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2023 Week 1: Business Journal

    The FRC 2023 season has officially begun, and Nemesis has been busier than ever in the first week! The business team has been preparing for the annual Nemesis sponsor night by updating information and planning presentations to keep our sponsors informed. We have also been preparing and sending invites for this event. We are very excited to meet our sponsors and present all of our hard work so far.

    In addition, our team, sponsor, and outreach showcases are being updated with new photos and awards from our last 2022 season. Our new members are hard at work ensuring that these showcases are kept updated. 

    As a team, we are preparing workshops for First Lego League teams made up of elementary and middle school students. These workshops include a variety of activities designed to keep students engaged and excited about STEM. We are also getting ready for our State of the Schools event, a club fair where parents can see the accomplishments of our team; this keeps us connected to our community. In addition, our Chairman’s team is diligently working on their Impact Award presentation, putting in their best effort to win this prestigious award. We are also busy creating buttons with our logo and a 2023 game-specific design to pass out to other teams during competitions.

    Our logistics team has been finding restaurants for the FMA District Championship and are making sure that meals are being provided for our team during meetings. Our media team is currently in the process of using Photoshop to design labels for our showcases as well as updating the website with information and photos of newer members. Our finance team is looking and applying for sponsor grants, creating our business plan, and reconciling the bank account. Finally, we have been preparing for our robot demonstration in the local library as well as setting up an outreach event in collaboration with the Trenton Urban Promise organization. Overall, it has been a successful start for the business team in the 2023 season!

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Another Dynamic Discovery Day

After the Covid-19 pandemic, Robbinsville High School is back to hosting the Nemesis classic, Discovery day. On the fifteenth and sixteenth of October, Nemesis hosted two , discovery day camps, managing to reach over One-Hundred students. Every year, the Nemesis FRC team hosts an event, open to elementary and middle school students, where the campers work with current team members to give them a fun and enjoyable introduction to STEM. The program has them complete a plethora of age-appropriate STEM challenges, meant to offer a stimulating, but fun, experience for the students.

This year, there were two challenges, each targeted at one of the two different participating age groups in the event. For the younger students (second through fourth grade), the challenge was to make a robot that could kick a ball and a goalie to stop the ball from reaching the edge of the table using Lego Technic and RCX motors. The older students, from fifth to sixth grade, were challenged to use similar NXT and Lego Technic pieces to create a robot that would “bowl” a wiffle ball into  a set of concentrated pins.Once they successfully completed this, they were challenged to code the robot using NXT software to bowl the wiffle ball with just the press of a button.

The campers were split into groups of 2-3 students, and were mentored by current members of the FRC team. The student-mentors assisted the campers in creating the best robots possible, while still understanding the science behind the challenge, and allowing the campers to maintain creative control. . Elan Ronen, a junior on the Software Team, mentored three young students. Elan admired his students’ ingenuity. “Their communication and perseverance struck me the most. They were experimenting with the robot design in the beginning, but after extensive amounts of collaborative brainstorming, they were able to come up with a design. The issue was that their design kept on breaking -- still, after many trials, these students were able to utilize the engineering design process to create a great design.” Elan, and many other student-mentors, found that recovering from adversity is what helped these students grow the most; “Whether it be through the build or code, the students never gave up.” Robert Gao, Design Lead, stated, “As time went on, they really got better at cooperating and problem solving together and I sort-of…just…got to sit back and watch. It was really cool.”

The young students were also given other opportunities to explore robotics. The campers  got a chance to look at a robot built by the local FLL team “IDK”. The campers also got a chance to drive Iris, Nemesis’ robot from the 2022 season. Students were amazed by Iris’ smooth movement, and complex design. The robot driving was a student favorite, with almost half of the campers doing the activity twice!

This discovery day played a significant role in introducing young students to robotics and STEM. It was great to see all the students leave with a smile on their faces, and a newfound love of robotics and STEM.

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Nemesis Battles Through Another Brunswick Eruption

Another year, another Brunswick Eruption! That’s the off-season competition hosted by North Brunswick High School, this year on November 12th, 2022. This year, 51 team members were able to come, which was very good attendance! We had a lot of amazing experiences as well as some great takeaways, and plan to use them for future seasons! 

