Jankowitsch for helping to organize the schedule, to our speakers, above, and to all of our volunteers who help to make our Kickoff and the season possible! Thank you!
Location/Directions
http://www.rec.ri.cmu.edu/about/visitors/index.htm
http://www.rec.ri.cmu.edu/about/visitors/directions/index.htm
When you arrive to NREC, drive up to the gate and follow the instructions. Tell the guard that you're there for the FIRST Kickoff.
Registration: Consent Forms & KOP Receipts
Everyone attending Kickoff is required to submit a signed Consent and Release form. Student team members may sign the form online. Teams with students who have completed the online form will need to print out an official team roster from TIMS showing who and who has not completed the form. Details, with link to download a hardcopy form, are here:
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=8128 Also, be sure to send Patricia your list of attendees (see prior email).
Kit Distribution
Officially, the Kit of Parts should not be distributed until after the Game Presentation. So, in exchange for the added convenience/streamlining that distributing the kits early will bring, we do need to ask that the Kits not be opened until after the final presentation. The only exception will be the blue tote – it will have a security seal that will need to be opened in the presence of a witness, who also signs the KOP receipt.
Networking and Info Exchange
The Kickoff is the only time this season that reps from all of the local teams are guaranteed to be under the same roof at the same time. Let's make the most of it! If you'd like to share any info among the teams, bring it! and we can distribute it. Materials sent to Patricia by Friday 8am will be copied and made available for distribution on Saturday.
Food
We'll have coffee, tea, juice, donuts, bagels, fruit, and other snacky/brunchy things to make sure we all stay happy and alert and focused all morning! (Rumor has it that Patricia's mom is making pizzelles.) If any attendees have dietary restrictions, let Patricia know, and I'll be sure to have something to accommodate.
Team Leaders, are you on the email blast list? http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/content.aspx?id=16086 for the email from 12/30/09.
I hope that by the end of the day, you will have learned something you hadn't known before, you will have met someone new, and that your team will have a good understanding of the local and national re-sources/assistance available. --Patricia DePra
