Meet the ROBOVIKES Player Profiles of Geneva's F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Team
The ‘Bot is built and shipped. Now comes practice with the “Beta Bot” to prepare the team for the Midwest Regionals for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) game called “Rebound RumbleSM.”
Meet the ROBOVIKES as they get ready to “Rumble”.
ROBOVIKE Team Members:
Seniors: Trevor Deem, Keane Hensley, Josh Kilmer, Jake Urben, Jack Wilbur
Juniors: Derik Baer, Mitchell Baer, Will Camacho, Matt Fee, Mike Miltner, Justin Mui
Sophomores: Anna Green, Grif McDonell, Will Morrison, Mike Phillips, Quade Spellman, Ken Wendt
Freshmen: Brad Snurka
Robovikes Player Profiles:
Name: Matt Fee
Year in School: Junior
Favorite Subject in School: Physics
Least Favorite Subject in School: English
College: Purdue
College Major: Mechanical Engineering
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite STEM Person: Brian Cox (physicist)
Favorite Athlete: Jonathan Toews (Chicago Black Hawks)
Favorite Movie: The Breakfast Club
Favorite Music: Classic Rock (‘70s and ‘80s)
Favorite Book: To Kill A Mockingbird
Last Book you Read: The Inheritance
Favorite car: Subaru Impreza WRX/STI
Favorite cartoon character: Spongebob Squarepants
Favorite TV Show: Mythbusters
Hobbies: Video games
Best H.S. memory so far: Being in Marching Band – I play the tuba
Favorite quote: “I reject your reality and substitute my own.” Adam Savage
Name: Mike Miltner
Year in School: Junior
Favorite Subject in School: Math
Least Favorite Subject in School: Everything else
College: None – Air Force or Marines
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite STEM Person: Steve Jobs
Favorite Athlete: Brian Dawkins (Denver Broncos)
Favorite Movie: Varsity Blues
Favorite Music: Country
Favorite Book: Night Angel Trilogy
Favorite car: Audi TT
Favorite cartoon character: Bugs Bunny
Favorite TV Show: Burn Notice
Hobbies: Climbing, art (graffiti writing), playing jazz on my saxophone
Best H.S. memory so far: When one of my friends picked up an 8th grader who was visiting the high school and ran across the commons with him.
Favorite quote: “Oh Captain, my Captain” (Walt Whitman poem, on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln)
Name: Quade Spellman
Year in School: Sophomore
Favorite Subject in School: Science
Least Favorite Subject in School: Spanish
College: Yes – don't know yet
College Major: Engineering of some sort
Favorite Food: Cheese
Favorite STEM Person: Albert Einstein
Favorite Athlete: Derrick Rose
Favorite Movie: Star Wars Episode 4 (released first)
Favorite Music: Classic Rock (‘80s)
Favorite Book: The Inheritance
Last Book you Read: The Inheritance
Favorite car: 1970 Mustang
Favorite cartoon character: Scooby Doo
Favorite TV Show: Psych
Hobbies: Robotics, Tennis
Best H.S. memory so far: The 2011 FIRST Midwest Regional Championship
Favorite quote: “If it weren't for electricity, we'd all be watching TV by candlelight” [attributed to George Gobel]
Name: Ken Wendt
Year in School: Sophomore
Favorite Subject in School: Math or Science
Least Favorite Subject in School: Spanish
College: Yes – don't know where
College Major: Computer Engineering
Favorite Food: Ribs
Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings – any and all of them
Favorite Music: Classic Rock (‘80s)
Favorite Book: The Hobbit
Last Book you Read: The Great Gatsby (school assignment)
Favorite car: Mustang
Favorite cartoon character: Perry the Platypus
Favorite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory
Hobbies: robotics, guitar
Best H.S. memory so far: The day the Farmer's Market came to school and a friend bought a cabbage that he treated like [Lord of the Rings character] Sméagol. It was really funny.