Before our first match, we learned that there wouldn’t be any warm-up matches since teams needed extra time for calibration. This meant that our robot, Iris, and our drivers wouldn’t be properly warmed up for the competition, and we wouldn’t know how Iris would behave during the actual qualification matches. We also had a few issues concerning the robot, such as Iris’s limelight mount being broken or the ball intake being jammed, which definitely proved to be problematic during the qualification matches. Nemesis's first match was the 2nd qualification match of the competition, but unfortunately, Iris wasn’t performing well, and we didn’t make most of our shots.In our 3rd match, however, things started to look up for Iris and the team. We made some good shots into the hoop, and rarely missed shots during that match. Even though our alliance lost that qualification match, we proved that we were able to stay in the game. During our 4th match, we got a few shots in and were able to go on the middle rung during the endgame. Nemesis ended the qualification matches with a rank of 8th place (out of 35).

After the qualification matches, it was time for the alliance selections! Nemesis chose teams 1155 (SciBorgs), 102, and 2601 (Steel Hawks), based on our scouting, which is when team members take notes on other teams’ robots’ performance, and everyone did a great job with that, even the inexperienced rookies.

Finally, it was time for the much-anticipated quarterfinals! Our alliance, the blue alliance, was facing off against the red alliance, which was made up of teams 3142 (Aperture), 5895 (Peddie Robotics), and 533 (The PSIotics). We made shots one after another, trying our hardest to recover from our rough start, but in the end, we lost to the red alliance 2-1 in the best of 3 rounds.

After many tough and challenging matches, Nemesis persevered through them all. With the help of our fellow alliance members, we were able to beat teams left and right, all so that we could take a shot at the quarter-finals with the help of our alliance members. Nemesis was very proud and grateful to have made it to the quarter-finals, and we know that we will improve and do better in the next competition!

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Nemesis Rumbles Through Hatboro Havoc

 

With the sound of robots beeping and buzzers sounding, Hatboro Havoc was a great way to revive the enthusiasm throughout the entire team for a new year of FIRST robotics competition. The competition made for an incredibly eventful weekend filled with excitement and energy amongst the entire field of teams. Hatboro Havoc was an outstanding event for the entire team and served as an excellent opportunity for Nemesis to bring out an all new drive team. 

The day began with Nemesis’ robot, Iris, participating in the first match of the competition. Our brand new drive team stepped into the drivers station to take on the challenge. Our robot was firing on all cylinders, and our drivers, Aryan Gaur and Leo Daniels were flawless in aiming the cargo into the hub and attempting the climb. During this match, our alliance was able to win by 18 points! Iris’ first game was a great way for the team to start the day.

Our robot appeared next in the sixth qualification match. As the buzzer sounded, and the match began, Iris started to prolifically shoot cargo into the hub. As the match progressed, Iris entered the hangar area with 20 seconds remaining. On Iris's way to the high rung, the robot experienced an issue with an arm, and ended up sideways on the ground. With the climber separated from our robot on the ground, our team was in shock. Despite the rush of nervousness throughout the team, as the drive team worked to get our robot back to top shape, Iris was fully repaired before the beginning of the team's next match. Once the match finished, our alliance was able to escape with and win, with the thinnest of margins, the final score being 91-89. By qualification match 9, Iris was back on the field. For the first time since Iris’ original incident, the team was back up to face the climb again. Regardless of the obstacles Iris faced, our alliance was able to take the lead, and the win, with the score being, 73-60.

Things became difficult as the elimination matches began. Iris took part in four elimination matches, winning the first, and losing the second. This resulted in the teams first loss for the day. As the elimination matches continued, Iris started facing many challenges. In one elimination match, Iris finally managed to reach the traversal rung during the endgame. Simultaneously, the team's shooter began to experience difficulties. Iris had lost function in its pneumatics system, and started experiencing issues with the limelight and battery. Ultimately, the team wasn’t able to work its way back through the elimination matches and lost in the semi-finals.

Hatboro-Havoc was a wonderful experience for the team. The competition was a great way to get the team together and gather excitement for what's to come with Nemesis. Hatboro-Havoc was a delightful experience, and we look forward to being back in Horsham, PA in the near future.

Archive

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Nemesis Teaches STEAM to Future Generations!


