Imagine the thrill of watching a rocket soar into the sky—only this time, it's not a high-tech spacecraft, but a simple straw and paper rocket crafted by the young hands of elementary school students. This exciting experience unfolded when Nemesis 2590, partnered with Trenton Urban Promise for a hands-on STEM event. Through this collaboration, students were able to build and test their very own paper rockets and also gain insight into the fascinating world of STEM.

The event kicked off with an introduction of what Nemesis 2590 is to the students. Our Nemesis members split the students into groups of five, and two members were able to guide every group for a more personalized experience with them. Students were given materials like straws, paper, tape, and crayons to build and decorate their creations. As the students worked on their designs, they quickly learned how seemingly small decisions, like the shape of the paper or the size of the straw, could impact how far their rocket would travel. 

Once the rockets were ready, the real fun began. Students launched their creations into the air, eager to see whose rocket could travel the farthest. The excitement in the air was contagious as the students watched their rockets soar and experimented with adjusting their designs to improve their results. This testing phase became a live, hands-on demonstration of physics in action, allowing the students to explore core concepts like gravity. Being innovative students, they quickly understood how variables like the angle of launch or weight distribution could affect the distance their rockets traveled.

Through this experience, Nemesis 2590 brought STEM education to life, demonstrating that science isn’t just something learned from a textbook; however, it’s something one can touch, build, and experiment with. The rocket activity provided a concrete way to connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. As the students launched their rockets and learned through trial and error, they gained a deeper appreciation for how STEM shapes the world around us. The event also reminded everyone that STEM is not just about solving problems; it's also about asking questions, being curious, and pushing the boundaries of what we know. For us Nemesis team members, this event was just as much fun as it was educational. It was a rewarding experience, reminding us that teaching others can deepen our own understanding of STEM.

In the end, Nemesis’s outreach event at Trenton Urban Promise was a resoundingly successful event. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of community outreach and the impact it can have on inspiring future scientists, engineers, and thinkers. Through events like this, Nemesis 2590 continues to encourage young minds to explore the world of science and technology—and who knows? Maybe one of these young rocket builders will be the next big name in innovation. We hope to come back next year to Trenton Urban Promise.
 

On February 5th, Nemesis 2590, for the first time, hosted a presentation for local Boy Scout Troop 79. Our local Boy Scouts are currently trying to complete the Robotics Merit Badge. This badge includes learning about the principles of robotics, safety, and the  different types of robots and careers in the robotics industry. Members from both the build and business team gave a presentation to do just that. Two of the Nemesis members who presented are currently in Boy Scouts allowing for them to truly connect with the audience. The presentation was an overview of knowledge and tips that could help the scouts earn the badge including the difference between autonomous, remote-control, and teleoperated robots, how robots are used, the proper safety techniques, and much more! We also taught them about our team, the types of awards we won and what roles each member has on the team. The Scouts consistently asked questions about our team and the world of robotics. Some of them are even on FLL Teams themselves! They then took a tour of the tech lab and saw the incredibly hard work the build team has been putting in to make the robot for this year’s game. What made this event great is how FIRST Robotics and Boy Scouts have very similar core values of teamwork and helping out the people in our community. This was a very successful commencement for this event and we would love to do it for more Scouts next year. We wish the Scouts the best of luck in earning their Robotics Merit Badge!

As we wrap up the fourth week, it’s exciting to see how much has been accomplished. Every day, we’re making progress on the robot and the work happening behind the scenes. Each step brings us closer to the final goal, and it’s clear that everyone’s hard work is paying off. There is still lots to do, but we are excited for the final product.

The Build Team has been busy tackling a wide range of tasks, making sure every detail is perfect. Design has been working hard on the robot's CAD, with most aspects already completed and a few still being finalized. The climb mechanism is almost done, and the elevator is currently being milled for precision. While design is finishing up, the fabrication team has been cutting key parts for all the robot subsystems, including the elevator, intake, drive chain, and climb. In addition to this, they’ve been making sure the rookies are feeling comfortable and confident working with the machines. Software has been focused on integrating cameras into their code to improve the robot’s vision and processing. They're also working on putting all the subsystems into the main robot, ensuring that everything functions smoothly together. This involves a lot of testing and debugging to make sure the robot's software can handle all the hardware seamlessly. Lastly, Electrical has been assembling the swerve modules and working on a new, more efficient way to wire them. They’re focused on improving reliability and reducing complexity to ensure smooth movement and easy maintenance of the robot.

