Outreach
How our team is connected to our community
BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER PROJECT
We have been offered an incredible opportunity to have our work represented at the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. During Former President Barack Obama’s presidency, he had three patent models on display in the Oval Office. We were asked to create a replica of a gear-cutting machine from 1874, designed by John Peer, to be put on display in the Oval Office recreation at his Presidential Center. One of the other patent models, a water wheel for a steamship, is being replicated by FRC Team 2725. This team has reached out to us for help with their project, so we are also playing a hand in this patent model as well.
ALLENTOWN DISTRICT EVENT
Our team hosted the 2024 Allentown District Event. It was a huge success and brought our community together. 27 teams from all over New Jersey came together and competed, filling the stands with hundreds of spectators. We had approximately 1,500 spectators each day at the 2-day event. We received 0 negative reviews, according to the FIRST organization, a rarity for district events.
STEM CLUB
We currently have a STEM Club at Stone Bridge Middle School that has been highly successful in the past few years. By creating a STEM Club, students are gaining interest and joining our team. We teach the students about different aspects of Robotics like OnShape, 3D printing, and coding. Teaching them in middle school gives them exposure at a young age. If you are interested and attend Stone Bridge Middle School, reach out to Mrs. Folino to join.
ROBOT DEMONSTRATIONS
Robot demonstrations have been our favorite way to connect with our community. In Allentown, we annually attend the local Fall festival, where we sell ornaments and show off our robot from the prior season. Anyone walking through is able to interact with our robot and ask questions about our team. We attend Millstone Day too, since it’s important to us to connect beyond just our school. This is amazing for youth engagement, with a few parents even asking how their children could get involved in programs like ours. Each year we attend Science Night Live at Newell Elementary School, where people from the community come to learn about STEM and interact with our robot.
SCOUTING AT WORLDS
During our time in Houston, Texas, in 2025, we combined with other FRC teams to scout during matches. This allowed students more time to go to the convention center and meetings instead of having to sit in the stands. This allowed us to meet and work with other teams from around the world. We taught other teams how we scout, completely digitally on an app that students on our team created.