On November 21, a perfect fall afternoon, over 35 energetic young children and their eager parents gathered at the Robbinsville Public Library for a demonstration of  the award-winning FIRST Robotics Team Nemesis 2590’s 2015 competition robot, Calypso. The children watched in awe as Calypso -- who towered over them -- zoomed across the floor from tote to tote, sparking a love for STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

The demonstration included a brief description of the 2015 season’s game, Recycle Rush, as well as an explanation of how Calypso functions. The young attendees asked questions about how the parts were made, what it’s like to build the robot, and how it feels to compete. Once the robot began moving around the room, all who were in attendance were astonished and impressed.

During the demonstration, the children had the opportunity to learn what autonomous mode was by playing a game similar to “Simon Says”, the only difference being their eyes were closed. Afterwards, Nemesis team members and Build Executives Samantha Young, Christian Gavalchin, and Parth Mandrekar asked questions about engineering and its importance in the real world, to which one young boy responded, “Engineering is like building things for the future”. His answer hit home for the team proving that the STEAM message has resonated with children even at such a young age.

The attendees were also introduced to the Makerbot, a 3D printer that the children were informed could one day feature in their own homes. This was mind boggling to the children and their minds went crazy with ideas of what they could potentially make with their own three-dimensional printer.  

After watching the demonstration, many of the parents who brought their young children asked how they could get their children involved with robotics and start up their own team for young children prior to high school. Luckily for them, Nemesis has an annual Discovery Day-- which will be held on December 5th and 6th this year--  where students from second to sixth grade have the opportunity to build and program Lego Mindstorms to complete a challenge. Discovery Days are often the first foray into technology for many young children and has sparked an interest in robotics. Many of the students who attend ultimately join the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team when they reach high school.  

Build Executive  and Senior Samantha Young “Seeing the excitement in the kids’ faces, as they learned about engineering, was an inspiration to me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with these eager young students and help them explore their interests in STEAM.”

At the end of the afternoon, both parents and children alike left the event proclaiming what an extraordinary time they had learning about the exciting world of FIRST and what it  has to offer to their futures. Nemesis would like to thank the Robbinsville Public Library for the opportunity to expose the future generations to the FIRST message and STEAM.  

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Nemesis Takes Home The Brunswick Eruption Tiki Again


The morning crept upon North Brunswick High School on November 7, 2015. While most people slept in on the lovely Saturday morning, a select many were gathering for a day filled with invigorating challenges, both on and off the field, an evil sundae ice cream contest, and--of course--robots!

Hosted by FIRST Robotics Team 25 Raider Robotix, Brunswick Eruption was Nemesis’ final glimpse at the previous season before starting anew. At the event, Nemesis took the opportunity to train their underclassmen in both drive and scouting teams.

The challenge, Recycle Rush, required teams to work together in alliances in order to obtain the most points for their team. Each robot stacked totes on scoring platforms in order to score points and acquired additional points by placing recycling bins atop the totes. Inserting a pool noodle, representing litter, into the recycling bins provided an opportunity for teams to gain even more points.

Despite a rocky first match--which also happened to be the first match of the competition-- Nemesis came back with a vengeance. The driver-in-training and sophomore, Dahany Choi, was behind the controls. The strategy: building at least two six-tote stacks, each one topped with a pool noodle in a recycling can.

“I had a blast driving our competition robot at a real competition. Working with other teams to most efficiently stack and play the game was such a revelation. This was what robotics is all about,” first-time driver and sophomore Dahany Choi commented.

The team had two alternating human players, junior Michael Cocciolillo and senior and Build Executive Samantha Young, feeding totes into the robot.

New members deceived a taste of scouting in the stands, one of the most crucial parts of any FIRST Robotics competition, because the information the students collected would determine what teams they chose for alliances in the final rounds of the competition.  

Finishing sixth, Nemesis joined the first alliance with teams 2607, The Fighting RoboVikings from Warminster, PA; 3142, Aperture from Newtown, NJ; and 4653, Ironmen Robotics from Ramsey, NJ, in the elimination matches. The alliance could not have been a better choice for Nemesis, having had an amazing first match in the elimination rounds putting them in second place in the competition, with still more rounds to come.

The second playoff match arrived. Nemesis, Aperture and The Fighting RoboVikings readied and soon began. There were some faults, including a toppled stack, however by the end of the match four tall stacks topped with cans and noodles stood clearly on the field.