In addition to the Build Team, the Business Team has been working nonstop to ensure everything is in place. Starting with Logistics, transportation for students, the robot, tools, and other essential equipment to our first event, Hatboro Havoc, has been carefully planned. Food for the weekend meals has also been arranged. Meanwhile, Media has been hard at work with the Nemesis Navigator articles, a collection designed to help FRC teams get started with CAD, finance, and more. Additionally, Media has been designing buttons to distribute during competitions, with the color pass now finished. Outreach has been preparing for the upcoming Boy Scout event by finalizing the presentation. They are working on events such as Trenton Urban Promise and the 8th Grade Planning Night. Finance team has been working on organizing Sponsor Night and securing grants to fund the team. They are also reaching out to local businesses to secure sponsorships. These efforts are crucial in ensuring the team has the financial resources needed for the season.

As we wrap up this week, it’s exciting to see how much progress we’ve made. The Build Team is finishing up key parts of the robot, while the Business Team has been working hard on logistics, media, outreach, and finance. Everyone’s efforts are coming together, and we’re getting closer to the competitive season with each step!

As the third week of the build season concludes, each subteam on Nemesis continues to surge forward, diving into an ocean of progress! The energy in the tech lab is electric, alive with team members actively working together to get ready for district events. Everyone has been collaborating in order to refine their designs, optimize strategies, and bring their innovative ideas to life for this season’s game, REEFSCAPE.

The build team has been hard at work, transforming prototypes into functional components, refining mechanical designs, and ensuring every system is optimized. The fabrication team has been utilizing the mill to cut precise parts for April Tags and other components to use for the robot’s elevator system. Their meticulous attention to detail is indispensable in bringing the robot’s design to life! The software team spent this week field mapping, allowing for the robot to effectively navigate itself during matches. By using multiple cameras, they have been getting more accurate coordinate measurements and object detection. The design team has been working hand in hand with the electrical subteam on climb prototypes and finalizing the elevator design and placement. They have discussed different factors of their design, questioning how much the elevator will pivot and how it would affect the center of mass of the robot. The electrical team has been planning out for the finalized robot by creating a square top for the wires to be organized in, and working with the design team on the placements of different electrical components they created throughout the build season so far. From cutting parts to field mapping, the build team has made a multitude of advancements this week!

The business subdivision has been making great strides, ensuring the team’s meetings run smoothly and that progress is made. They have been finalizing details for team showcases and remodeling them, making sure they are up-to-date for this season. The logistics team has ordering team apparel and preparing for district competitions. Their organization and planning efforts help ensure that the team is well-equipped for upcoming events. The community outreach team has made meaningful advancements by planning four new events in collaboration with local nonprofits! These initiatives aim to spread STEM throughout the community, inspiring the next generation of engineers and innovators. The media team has been actively capturing the team’s journey this build season, documenting progress by taking pictures and updating the team's social media. They have also been updating the website and uploading new articles to share the team’s advancements with the world! Media launched Nemesis Navigator this week, where the team writes articles dedicated to helping out FRC teams by sharing advice on topics like organizing community events and creating Impact presentations. The finance team has been securing funding by submitting grant applications and managing the team’s budget to ensure long-term sustainability. Their contributions are essential to the team by maintaining its financial stability and supporting Nemesis endeavors. From working on showcases to implementing Nemesis Navigator, the business team has made waves throughout week 3 of the competition season!

With each passing week, Nemesis moves closer to the competition, fostering excitement amongst the team. Their dedication, teamwork, and passion for STEM shine through as both the business and build team continue to prepare for the challenges ahead. As Week 4 commences, Nemesis will continue to work hard in pursuit of success on the game field!
 

Nemesis 2590 has a very special way of creating interest in STEM throughout its local community. This is the First Lego League (FLL) Pathway. FLL is a branch of FIRST Robotics that consists of teams made up of kids in elementary and middle school who will compete in challenges using EV3 powered Lego robots. Think of it as a mini FRC team. Nemesis created the FLL Pathway to help kids in our local community become interested in the world of robotics and to potentially be part of our team one day. There are four key parts in the FLL Pathway:  FLL Meet & Greet, the FLL Workshop, micro grants, and the Robbinsville Ruckus competition. This past weekend on January 25th, we hosted the FLL Meet & Greet at Robbinsville High School. 

In this event, both interested parents and students attended to gain more information on what FLL is and how they can join. Many of the attendees had participated in Discover Day. Two of our experienced members presented to parents about how First Lego League functions and how their children can join a team. Another option given to parents is that they can create their own team of 2-10 kids and become coaches. It was incredible to see the parents collaborate with each other to see how they could make that work. Meanwhile, the kids were all engaged at the FLL table where members of the Nemesis build team and local FLL team IDK gave them a demonstration of the lego robots used and what type of challenges they would have to complete. This event was very successful in getting parents and students interested in starting their journeys in the world of FIRST. Once again, this year's FLL Meet & Greet proved to be a great start to the Pathway.

   The Impact award is one that presents a vast sea of challenges. Whether it's the essay, the executive summaries, or the presentation, it isn’t easy to create a submission for the impact award that truly gathers the essence of a team. That’s why it’s so important to treat each element of the award differently, preparing ahead, and making sure to develop infrastructure compatible with the award.

