Chairman's Award ­ Team 4525 Print
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2016 ­ Team 4525
Team Number
4525
Team Name, Corporate/University Sponsors
JMP Engineering ­ Automation Division / Fanshawe College ­ St. Thomas Elgin Campus & St. Joseph's Catholic High
School
Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants with special emphasis on the 2015/2016
year and the preceding two to five years
The past 4 years have demonstrated that FIRST has had a significant impact on the pathways that graduating students
on our team choose to pursue. 83% of team members have chosen to pursue STEAM related fields at the post­
secondary level. In 2012, one of our own graduates won the FIRST scholarship to Western University's Engineering
Department. Due to the overwhelmingly positive experiences with FRC over 27% of our alumni return to mentor our
team, which this year represents 43% of our mentors!
Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your community with special emphasis on the 2015/2016 year and
the preceding two to five years
FIRST's impact on our community was evident when our team was asked to be consultants on a community
development task force to plan a local maker space. We further felt the impact of FIRST when we made & won our pitch
to "The Awesome Foundation". A judging panel deliberates as to who will have the biggest impact on their community
and whose idea will make their community "more awesome". We were the first students to ever present and win the
grant at an Awesome Foundation Pitch Night!
Team's innovative or creative method to spread the FIRST message
We strive to have an intense impact on our rural community of 30000 as it is very limited in STEAM­related professions
making it difficult for kids to find inspiration in this area. In June 2015 we created an especially innovative event: the
launch of a balloon, GoPro & GPS tracker into the stratosphere from the backyard of an elementary school. The
students were awe inspired after we retrieved the balloon from over 100 km away & showed them the video recorded
on its 100000 ft aerial descent.
Describe examples of how your team members act as role models and inspire other FIRST team members to
emulate
Through an international charity we introduced students in Uganda to the core values of FIRST. We donated a Lego
robot and modified the Trash Trek game to be culturally appropriate for kids in Africa. Via Google Hangouts, we
connected children at our library program with Ugandan children half way around the world. This partnership allowed
us to offer alumni & mentors from other FRC teams the opportunity to volunteer in Uganda this summer to facilitate a
2nd round of FLL inspired STEM workshops.
Describe the team's initiatives to help start or form other FRC teams
In 2013 we were the only FRC team in our town, county, or School Board. We gave a presentation at our Board Office
describing our experience after our first season. The goal was to gain our Board's support & inspire the formation of
other FRC teams. The following year, we were able to help support a new team within our Board by sharing resources
even though we are not in the same city. We look forward to another presentation at our Board this April to encourage
future growth.
Describe the team's initiatives to help start or form other FIRST teams (including Jr.FLL, FLL, & FTC)
Our team volunteered at an FLL tournament at Western University leading us to found a local FLL team this year! We've
already added another team for next season and are committed to further expansion. We are running a multi­week
workshop focused on the FLL Trash Trek game. We will use the official game mat and robot challenges to introduce
over 75 new students to FLL. At all events we provide info to families so they can contact us to establish more local
FIRST teams.
Describe the team's initiatives on assisting other FIRST teams (including Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC, & FRC) with progressing
through the FIRST program
Renaissance Robotics started an FLL Team, The Angel Bytes, an initiative that allowed us to bridge the gap between
FLL & FRC. We saw the potential and enthusiasm for STEM in younger students and brought them other meaningful
STEM related activities such as Polymer & All Science Challenge Day! We mentored an Angel Bytes member in using
graphic software. We invited him to our school where he helped create his team's graphic. Using this program he
contributed an FRC TCG card to this year's deck.
Describe how your team works with other FIRST teams to serve as mentors to younger or less experienced FIRST
teams (includes Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC, & FRC teams)
We take our 2013 Rookie Inspiration Award very seriously & strive to continue inspiring. We've reached out to 4 local
teams offering them a full sized game field practice facility. Our departmentalized team structure graphic and our team
design & branding guide are both available for download on our website. This allows new teams to explore the
diversity available within FIRST. They can see how many roles can exist on one FIRST team thereby helping them
recruit mentors & students for their team.
Describe your Corporate/University Sponsors
JMP Engineering Automation Division is a key mentor for our design & build. JMP engineers work with our students to
teach SolidWorks to develop and troubleshoot solid, working designs. Three JMP engineers come from out of town to
our school 2­3 times weekly to mentor, not just in robotics, but in what it is like to go to University and work in industry.
Fanshawe College is a major support, providing materials, mentors and a machine shop for 4 hours on weekdays and
all day on weekends.