Nemesis waited with bated breath for the results. “We will be replaying the match due to a field fault”, the announcer stated.

The team was not deterred. In fact, the rematch was even more intense than the original. The robots of the first-seeded alliance moved seamlessly, efficiently creating and topping each other's stacks. The high-scoring of all three teams paved the first alliance’s path into the semifinals.

Nemesis was a force to be reckoned with, playing strongly through the second and third semifinal matches and therefore securing a spot in the finals.

At last, the moment came. Finals. All Nemesis’ alliance needed to emerge victorious were two more wins.

The first final match was rough. The first alliance fumbled and it would be tough to come back. Nemesis had to win the next two matches in a row to come out victorious.

“I was confident that our alliance would do well; all of our teams seemed to mesh together amazingly,” said Michael Cocciolillo, sophomore and member of the Brunswick Eruption Drive Team.  

Nemesis’ alliance did come back …by the skin of their teeth, a 10-point difference in final scores. But it was enough and a tiebreaker match began. Whoever won this match would win Brunswick Eruption 2015.

Both alliances competed fiercely, but with a final score of 194 to 90, Nemesis’ alliance took home the tiki trophy.

“This is my final Brunswick Eruption and to experience victory here once again is an amazing feeling. I can’t wait for the season to start when we’ll hopefully be able to experience even more success,” enthused senior and Chief of Operations Juhi Rajgopal.  

At the end of the day, Nemesis returned home victorious with yet another Brunswick Eruption win under their belts, a great way to start their new season and give their new members a taste of a true robotics competition.

Don't forget to join Nemesis at the Hatboro-Horsham District Competition at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, PA on March 3 and 4, 2016 to support the team as it kicks off the 2016 season!

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Nemesis Takes a Step Towards the Future At Makerfest


Imagine making a lightsaber, driving a Do-It-Yourself car, and operating a high-tech surgical machine... all in one day. On Saturday, October 17th, Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team Nemesis 2590 participated in the 2015 Jersey Shore Makerfest at Toms River High School North. The team spoke with children of all ages and their parents about FIRST,  showcased their 2013 frisbee-throwing and 2014 ball-shooting FIRST Robotics competition robots, and presented the NAO Humanoid robot.                                                   

The Makerfest attendees were impressed by the team’s achievements. Students from Toms River High School North enthusiastically expressed how much they wished they had a program like Nemesis at their school. Nemesis entertained the Superintendent of Toms River with the benefits of FIRST Robotics and even inspired and explained the steps necessary to start an FRC team. The young bright-eyed attendees’ intrigue and elation made the event much more enjoyable for Nemesis’ team members. Seeing the excitement on everyone’s faces was a rewarding experience for all of our hard work. Build Executive and senior Christian Gavalchin elaborated, “It was such an amazing experience to be with so many like-minded people”.

Besides speaking to visitors to Nemesis’ booth, the team was also given the opportunity to view other Makerfest exhibits, including Manalapan High School’s booth where team members sophomores Araba Aikins and Julia Ruch were able to make their very own dazzling-red lightsabers, and Community Medical Center’s booth where team mentor Peter Wolfe operated di Vinci surgical machines. In the venue’s parking lot, junior Charlie D’Amico tested out one Maker’s Do-It-Yourself Go-kart.

“Seeing so many different STEM fields present their findings was an excellent experience. I am glad our team was able to contribute to this amazing atmosphere,” reflected Build Executive and senior Parth Mandrekar. Makerfest was an eye-opening venture into the future and a unique event that Nemesis was grateful to attend. The opportunity to inspire and be inspired was an incredible privilege.   

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Nemesis Wows at Citi’s First Annual FIRST Robotics Event


In February 2014, Michael Corbat, the CEO of Citi, enthusiastically proclaimed to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, “We see ourselves as a technology company with a banking license”. This truth could not be any more evident than on Tuesday, October 13th, when the Citi offices in Warren, New Jersey generously opened up their doors to FIRST Robotics Team Nemesis 2590 from Robbinsville, New Jersey and four other FIRST Robotics teams from the area to showcase their robots and accomplishments to hundreds of Citi employees and executives.  