Timetable

   The first thing that has to be done when developing an Impact presentation, is creating an outline on how the work will get done. Every team works differently, with various different amounts of meetings and manpower. Teams with more people, or even simply more people dedicated to the award, can usually begin work shortly before the season begins. There are a few benefits to this approach if it is possible, primarily that it allows new team members to be involved more so than an earlier start might. Additionally, it offers a more coherent process, as it keeps every part of the process generally following one another, continuing momentum. If you have less manpower dedicated, or if this might be one of your first years competing for the award, a better approach may be starting in the summertime before the season. This offers flexibility in a few key areas: timetable, and commitment. Initially, it may be difficult to get people to even participate in the development of the award, given the magnitude of the commitment is as large as it is. This is a concern that can be significantly mitigated by the implementation of a larger timetable, as each individual person can dedicate less time to the development of the award, and more time to the normal build cycle they’ve committed to by joining the team. In addition to this, the quick turnarounds, and scheduling difficulties that may cause issues in an 8-week timetable should subside in this scenario. 

Executive Summaries

   Now, understanding when you might need to begin the work on the award, work can begin. The first thing that should be worked on is the executive summaries. This is usually the most straightforward part of the award, and usually the easiest to complete efficiently as a large group, given each answer operates independently from the others. Initially, teams should look over the questions, and inventory what can be referenced under each, making sure to also keep an overall list of what’s being referenced, as it will be important later when documentation is developed. Not only does this offer each writer the opportunity to understand what needs to be talked about in the mere 500 character responses, it allows the team to form an idea about where future outreach can target to fix shortfalls in a given team's outreach operations. Rough drafts should be finished in around a week. Though timetables can be adjusted to need, a week's timetable offers teams the opportunity to allow the majority of the work to be completed at home, rather than during meeting time. Once the summaries are drafted, those who worked on them should meet for a few hours, and pick apart each response, making sure wording portrays events' reach, especially in specific numbers and percentages, and the overall method of operation for the events. This is another opportunity to understand where a team has opportunities to improve, as one can see what events have specific stats associated, and which have opportunities for growth. After a final list of edits is developed, each should be reviewed, and a final decision can be made, creating your final copy. 

Creating Coherent Messaging

   One of the key elements of any Impact presentation is its message. When the judges hear your presentation, and read your submission, what do you want them to think about your team? Ultimately, your presentation and essay should be completed with this in mind. The message should be quick and flashy. Something that can be summarized in 1-2 sentences. But most of all, it should fit a team's outreach and history. There should be a coherent line of reasoning to get to a certain point, whether it's based on a team's internal training bringing students back as mentors or its based on creating an impact internationally, and all throughout the world, it should have to store backing in outreach.

Essay

   The essay is oftentimes the most challenging portion of the submission, due to the coherent nature of it. In 10,000 characters, you have to portray your entire team's outreach from 3 years, with a flow that makes sense and creates a storyline. This is why planning out the essay is so important. Creating an outline of where it’ll start and finish, and how to get it is vital to creating a solid submission. Like the executive summaries, a timeline for rough drafts should come in at somewhere around a week. After this though, the editing process needs to be more thorough. Once all of the submissions are in, work should be done to create transitions between paragraphs. Some can be sectioned off with different headers to avoid this altogether, but some of them will inevitably need to bleed properly into the next paragraph. Content-wise, this should be similar to the summaries, but should go into more depth on each program, exploring its full reach in narrative form. The easy should be a more personal look into your team and should be one that gives a better idea of how your team works, rather than a cold summary of programs. Make sure that the essay highlights the things that make your team unique. What programs do you have that nobody else does? These will be the programs that make or break a submission, because ultimately when judges review the submissions, this is the primary thing that makes a submission compelling. Make sure to also take note of concepts that weren’t fully explored. These are likely to be questioned during the presentation, especially if they also weren't explored in executive summaries. 

Presentation

Now, with all of this done, the good news is, you only have a few steps left. The bad news is, these might be some of the most time-consuming steps of them all (particularly the presentation). With only 3 presenting spots, you're going to want to decide very quickly who the presenters will be if this hasn’t been decided already. The people chosen need to of course be comfortable with presenting and should have writing skills, but ultimately, the biggest factor should be the level of commitment to the team. Not only is Impact a huge commitment, taking huge numbers of hours, but it’s also important that your chairman’s team truly represents your team in all facets, especially in commitment. The first step of the presentation is deciding on a level of theme implementation. In Impact, anything can work if done properly. Whether it's jungle explorer costumes, pilot hats, or just business attire, it’s really up to teams what they think represents their team and narrative best, with memorability in mind of course. This should be established up front and should be represented in the presentation’s script. Dressing up as a theme that only gets a passing mention in the presentation can often become more of a hindrance than a benefit. Ways of theming include