Describe the strength of your partnership with your sponsors with special emphasis on the 2015/2016 year and the
preceding two to five years
FIRST has created an exciting partnership between our high school and Fanshawe College. Our schools were built
such that they were physically attached, intending to link programming and build a collaborative relationship. It wasn't
until our FRC team was founded that after 22 years a relationship was finally fostered. In 4 seasons thanks to
Fanshawe, we have: an annual 40­hour pre­season machine course, 3 mentors, full access to a machine shop and a
mentor allowed to attend our FRC competitions!
Describe how your team would explain what FIRST is to someone who has never heard of it
FIRST is a global organization providing the opportunity for high school students to learn from industry mentors in a
competitive, cooperative and fun way: by designing, marketing, building and competing with a 120lb robot! It's about
building relationships, community and knowledge, but also sharing what you've learned with others. Pushing you to
apply your artistic, intellectual and problem solving skills, you develop into a leader and an advocate for the role and
unlimited potential of STEM!
Briefly describe other matters of interest to the FIRST judges, if any
Did you know? ­10% of our school is on our team ­Our tech­art float won "Most Unusual" at the Holiday Parade ­A
former Prime Minister owns our team's graphic t­shirt ­1 of our build team members is a Team Canada wrestler ­Our
2013 robot ran an auto program as part of a performance piece in an art show ­We helped introduce then Minister of
Sci&Tech Ed Holder to FRC lobbying federal funding for FIRST & STEM ­We have a programming & FLL outreach
mentor in Uganda who mentors us in Canada for 3 weeks
Team Captain/Student Representative that has double­checked this submission.
Cameron Douglas
Essay
The Renaissance was an era of revival, intellectual & artistic achievement and ingenuity. It was a time that valued
discovery and creative thought in all of the arts & sciences. The Renaissance admired past innovations & sought to
further intellectual inquiry. It especially valued learning, developing the whole person with diversity in interests &
abilities. Our team values the collaborative fusion of science, art, & technology ­ this is what Team 4525 Renaissance
Robotics believes FIRST is all about!
Our team is structured into departments, each focused on different opportunities. The concept of mentorship for skill
development & advancement of a discipline was frequently adopted in the Renaissance; Raphael was mentored by an
architect & Da Vinci was an artist's apprentice. Our protégée program pairs junior members with veteran students
preparing them to step into leadership roles as seniors graduate. In turn, graduates return to our team in mentorship
roles. This progression ensures our program's sustainability.
Another Renaissance ideal was the value placed on developing multi­disciplinary abilities ­ this diversity is the
cornerstone of our robotics program. Students are not limited to one department & are encouraged to explore what they
could learn or offer to each area of our team. STEAM powered STEM is the unique driving force in all departments of
Renaissance Robotics. In the Engineering department, students are mentored using industry design software. This year, they initiated cross­
departmental work with members of all subteams. The task was to bring SolidWorks drawings to life through the
development of a virtual reality viewer app. Students used CAD software to design custom "Google Cardboard"
viewers which provided for integration of our FRC TCG game into VR.
The success of Renaissance artists was largely dependent on the patrons backing them. Similarly, fostering our
relationship with Fanshawe College as a sponsor is extremely beneficial to the sustainability of our program. Students
in the Build Department participate in a Metals Course at Fanshawe where they learn in a fully equipped shop. In 2015
we had a unique opportunity to take a course to build an Arduino based 3D printer from scratch. This machine has
been used by our programmers to develop new skills & by our Art & Graphics Department to print game pieces for FRC
TCG.
The programming department starts training new members the first week of school. Our student initiated classes began
in 2014 spearheaded by the team lead. The following year, we continued to run training sessions which increased
student interest & the depth of our resources. In December, our programming & outreach departments collaborated to
run an "Hour of Code" sponsored by code.org at the Public Library. The program was directed at children aged 8­14
but was so engaging that adults also participated.
We recognize that artistry is an essential part of science & engineering. Leonardo da Vinci was the original STEAM
revolutionary with diverse inventions spanning science, art & technology. He is the inspiration behind our student
designed "Vitruvian Man" logo & his contemporary, Michelangelo, inspired our "Creation of Adam" banner graphic.
Our team wanted to have a long term project to engage & highlight the cross­section of student talents while
encouraging youth to be excited about STEAM. As a result the Arts & Graphics Department created a playable &
collectable FRC card game: the FIRST Robotics Competition Trading Card Game (FRC TCG). The concept of a TCG
has been popular & appealing to youth for decades. Our idea was to use technology to create this tribute to FIRST's
vision of "science & technology leaders being something to which young people aspire". We also wanted it to be a
learning tool for youth or those unfamiliar with FRC. It teaches about FRC, robot parts, math, literacy, communication
skills & promotes FRC teams (& their robots) as the stars of the show. We worked with elementary students as part of
our R&D and game testing phases, since they were active players, collectors & experts on TCGs. These mini­mentors
proved to be an excellent resource.