“Welcome to Citi’s FIRST Robotics event!” exclaimed Nemesis’ very popular interactive NAO robot to commence a day filled with excitement and education. A selection of individuals including former Mid-Atlantic Robotics President, Gene O’Brien, representative of the FIRST-founding Kamen family, Libby Kamen, and Nemesis’ very own Build Team Executive and senior Samantha Young spoke to an eager crowd of Citi employees, high school students, and young visitors . “I was ecstatic to see the support, interest, and overall enthusiasm for FIRST we encountered at Citi. After presenting to a crowd of people ranging from middle schoolers to technology professionals, I was approached by a Citi employee, and was humbled to hear her tell me that I was an inspiration to her daughter.” Each speaker discussed the importance of investing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and the lifelong rewards of programs such as FIRST Robotics.  

The remainder of the day was devoted to an engaging interaction between STEM-oriented high school students and the professionals who currently fulfill the STEM mission in their daily lives. Nemesis Build Executive and senior Christian Gavalchin stated, “It was an unparalleled experience being able to both learn from and even teach Citi employees implementing the STEM mission and we’re incredibly grateful to Citi for hosting this event.”

In addition to the NAO robot, Nemesis brought their 2014 and 2015 competition robots to the Citi offices. Throughout the day, attendees were certain to stop by Nemesis’ booth and perform a touch of tai chi or dance along to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with the NAO robot. Students enjoyed sharing stories of what they learned about building robots, writing business plans, working with limited time and resources, and participating on a team. FIRST conditions its students to become productive and meaningful global citizens, a fact that was on full display at Citi.

Within the venue, Citi constructed half of the 2015 competition field for the attending teams to give demonstrations of their robots competing in the 2015 season game Recycle Rush. The robots stacked plastic totes as quickly as possible, capped their stacks with recycling containers, and carefully placed plastic pool noodles, representing litter, inside the recycling containers . An official FIRST referee even participated in the event to give spectators the complete exhilarating experience of attending a competition.  

Among the hundreds of people attending the event, none brought greater joy to the students of Nemesis than a visiting FLL (First Lego League) Team of seventh grade students. Their enthusiasm for STEM and eagerness to learn inspired each and every member of Nemesis in attendance. “They were so open to learning about what we do and incredibly eager to join a FIRST Robotics team once they reached high school,” expressed Software Executive and senior Andrey Efremchev. The team was especially honored when the younger children enthusiastically approached members of Nemesis, asking, “Can I have your autograph?”

The team thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to present the team and all their hard work. Nemesis is incredibly grateful to Citi for their continuous support and generosity.

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Nemesis: A World Class Contender


Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis once again placed among the world's best at the FIRST World Championships in St. Louis, MO this April. After winning the Hatboro-Horsham MAR District Event, Montreal Regional, North Brunswick District Event and competing at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, everyone anticipated a successful appearance at Worlds. The FIRST Championships is an enormous competition, with over nine hundred teams present and over forty thousand students involved. Indeed, there was an incredible concentration of talent and intelligence gathered in the Edward-Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Chief Financial Officer Meghna Kuppuraju and the Business and Marketing teams spent long hours working late in Robbinsville High School’s tech lab, refining their business plan into a world-class composition, hoping to claim the Entrepreneurship Award at Worlds for the second consecutive year. After countless revisions and meticulous preparation, the Business Plan was ready to be presented to the judges at World Champs.

This year’s challenge, Recycle Rush, requires teams to work together in alliances of three to stack recycling totes and cans and dispose of litter (represented by pool noodles). The teams could take the totes from the landfill (a pile in the center of the field) or let human players deliver them through chutes. To gain extra points, litter could be thrown onto the other team’s field and both alliances could work together to build a coopertition stack in between their fields.   

Nemesis arrived on Wednesday, April 23, in time to prepare this year’s robot, Calypso, for the first qualification rounds of competition on Friday. The Build Team had worked tirelessly to improve the robot and make themselves a force to be reckoned with among the best of the best. Fully prepared for the competition, the team was ranked highly in the qualifying rounds, playing alongside teams from all over the world. There were also many local teams present, including Team 1923 MidKnight Inventors, from Plainsboro, Team 1089 Mercury from Hightstown, and Team 5024 Raider Robotics from North Brunswick and Team 2016 The Mighty Monkey Wrenches from Ewing.