• Costumes
• Accessories
• Poster boards
• Computer presentation theming

   Now, moving on from this, a script has to be written. Of all the written materials involved, this is likely the most challenging, due to the pure necessity of cohesiveness. Unlike the previous writing prompts, this cannot be delegated, and will generally have to be written in meetings by a small group of students. I’d personally suggest limiting this to no more than 3 (the presenters ideally) to avoid excessive delays, and constantly moving writing styles. It’s also beneficial for presenters to write in a way that reflects how they comfortably speak. In our experience, just under 3 pages in length can fit in the provided 7-minute window, as long as the script is sufficiently practiced and memorized, though this can vary from team to team due to speaking speed. So what can fit in the presentation content-wise? Generally, you're going to want to keep only the most important of your events. Remember, everything should already have been talked about. This presentation is, in essence, a last plea to the judges. The presentation should feel personal. Stories from presenters, or about team members are always going to be most impactful in these scenarios and generally should be prioritized. The stories should reflect not only how your team impacts the community, but should inherently bring forth the events you’ve established in the past. It’s important to keep in mind that you want to build emotional impact through this presentation: you want the judges to not be FORCED to pick you, but rather WANT to pick you. The visuals in the background should show what you're speaking about and should document the events. Don’t overload the slides, and avoid words on slides. The slides should allow the judges to have a visual to put for a program, but should not draw attention away from the content of the presentation. Present in front of anyone who will listen. Get as much feedback as possible, and don’t be afraid to take risks. The impact award is vague for a reason. Make it yours. Timeline-wise, leave at least 10 days for practice and memorization. Trust me. You will not enjoy having to memorize on a shorter timetable than that.

Video & Documentation

   The video, while inconsequential to winning the actual award, is still a key component of the submission process. If your team wins the award, it is important to ensure that it represents who you are, who your team is, and what you all have contributed. One way to do this is by using video clips and action shots of your team from throughout the season, representing your growth during the 6-week journey and the connections that were formed. Using inspirational and uplifting music is always a good choice for an emotional video, but going with something more lighthearted can make the video fun. Just make sure that the tone of the video doesn’t clash; it can make the viewing experience quite strange.

   Documentation is another aspect that virtually any team can accomplish, but it is crucial to prove that you actually completed the outreach events you claim. With this, using the FIRST template will never steer you wrong; in fact, it simplifies the process and explains the system of documenting. Just make sure to take pictures and videos at every outreach event.

Conclusion

   Hopefully this article has contributed to expanding your knowledge of FIRST’s most prestigious award. One final tip: treat the process and the award with the respect it deserves. Working on this will take a lot of time, but that time is well spent in order to promote your team’s impact and FIRST’s mission.
 

   In this age, communication is really important. And in today’s age, communication is all online- which leads to emails. So today, I am going to be teaching you how to write emails. Professional emails. To write a professional email, you first need to know what an email contains. An email contains a subject line, recipient, salutation/greeting, email body, and a closing/end.

   An email’s subject line is the theme of the email. It should be direct and concise, while briefly explaining the point of the entire meeting. The subject line of the email is important so that the email isn’t overlooked in a recipient’s inbox.

   A salutation is the greeting at the very beginning of an email. In a salutation, you address the recipient by name. An example of a salutation would sound like this: “Dear Mr/Ms. ___.”

   An email’s body leaves a big imprint on the recipient while also describing the point of your email. The email’s body can vary depending on the person’s writing style (with the most common body being similar to 10-12 sentences). The message should be straight to the point yet somewhat polite (while making sure there’s no rambling).

   Lastly, the closing is the formal ending to your email. In a closing, you state the sender’s name (aka your name) and any contact information that you want the recipients to have (which can be their position, phone number, or other email addresses).

   To end, writing a professional email isn’t hard! With the help of Nemesis 2590 writing emails just became easy. So the next time you write an email, remember this advice!

   For robotics teams, the offseasons can be particularly difficult when it comes to sustaining motivation and keeping the team engaged. Yet it's crucial to keep in mind that the offseason may also be a beneficial period for development, learning, and teamwork. The following advice will help keep your robotics team inspired and involved throughout the offseason.

   Setting goals and objectives is the first step. A sense of direction and purpose can be provided for the squad by setting goals and objectives for the offseason. These objectives might be connected to team building, skill development, fundraising, or outreach initiatives. The team can feel more focused, motivated, and accomplished as they make progress by having defined goals and objectives.

   Team members might develop new abilities or hone existing ones over the offseason. As a result, you should promote skill growth and learning. Urge team members to take robotics or engineering-related workshops or online courses. Give your team members specific assignments that will force them to learn new techniques or skills. By doing so, team members can develop their skills and knowledge while still staying enthusiastic and involved with the group.