FRC TCG was distributed to the 52 teams at the Windsor Regional last year and the reception was overwhelming! Our
team is proud that we could develop a large scale project that challenged us to use artistic creativity while building
skills in technology & inspiring innovation. The development of a novel & unique concept for the FIRST community
proved most rewarding. FRC TCG has since helped us connect to teams all over Canada & the US. With the help of 3
Ontario teams, we brought our game to the World Championships last season allowing us to share it with 600 teams!
By including a QR code in each pack, we were able to reach out to teams & offer the opportunity to be featured in the
2nd edition of FRC TCG. We received many compliments, suggestions & feedback useful in developing our 2nd edition
this season. The work of our Arts & Graphics Department including FRC TCG, our distinctive branding & shirt designs,
won us the Imagery Award at the 2015 North Bay Regional & at the 2014 & 2015 Windsor Regionals as well as the
2015 Judges Award at the Windsor Regional.
For the past 2 years, Renaissance Robotics has participated in "Nuit Blanche", an all­night outdoor art show. In 2014
we worked with 2 FRC teams to design an interactive public exhibit by transforming previous year's robots into "street
painters" on 7' canvases. The exhibit was so popular that we were invited back in 2015! This time, we hosted 7 FRC
teams to participate in a coopertition where RecycleRush robots became sculptors & architects. Through this
unconventional event we were able to expose over 9000 people to FRC & distribute information about FIRST to an
audience that would never have otherwise been exposed to it.
Essay ­ page 2
We brought our robot to our Jr.B "Fill the Rink" hockey game, Friday Night Lights Football & many local festivals. This
past year London Comic Con organizers, who saw our exhibit at Nuit Blanche, invited us to bring our robot & tech­art to
their 7600 person event! In the end, we had 3 booths at Comic Con. One of the booths was organized at the request of
Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario. We set up a Mario­land display as a meet­&­greet area. Mr. Martinet even drove
our Aerial Assist robot & recorded a promotional shout­out for robotics in his famous Mario voice!
The Renaissance valued continuous advancement in multiple fields of study for the duration of a person's life.
Similarly, Team 4525 strives to encourage this attitude toward life­long learning by increasing the impact we have on
our community so that young people become excited about STEAM early on. Our Outreach department organized &
participated in 45 community events over the last 3 years with the goal of inspiring a passion for learning that is in the
spirit of FIRST. This department designs and delivers Lego Robotics workshops at the Public Library for students aged
9­12. So far over 200 students have participated in 17 workshops. These workshops have increased interest from the
community in our team's program, with a waitlist to get in. Library staff requested a robotics workshop of their own & our
outreach department was happy to deliver. In 2015 Renaissance Robotics introduced FLL to a rural elementary school.
We helped walk the teacher­mentors through their first season, working with them on everything from programming to
presentation skills. The team's presentation was so successful that they won the "Project Research Award" at their first
tournament.
Not only does our team work to encourage life­long learning locally, we also work to provide STEAM opportunities to
people across the world. One of our mentors works in Uganda with the organization she founded, "Just Cause
Education Outreach." Over the past 3 years members of our team have volunteered with this organization. Our team
facilitated multiple fundraisers to pay for Ugandan children's school supplies. Using their FIRST skills members helped
design school logos & created school signs using a CNC machine. We also sent a Lego robot & STEAM activity kits to
an education center in Uganda where at risk children have the opportunity to learn. Team members created a culturally
appropriate FLL curriculum to introduce Ugandan children to FIRST and hosted Google Hangouts where children in
Uganda and the children attending our library workshops could share what they had learned. This connection between
Canadian & Ugandan kids provided a multi­disciplinary learning & teaching experience for all involved.
Da Vinci did more to create the concept of the artist­genius than anyone else. When he began his campaign the artist
was considered a menial craftsman. By constantly stressing intellectual aspects of art & creativity, he transformed the
artist's public status. Our team challenges this same status quo with our diverse approach & artistic integration into all
we do: challenging the Minister of Science & Technology and our School Board to find funding for STEM initiatives;
bringing our enthusiasm to other schools; reaching across continents to connect communities; and participating in high
profile events at unexpected venues to expand the reach of FIRST into popular culture. We have made the mission of
FIRST loud & clear in our school, with local & global communities that robotics is a mainstream activity and STEM is
incredibly valuable & diverse. We've changed our culture by developing our robotics program into an inclusive & non­
marginalized organization. A robotics kid is a valued & diverse kid ­ like the "Renaissance Man" was a jack of all
trades; each of the 46 clubs & teams at our school has at least one member on the robotics team. FIRST Team 4525
has created a unique culture where robotics is mainstream by developing a program that both includes and inspires
every student through our STEAM powered STEM approach.
2016 ­ Team 4525
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