The Business and Marketing Teams worked very hard, practicing their presentation late into the night, reviewing potential questions, and laughing their heads off when they were supposed to be memorizing a presentation upon which all of Meghna’s hopes and dreams for high school rested. They won the Hopper-Newton Entrepreneurship Award, making them one of the top four business teams in the world, for the second consecutive year! The success uplifted  the Marketing and Business Teams after pouring their best efforts into the business plan, and knowing all their hard work paid off gave the entirety of Nemesis a sense of pride. Calypso and her drive team finished the qualifying rounds in sixth place. The team stayed strong in the elimination rounds, and ended their season in the Hopper division quarterfinals.

Nemesis would like to thank their sponsors for making their 2015 season so incredible, and they look forward to another great season next year: Robbinsville High School, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, CCL Label, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Navair, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Robbinsville Education Association, Carfaro Fencing, SRI International, Matrix New World, McGraw Hill Financial, R.A.S. Processing Equipment, Citibank, DesignTree, Gilbane, Elite Dental Care, Eagle Systems USA, Inc., Gaum International, Evans Analytical Group, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Coptis, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., NorthStar Vets, Triangle Copy, Bracco, Emtec, and Coldwell Banker. For additional information please  contact Team Advisor Joy Wolfe at wolfe@robbinsville.k12.us.

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Victorieux à Montréal!


After an eight hour drive, a stop at the border, a visit to McGill University, and a confrontation with the bitter Canadian tundra, Robbinsville High School Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis excitedly entered Stade Uniprix, the venue of the Montreal Regional. Also known as Festival de Robotique, the Montreal Regional is a 3-day FIRST Robotics Competition primarily featuring teams from the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. But in 2015, a myriad of international teams including 1511 Rolling Thunder from Penfield, New York and even 5553 Robo’ Lyon from France made the long journey to Montreal for the event.

Arriving for a day of practice rounds on March 19, it quickly became clear that the Festival would prove challenging. Nevertheless, Nemesis seized the opportunity to meet with international teams and enjoy their time at the site of their first ever competition win in 2012. Team 2590 met with their old friends from Team 3990 Tech for Kids, who they shared an alliance with when they took the inaugural Montreal Regional three years ago. It had been an incredible experience, and Nemesis was excited to come back.

“I vividly remember winning Nemesis’ first ever blue banner my freshman year,”” said CEO Arnav Vast, “It’s great being able to go back to Montreal after three years and seeing how we’ve all developed as teams.”  

The Festival  kicked off the following day, and Nemesis faced fierce competition.This year’s challenge, RECYCLE RUSH, is a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots each. Robots score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of pool noodles, representing litter, into the recycling containers. Alliances also could throw “litter” onto the opponent’s side to raise their overall score. The playing field is divided into two halves by a landfill of totes and recycling containers.

Calypso, Nemesis’ 2015 robot, and the all-rookie drive team, still proud of their win at the Hatboro-Horsham District event earlier this season, were eager to prove their formidability on an international level and with a spot at the 2015 FIRST World Championship in St. Louis on the line.

Team 3360 Hyperion, from Sherbrooke, QC, started out strong with a fast, reliable design. The rookie Team 5528 Ultime used a double set of hooks to grab two recycling containers from the landfill at a time. At the close of day one, Robbinsville ranked third out of 48 teams, with Team 3360 Hyperion in first.

That night, Nemesis dined with Tech for Kids at their school, located in Montreal. Robo’ Lyon and a team from Vancouver also attended. It was a great opportunity for Nemesis to meet with other teams from around the world, and was an invaluable and rare experience.

The following day opened the second half of the competition. By the start of the playoff rounds, Nemesis was ranked in second place, just behind Hyperion. Hyperion selected Nemesis and Ultime, the rookie team, to join the first alliance for the playoffs. Dominating throughout the early playoff matches, including scoring the highest number of points of the entire competition in their first match, victory seemed within grasp for Nemesis’ alliance. They made it to the finals.

Against the third ranked alliance, Nemesis’ alliance valiantly lost in a very tight first match. Stress levels were high for both the drive team and the sea of Nemesis red supporters in the stands struggling to comprehend how important the next match would be. A win would force a final, decisive, winner takes all match. A loss would send Nemesis back to Robbinsville empty-handed.