   Plan entertaining and interesting activities as well. While it's vital to work hard during the offseason, it's equally crucial to have fun and foster team spirit. Arrange enjoyable team-building activities like movie nights, game nights, or outdoor excursions like hiking or camping. These activities can foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork among teammates, which is beneficial during the stressful competition season.
Keep in touch and communicate: Maintaining motivation and interest throughout the offseason requires effective communication. Ensure that team members stay in touch by holding regular meetings, posting progress updates, and using social media. To ensure that team members feel heard and respected, promote open communication. This can help build a sense of teamwork and trust, which can be essential during the competition season.

   Finally, you can focus on outreach and fundraising. The offseason can be a great time for outreach and fundraising efforts. Plan events or activities that allow the team to showcase their robotics skills and engage with the community. This can help build support for the team and generate excitement about the upcoming competition season. Fundraising efforts can also help the team finance important expenses such as equipment or travel expenses.

   In conclusion, the offseason can be a challenging time for robotics teams, but it can also be a valuable time for learning, growth, and team building. By setting goals, encouraging skill development, planning fun activities, staying connected, and focusing on outreach and fundraising, teams can stay motivated and engaged throughout the offseason, and be well-prepared for the competition season ahead.

   To make and organize a community event as a robotics team is simple. But it isn’t easy. To organize an event in your community, you need to find a venue, define the objectives, promote the event, and staff the event.

   Firstly, you have to find a venue for your event. The ideal event location should accommodate the number of people expected to attend. Some good example locations might be a school gymnasium, community center, or a conference room at your local library.

   Secondly, you need to define the objective of the event. You need to decide the purpose of the event. From showcasing the robot, raising funds for the team, etc. After deciding the purpose, it will be easier to plan the event and decide what activities you should have during the event.

   Third, you need to promote the event you are hosting. If people don’t know about the event, they won’t come to it. Some ways to promote the event is by creating online posters, social media posts, and flyers. You can also ask your local media to cover the event (media can include newspapers or ways that reach the community).

   Lastly, you need to staff the event. You need to have enough volunteers to oversee the activities and assist attendees and the organizers/hosts of the vent. You should make sure that the volunteers are knowledgeable about the team (and its activities). This way, the volunteers can answer any questions posed by attendees.

   In the end, hosting events is easy if you follow the steps in this article and plan the event well. When an event is planned well, it makes the event itself go well. 

   As the second week of build season draws close, Nemesis is making a splash with impressive progress across each subteam! The energy and collaboration in the lab are palpable as the team continues to transform goals for this season’s game, REEFSCAPE, into reality. 

   After the first week full of designing and prototyping, this week the fabrication team led the charge, diving into a range of tasks. From precision cutting parts for the Princeton FTC team to calibrating sensors and April Tags for autonomous navigation, their work has been meticulous and progressive. Repairing swerve modules and setting up the swerve drive systems has been critical to ensuring agility on the game field. Fabrication is also working towards field mapping which will provide crucial insight for strategy, while efforts to refine the indexer for ‘Coral’ scoring have taken shape. Overall, the team finalized the robot’s architecture, selected key prototypes, and began building the intake system. Behind the scenes, the software team worked on developing skeleton code to align with the evolving vision of the robot. The build team is hard at work turning perfected designs and prototypes into a reality. 

   Over the span of this week, the business team has continued preparing for the competition season while also planning for the upcoming annual Sponsor Night event. The entire business team collaborates to craft showcase displays, highlighting the team’s achievements and goals. These will not only display past accomplishments but also demonstrate the immense value and support of sponsors.Specifically, on business, the media team has worked to document and share the excitement of build season; capturing photographs of the team in action and creating engaging social media content to share with the community. The logistics team updated t-shirt designs, contacted sponsors, and planned for our upcoming district competitions. They also contributed to designing and enhancing the team showcases for sponsor night. In finance, the team has been reconciling the bank account, has continued to send out grant applications, and has updated our 5-year business plan. They have also been preparing for Sponsor Night by creating sponsor packets. 

   The outreach team has made significant progress this week, getting ready for upcoming community outreach projects. This includes organizing activities for Rose Hill and preparing for a forthcoming STEM workshop in Trenton. Nemesis collaborates with the Trenton Urban Promise charity to lead workshops and build STEM kits with children. Additionally, outreach efforts are in place for a collaboration with Girls Who Code and an 8th-grade planning night, where Nemesis will showcase our team and spark interest among 8th graders in potentially joining us. These initiatives aim to inspire local students while reinforcing Nemesis’s commitment to promoting STEM. From planning these initiatives to coordinating with non-profits, the outreach team ensures that Nemesis’s impact extends far beyond the competition field.

   The energy remains unwavering as the team is hard at work gearing up for REEFSCAPE with determination and focus. Nemesis has made incredible strides in Week 2 and eagerly anticipates the opportunities and progress Week 3 will bring.

