What is Team 20?

Team 20 is a high school robotics team based in Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, New York. We are one of only 28 founding FIRST robotics teams, and one of only 7 founding teams in existance today. Our team is run like a real business: we have an organizational structure that rises far beyond those of ordinary high school clubs - not to mention a budget that would make any club jealous.

What do we do? We build a robot in 6 weeks, and then compete against other schools around the country! On the first week of every January, FIRST releases a new game for the year. For example, in 2010, it dropped this on our heads. Then, we build a robot... it's that simple!

Actually, it's a lot more complicated than that: we do much more than make a robot. When freshmen (and other new participants) first join our team, their expectations are simple: get hands-on, learn to use power tools, drive a robot. We give them so much more. Of course, heavy manufacturing is a staple of Team 20 - our students play a large role in cutting, bending, and assembling parts into robots. But, that's only a small portion of the team.

What Team 20 members really learn through the course of a season is much more important. Creating a robot in six weeks brings out the best in everyone on the team. In fact, the robot is only a tool for accomplishing our true goals: teaching leadership skills, fostering interest in science and engineering, and setting the foundation for future leaders in these fields. The robot may be a key part of the team, and we get quite obsessed over it, but our goal isn't to build a robot; it's to develop our students.

The team currently has over 70 students in grades 9 through 12, plus dozens of mentors, including Shen teachers and engineers from GE, RPI, and other local groups. Our large size is a testament to how seriously Shen students take science and technology.

We are not alone - over 1800 other FRC teams, as well as a host of other teams in different competitons, share our goals. Together, we make up FIRST.

What is FIRST?

FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that focuses on making high school students interested in math, science, and technology. It was founded by Dean Kamen, famed inventor of the Segway, in 1989. Its modus operandi became the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), established in 1992. FRC is a game like no other in its fusion of smarts, competition, and teamwork. Many refer to it as the "varsity sport of the mind", a reflection of how successful it is at making science and engineering exciting.

While competition is a major part of FIRST, winning is far from everything. Rather, we emphasize "gracious professionalism", a central tenet of FIRST. This calls for mutual respect between teams on and off the field. FIRST teams will gladly lend their opponents spare parts or help them fix a robot. You won't find that attitude in other sports.

FIRST's primary purpose is to promote science and engineering education. Dean Kamen wants high school students to be as excited about engineering as they are about football. At the same time, FIRST give them a taste of what engineering is like; it shows them the appeal, usefulness, and versatility of these careers. As Dean Kamen says:

Every kid on every one of our teams can turn pro. You can't say that about football or basketball.

From the initial 28 teams in 1992, FIRST Robotics has developed into an international program with over 1800 teams. In addition, FIRST has created the FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League, and Jr. FIRST LEGO League, the latter two aimed at middle and elementary school students.

Our 2010 robot
For more about our amazing 2010 season, one of the best in our history, click here!













Team members in our "pit", where we repair our robot and meet judges during competitions.















Dean Kamen, the founder of FIRST


Photo from TED, a site devoted to ideas worth spreading.