Finally, it was time. Everyone in the arena had their eyes glued to the events on the field. Who would prevail? Stacks upon stacks were created in the both unbearably long and excruciatingly short 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the match. A last-gasp stack by Nemesis in the closing seconds of the match ultimately sealed victory for the alliance. In the final match, another very very close one that saw a flawless autonomous routine seal 20 points for Nemesis’ alliance in the first 15 driver-free seconds of the match. Those 20 points proved vital as the first alliance closed out the competition win and a trip to the World Championship with a resounding 189-166 victory.  

Reflecting on the finals, Build Team Executive and junior Parth Mandrekar enthused, “Losing that first finals match and then winning the next two opened my eyes not only to a victory, but also to what FIRST really is: a chance to display our expertise during those tense moments that define the competition”.  

Nemesis also won the Engineering Excellence Award for their highly efficient and reliable design. As a result of the team’s achievements in Montreal, Nemesis will be competing at the World Championships in St. Louis, MO, for their third consecutive year on April 8-11. Best wishes to the team in all their competitions to come!

Nemesis would like to thank their sponsors: Robbinsville High School, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, CCL Label, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Navair, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Robbinsville Education Association, Carfaro Fencing, SRI International, McGraw Hill Financial, R.A.S. Processing Equipment, Citibank, DesignTree, Gilbane, Elite Dental Care, Eagle Systems USA, Inc., Gaum International, Evans Analytical Group, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Coptis, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., and Triangle Copy. For additional information please  contact Team Advisor Joy Wolfe at wolfe@robbinsville.k12.us.

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Nemesis Starts the Season With a Win!


Nemesis strikes again!  With a brand new drive team introducing Calypso, their latest robot, Robbinsville High School Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis took home the Winner’s Banner for the third consecutive year at the Hatboro-Horsham District Event the weekend of February 28, 2015.

This year’s challenge, RECYCLE RUSH, is a recycling-themed game played by two alliances of three robots each. Robots score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of pool noodles, representing litter into the recycling containers. Alliances also could throw “litter” on opponent’s sides to reduce their overall score.  

During qualification rounds the robot and drive team performed admirably, amassing points by stacking 6 totes at a time with recycling containers. Competing against 36 teams from New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Nemesis finished qualifications in 5th place.

Picked by the 2nd seed alliance captain, Team 2607 - Fighting Robo-Vikings, Nemesis, along with Rookie Team 5407- Wolfpack Robotics worked seamlessly, snatching recycling containers and racking up the stacks. Wolfpack Robotics uses an extendable claw to reach across the field and grab recycling containers, preventing their opponents from gaining extra points. The Fighting Robo-Vikings impressed everyone with their quick stacking ability and placement of recycling containers. Paired with Nemesis, the trio was virtually unstoppable.

Nemesis also won the Excellence in Engineering Award, celebrating an elegant and advantageous machine feature. The team had a great time at the competition, and is looking forward to another successful competition at the “Festival de Robotique” in Montreal, Canada on March 18th. Good luck, Nemesis!

None of this would be possible without our sponsors: Robbinsville High School, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, CCL Label, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Navair, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Robbinsville Education Association, Carfaro Fencing, SRI International, Matrix New World, McGraw Hill Financial, R.A.S. Processing Equipment, Citibank, DesignTree, Gilbane, Elite Dental Care, Eagle Systems USA, Inc., Gaum International, Evans Analytical Group, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Coptis, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc., NorthStar Vets, Triangle Copy, Bracco, Emtec, and Coldwell Banker. For additional information please  contact Team Advisor Joy Wolfe at wolfe@robbinsville.k12.us.

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Unveiling the New Video Series: Getting Down To Business With Nemesis


After winning the Archimedes Division Entrepreneurship Award at the World Championships last year, we received emails from teams asking for help in writing their business plans. We wanted a way to address these requests universally and approached the idea of creating a video series. A couple hundred takes and several corrupt files later, we are delighted to finally share “Getting Down to Business With Nemesis”, a multi-segment guide to writing a FIRST Robotics Business Plan. To those who reached out to us for help: we're sorry this is so long overdue!