Only one week into the build season and Nemesis is already preparing to make waves in “REEFSCAPE”, the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition season game presented by Haas.

This 6-week long marathon began with an action packed kickoff chalked full of brainstorming, prototyping, and creating a makeshift game field out of team members in order to see it lifesize.
Following the weekend - and a brief snowy set back - build and business team members got right to work.

The design team started on 2d sketches to figure out the geometry and architecture of the coming 2025 robot. They are prototyping ideas and testing them before putting more materials and time into the finalized parts. The leads are also teaching newer designers how the design process works.
However, teaching rookies on the team how to integrate into their chosen subteam(s) is not only happening on the design team. This begins as early as a rookie’s initiation onto Nemesis during September in the offseason. 
But learning on an FRC team is never done! And this active, hands-on approach that the build season offers is being expertly taken advantage of by our designers.

And that isn’t the only subteam swimming their laps around the lab; our software team has been just as busy.

The firmware on devices like prototype boards and past seasons robots have been updated to the latest versions. Getting previous robots up and running is especially helpful so that more members on the build team can test, practice, and learn new things for this upcoming season.
One of these robots is “Fury”, way back from 2018. Fury has been worked on to get the elevator and driving abilities working again for these exact reasons.
An elevator mechanic is especially helpful for this season’s teleoperated challenge of placing PVC pipes called “Coral” onto higher and higher branches.
Some rookies have been instructed with working on vision: implementing a way to use color to detect game pieces, like the “Algae”.
Scaling for vision and support for multiple cameras in order to have better pose data have also been administered during week 1.
Software leads have begun characterizing the swerve base, as well as working on pneumatics on a prototyping board
And the entire subteam has been utilizing the latest version of Advantagekit; a logging framework– to run simulations when resources are not available. This has garnered very positive feedback.

Another subteam has also been electric during this first dive into the build season: and it's none other than our electrical team!
They have been working with and testing out different prototypes, using pneumatics such as an algae shooter, and a coral end effector. These are still being tested.
The electrical members have also fixed, wired, and put a new motor on Fury so that it can be used by software.
This is a perfect example of how even though Nemesis is divided into sub teams, all team members are still very interconnected. This collaborative workspace is what really makes Nemesis an award winning team.
And, just like our design team, electrical leads and experienced members have also been teaching rookies about basic electrical components and the fundamental steps and practices when wiring a robot.

Taking a deeper dive to the behind the scenes of the build season, you can find the business team just as busy.

Our finance team has been writing and submitting grants. Without this, we wouldn’t have money to spend on travel costs, apparel, or even the basic materials we use to prototype and build our robots.

They’ve also made thank you notes for donors, reconciled bank transactions, and created sponsor packets for in-person sponsorship inquiries.
If you’re interested in learning more about what Nemesis has been up to so far in 2025, just like our amazing sponsors, think about attending Nemesis' annual Sponsor Night on February 20th.
    
The Impact team has been tirelessly writing up a script to present to judges as well as planning and executing outreach events at places like the elementary and middle schools in the Robbinsville District. They’ve been working on organizing events with local nonprofits, drafting Impact submissions, and creating presentations for upcoming events.

And the media team has been on top of a lot of work themselves.
Starting off strong with their goal of increasing Nemesis’ social media presence this year; many videos and photos were taken by camera wielding divers at kick off.
Photography has continued into this first week at the tech and computer labs, capturing exciting photos of Nemesis’ creative problem solving at work.
2025 button designs have been started. This project is spearheaded by the media lead, who uses the opportunity to teach upcoming media team members how to use programs like photoshop and adobe illustrator.
The media team has also used this time to update previous articles from the 2024 season; like the World Championship recap article.
Team bios and headshots are being updated on the website and prepare for full team and subteam photos the following weekend. And they are moving folders of photos and videos from 2024 from an old hard drive to a smaller faster one. This will make everything involving retrieving files much more seamless.

Week one has already been incredibly productive, but Nemesis is more than ready to “just keep swimming”  into week two!

  The 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season has introduced an exciting new game titled "REEFSCAPE," presented by Haas. This underwater-themed challenge is part of the broader FIRST DIVE season, which emphasizes ocean exploration as well as conservation. In REEFSCAPE, teams are tasked with designing and building robots capable of performing specific actions that simulate strengthening coral reef ecosystems. The game involves manipulating elements such as PVC pipes, which is then referred as “Coral” in the game and playground balls, known as “Algae”, which robots must then score into designated goals on the field.