Favorite quote: “I reject your reality and substitute my own.” Adam Savage
Join the Geneva High School Robovikes at this year's Midwest Regional:
2012 MIDWEST REGIONAL • MARCH 22-24
UIC Pavilion • Chicago, Illinois
Learn more at: http://ilfrc.org/
About THE LABEL PRINTERS:
The Label Printers, Aurora, IL, started in business in 1967, manufacturing simple label constructions in a 1,000 square foot space, with 1 employee, serving the local Chicago market.
Today, the company has evolved into one of the 100 largest converters in the United States. The Label Printers owns and operates two facilities in Aurora, Illinois, manufacturing and distributing labels and packaging products to thousands of customers in 25 countries around the world. The company's packaging products are certified to ISO 9001 standards, and their quality is backed up by their 99.6% Quality Acceptance Rating.
The Label Printers is a member of NASPO (North American Security Products Organization), IACC (International Anticounterfeiting Coalitipm), CACP (Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy), TLMI (Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute) and the FTA (Flexographic Technical Association).
About Geneva High School (Community Unit School District 304)
Geneva Community High School is over 130 years old and has over 1,800 students, 150 faculty members, and offers more than 150 courses in eleven academic areas. Students may also enroll in one of thirty-seven academic courses in the Fox Valley Career Center curriculum. Advanced placement and honors courses are offered in all academic areas supported by the expansion of our Acceleration and Enrichment program.
While maintaining an outstanding tradition of excellence in education, athletic and extracurricular programs, our school provides a wide variety of community service learning experiences throughout Geneva and the Fox Valley. Our experienced administrative team and dedicated staff, along with the support of the community of Geneva, offer one of the finest educational opportunities available throughout the state of Illinois.
About the “Rebound Rumble” Game:
The Rebound RumbleSM robotics game is played between two Alliances of three teams each. Each Alliance competes by trying to score as many of the basketballs in the hoops as possible during the 2-minute and 15-second match. Balls scored in higher hoops score Alliances more points. Alliances are awarded bonus points if they are balanced on bridges at the end of the match. In matches where opponent Alliances work together to balance on the white bridge, all participating teams earn additional valuable seeding points.
Each team receives a Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Working with adult Mentors, students have six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season's engineering challenge. Once these young inventors create a robot, their teams participate in competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.
About the FIRST Robotics Competition:
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that helps students discover the excitement of science, engineering, and technology and the rewards a career in STEM can bring. In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 teams and a single 14-by-14-foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. This season more than 2,300 teams, comprised of over 58,000 high school students (grades 9 – 12), will participate. Fifty-two regional events, 1 State Championship, 1 Regional Championship, and 14 District Competitions will lead up to the 2012 FIRST Championship in St. Louis' Edward Jones Dome, April 25 – 28.
FIRST programs are spearheaded by more than 100,000 dedicated volunteers worldwide, most of them professional engineers and scientists who mentor the next generation of innovators. The program is supported by a network of more than 3,500 Sponsors, including corporations, educational and professional institutions, and individuals.
Participating students are eligible to apply for nearly $12 million in scholarships offered by leading universities, colleges, and companies.
"The Varsity Sport for the Mind," FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It's as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.
Students get to:
Learn from professional engineers
Build and compete with a robot of their own design
Learn and use sophisticated software and hardware
Compete and cooperate in alliances and tournaments
Earn a place in the World Championship
Qualify for nearly $14.8 million in college scholarships
About FIRST:
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST ® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and nearly $15 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) and FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) for high-school students, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and Canada) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for 6 to 9-year-olds.
2011 marked the 20th season of the FIRST Robotics Competition. FIRST has grown from 1 event to nearly 60 and from 28 teams to over 2000. Much has changed over the first twenty seasons…but our key goals remain the same; our commitment to Gracious Professionalism™, our emphasis on learning, helping one another and inspiring careers in math, science, engineering and technology.
Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.