Check it out here

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Food Drive 2015


With the help of Sharon Elementary School, Nemesis’ bi-annual food drive collected over 1,250 non-perishable items for the Robbinsville Food Bank. After school on Tuesday, February 10th, members of Nemesis made their way to the rear of the Robbinsville Senior Center to unload their bounty. The team spent their afternoon sorting and organizing the donations. Renee  Burns, Director of the Director of the Senior Center was so impressed with our students that Nemesis was invited back to put on a robotics demonstration for the seniors.

“It feels really rewarding to give back to the community, and it has become something that I honestly love to do. ”  Deanna Gavlick, a Robbinsville High School senior and member of Nemesis 2590 executive board commented.

 “It was unbelievable to give back to the community through a STEM based project.” said freshman Amanda Quon, a member of the web and marketing team.

 Nemesis believes it is vital to teach students the importance of giving back to the community that supports the team, and  highly encourages everyone to donate to the Robbinsville Food Pantry throughout the year. The food pantry is located at the rear of the Robbinsville Senior Center at 1117 U.S. 130, Robbinsville, NJ 08691.

For more information, contact Renee Burns via email at Renee@robbinsville-twp.org or phone at (609) 259-1567 for more information.

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2015 Week 3: Marketing Journal


It’s the week of midterms and time for the students of Nemesis 2590 to hit the books. The Marketing Team members began preparing for our annual Sponsor Networking Night, where we invite our sponsors to come and see their money in action.  The sophomores worked their fingers to the bone, writing and addressing the invitations to come to Robbinsville High School on February 3, 2015. The freshmen and seniors worked on the display cases and rummaged through thousands of photos to create the perfect wings for the case. This is a key aspect of Sponsor Night because the sponsors like to see their names on display for everyone to see. The Chairman’s Award Video Team is working hard on the video and finally completed the script for the final video.  Week three is in full swing and the team cannot wait for week four!

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Alumni Perspective


My time on FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis has been indescribably rewarding.  The program gave me endless opportunities to better the team and myself in various ways.  I have had the chance to work with all aspects of the team, engaging in very minor engineering tasks as well as my main role with the business half of the team.  I was named lead photographer and marketing manager, photographing all meetings and competitions, managing the team’s Flickr account, writing and editing the business plan and award essays, and organizing and running Discovery Day and Sponsor Networking Night.

For my freshman year English class at Penn State, our final project was to create a multimedia memoir using rhetoric.  Allowing us to use any medium desired, I instantly knew that recounting my FIRST experience would be the best story to tell and my photo obsession would be very useful.  I immediately began gathering photos and videos and writing a script, not wanting to miss any detail our successful 2014 season.  However, this assignment wasn’t just meant to tell a story, but rather to describe a lesson learned from an experience.  Being a part of this team has been life changing and I don’t plan on disconnecting myself from it anytime soon. 

To see the final product, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GfJOkO8LkY

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2015 Week 2: Finance Journal


Coming into the third week of build season, the finance team is hard at work. Every member of the business teams has been assigned a job in updating the business plan, writing grants, and preparing for Nemesis’ third annual Sponsor Networking Event, and things are going quite smoothly. We’re also coming to the end of editing our new web series, Getting Down to Business with Nemesis. These videos are designed to help other teams with the basics of how to write a business plan, and detail the different sections that should be included. We’re all excited for these to be uploaded very soon. 

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The PayPal is Up and Running!


Are you interested in supporting FIRST Robotics Team 2590? Well, you’re in luck! With the advent of our PayPal account, donating to Nemesis is easier than ever. Just visit the “Sponsors” tab of our webpage at http://www.frc2590.org/sponsors/ and click on the “Support Nemesis” button on the left.

We would like to give a special thanks to Ms. Meena Sahu and Mr. Edward Choi for being our first PayPal donors.

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Week 2: Build Journal


As our second week comes to a close, the Build Team continues to prototype unique elements to maximize our game strategy in Recycle Rush. Our build members enthusiastically welcomed back Mr. Wolfe, a lead mentor who returned after a recent surgery. In this past week, the Build Team split into different sub-teams, molding our versatile members into experts in prototyping drivetrains, indexing systems, arm mechanisms, electronics, and lifting techniques.  The CAD specialists worked diligently to keep up with our numerous physical prototypes. The sound level in the room quickly escalated as the new members experimented with our equipment, including the vertical band saw, drill press, and electric grinder -- with supervision, of course. We strive to maximize our time, using every moment to achieve our tasks, and look forward to the completion of prototyping.

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