   Additionally, during the endgame, robots aim to climb a truss structure called the “Barge” to earn extra points. The season officially commenced with the Kickoff event on January 4, 2025, continuing on to January 5, where the game was revealed to teams worldwide. This event marked the beginning of the build season, during which teams have six weeks to design, prototype, and construct their robots in preparation for regional competitions leading up to the FIRST Championship that is located in Houston. For teams like Nemesis 2590, the 2025 REEFSCAPE challenge offers a unique opportunity to apply engineering skills in creative ways that will be relative towards the game as well as outside-opportunities that can relate back to skills needed in day-to-day life. These kinds of skills are a crucial assets when working toward what is most important in their corporate, STEM, or even business jobs. All of these things are in play, however at the same time, they are also promoting the awareness of ocean ecosystems. The game encourages strategic thinking, teamwork, and innovation, aligning with FIRST's mission to inspire young people to become leaders in science and technology. As the build season progresses, Nemesis is delving into the specifics of the game manual and utilizing resources provided by FIRST, including the Q&A system and team updates, to ensure compliance with game rules and optimize their robot designs. On January 5, Saturday,  Nemesis watched the live playback of how this season's challenge was going to work, including specific details of how the rules and restrictions were gonna work moving on throughout these challenges. In order to prepare, The REEFSCAPE game not only challenges Nemesis to excel in robotics but also serves as an educational platform, highlighting the importance of ocean conservation and the role of technology in solving real-world environmental issues. As Nemesis 2590 embark on this journey, they contribute to a global movement that combines technical prowess with a commitment to making a positive impact on our planet. 
 

   Nemesis had an amazing 2024 season both on and off the field. On January 6th, the new season officially began with the big reveal of the theme, Crescendo. This past years’ game was all about a musical theme, where teams had to design and build robots to perform tasks that represented creating a symphony.

   In Crescendo, robots scored points by collecting foam rings called notes and placing them into designated areas on the field, such as the speaker and the amplifier. The goal was to create a musical crescendo by strategically scoring notes and amplifying their value through interaction with human players. At the end of the match, teams also had to maneuver their robots to a stage and climb to earn additional points. This game showed how important teamwork is  in robotics.

   To kick off the season, Nemesis hosted a Meet and Greet event for FLL (FIRST LEGO LEAGUE) at their local high school. Parents and students were invited to the tech lab to learn more about the program. Nemesis members gave a presentation explaining how the organization and competitions work. Students had a chance to meet local FLL teams and connect with Nemesis members. 

   Soon after that, Nemesis hosted their annual sponsor night. During the event, the team invites representatives from local companies to visit their high school. Both the build team and the business team give presentations to the attendees, updating them on how they had success that season, and their goals for the future. The team sets up different showcases, showing their team, what awards they have won and more. Nemesis members accompany sponsor representatives and answer any questions they might have.

   Once the official season began, Nemesis participated in the Hatboro District Event. While they didn’t make it to the finals in the competition, they won an impressive honor; the FIRST Impact Award. This award is the highest honor that FIRST gives out, recognizing a team for their outstanding impact on their community, as well as their commitment to the values and mission of FIRST. Winning this award was a huge accomplishment and a proud moment for Nemesis.

   In the next district event, Nemesis earned the Quality Award. Like the Impact Award, this is a significant achievement. The Quality Award recognizes a team for exceptional engineering and attention to detail in their robot’s design and construction. It shows how well the team combines functionality, craftsmanship, and performance. Winning this award showed Nemesis’s dedication to building not only a competitive robot but also one of the highest quality.

   Finally, because of their hard work, Nemesis qualified for the World Championship. They competed in the prestigious Curie Division at the FIRST Worlds Championship. After fighting super hard they won the division. They didn’t stop there. They went on to align with 7028, the Binary Battalion and 4476 team W.A.F.F.L.E.S. With this alliance, Nemesis ended up placing 5th in the world. This ended the season on a high note.

   This past Saturday, Nemesis 2590 entered the arena for Ramp Riot with excitement in the air. Hosted at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania, Ramp Riot is one of the signature off-season events for the FIRST Robotics Competition, attracting teams eager to test their robots, refine strategies, and train new team members. For Nemesis 2590, Ramp Riot was not only a competitive experience but a chance for team building and skill development. 

   The day began with the opening ceremony, where each team was introduced with energy. As Nemesis saw its opponents up close, the intensity of the competition set in. Teams wore their vibrant gear, rallying behind their robots as they prepared for their first matches. Ramp Riot, while smaller than regional events, still maintained the adrenaline and camaraderie of a full-fledged FRC tournament, with alliances working to score points through autonomous routines, shooting game pieces into goals, and climbing platforms.

   In the early rounds, Nemesis’s robot, Kronos, took the field with strength, scoring points for our alliance. But in the midst of the excitement, the team faced unexpected technical challenges. During a critical match, Kronos experienced a breakdown, putting the drive team under pressure as they worked to troubleshoot the issues. Moments like these are never easy, but they are a fundamental part of FIRST Robotics, where adapting to setbacks and solving problems under stress are essential skills.

   In between matches, the pit crew worked tirelessly to diagnose and repair the robot, tackling mechanical and technical issues with teamwork and resilience. 
   Meanwhile, other team members had focused on pit scouting. Pit scouting is an opportunity to not only gather data on other teams’ robots by observing their mechanisms, strategies, and strengths in the pit area but also to build effective alliances and understand the competition landscape. For Nemesis’s rookies, it was an eye-opening experience as they practiced note-taking and interviewing members from other teams. Though initially daunting, they quickly adapted, gathering insights into how each robot operated and using these notes to help shape match strategy.

   As the day wrapped up, Nemesis 2590 left Ramp Riot with a sense of pride and readiness for future challenges. The breakdowns and hurdles only served to make the team more resilient and prepared for what lies ahead. Ramp Riot provided a solid foundation to kick off the off-season, and Nemesis 2590 is now more motivated than ever to build, innovate, and push the limits of what they can achieve together in the world of FIRST Robotics.
 

On November 23rd, FLL teams from around the state came to Robbinsville High School to compete in the second annual Robbinsville Ruckus! The teams who competed that day had worked all season for their shot at glory. This event was a qualifier for the state competitions. 

As soon as the doors opened, teams flooded into the commons to set up their pits. It was an incredible sight to see teammates working together to prepare for the matches. The first part of the day was the impact presentations. This year’s FLL game was titled Submerged. This game was ocean themed. To correspond with this, teams were tasked with creating a presentation that showed a new and innovative way to combat a problem happening in the ocean. The judges were amazed with how creative teams were with their ideas.

Next came the practice matches. This was the period of the competition where teams could have warm up matches to test out strategies. After the practice matches, we invited everyone into the gym for the opening ceremony. The Emcee’s hyped the kids up and gave them a boost of adrenaline so they could do their best and have fun during the event. It was finally time for the official matches to begin, and the teams were more than ready. The kids were excited to finally get the chance to compete against other teams. Once past the queue, they walked into the gym with their heads held high ready for the challenge. After they set the robot on the field, the game would commence and the robot would have to complete the challenges. 

Thanks to the members of Nemesis, this event ran smoothly. 100% of Nemesis members volunteered for this event in multiple different roles. Team ambassadors helped teams get to their matches on time. Referees kept score. There were also field resetters and match queuers. It was great to see many of the FLL teams created by Nemesis at this event and how many kids those teams were able to introduce to FIRST. 

The day ended with the awards ceremony. The gym was filled with anticipation to see who would move on to the state competition. Every team had so much fun at this event and it was a great culmination to the FLL season. 
 

On October 26th and 27th, Nemesis held our annual Discovery Day. This event once again proved to be a success in spreading STEM throughout our local community. Elementary and middle school students were invited to Robbinsville High School for a fun-filled day of Nemesis-guided LEGO challenges that taught them how to build with EV3-powered LEGOS.

The challenges included building EV3-powered catapults and golf clubs while engaging in fierce competition between 25 groups of two campers. The first high-stakes competition was to see whose catapult could launch a ping-pong ball the farthest; each student put their minds to the test and were able to build their catapults from scratch. Every catapult had their own unique design that displayed the campers' creative minds. The team that launched the ping pong ball the farthest was Team Chris with an impressive distance of 114 inches! The runner ups were Nemesis Jrs with 96 and ER with 86 inches. 

The next fun filled challenge of the day was the golf club challenge. After the teams disassembled their catapults and learned about different types of golf clubs, they began work on building a driver and a putter. The setup of this challenge was just like a mini-golf course. The teams would use their driver and putter to get their ping-pong ball into the hole in the least amount of strokes possible. The team that won this challenge were the Lego Builders with just 3 swings! The second part of the golf challenge was to see who's club could hit the ball the farthest. The top 3 teams with the farthest distances over the course of the weekend were Destroyer with 352 inches, Wolfes with 349 inches, and Team Raptors with 269 inches.

In between these challenges, campers had the opportunity to drive the Nemesis competition robot Kronos. All the kids had a blast completing short missions with our 2024 robot; it also taught campers about the challenge Kronos competed in last year. Each camper was successful in driving the robot and launching a note, the orange discs used to gain points, into a target known as the speaker.

 The First Lego League (FLL) is an extraordinary and very important part of spreading STEM to kids(8-13yrs) and is a mini version of teams like Nemesis. The kids in a team come together to build a robot using LEGO and have their robot compete in competitions. Discovery Day offered an FLL table where Nemesis team members were able to expose the campers to what FLL is and how they can continue to learn and improve their STEM skills from it. FLL is a great way for kids to start in their STEM journey and many Nemesis members have been on FLL teams in the past. The two days ended on a high note when the campers enjoyed a few delicious slices of pizza.

Overall, Discovery Day fulfilled its goal of spreading STEM to the younger generation within Robbinsville. The competitive challenges between teams, having a chance to drive Kronos, and eating pizza proved to put a big smile on campers faces as they left the high school!