On June 12th, 2018, the typical elementary school class would be learning the last few subjects of the school year, as the students anxiously awaited summer.  For the students in Ms. Rosol’s and Mrs. Zaffarese’s classes at Sharon Elementary School that was not the case. They spent their last hour of the school day learning about the wonders and intricacies of Nemesis, Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics team.  Earlier in the year, these same students marked themselves winners, collecting the largest amount of non-perishable food items for the annual Nemesis Food Drive. Thanks, in part, to their efforts and contributions, over 2,000 food items were donated to the Robbinsville Food Pantry.  As an extension of gratitude, a group of Nemesis teammates stopped by to give them a fun-filled afternoon.

Kicking off the event, Nemesis thanked the students for their amazing contributions.  Next, came the fun. The students could hardly contain their excitement as they watched Fury, Nemesis’ award winning robot in action.  Fury picked up blocks and lifted itself along with two high school students off of the ground; a feat that impresses people of all ages, and certainly left many younger students awe-inspired.   After the opening “ceremonies”, students were split up into four groups to learn about the different components of Nemesis. At one station teammates from the Build Team explained the design process, and discussed the previous years’ robots.  The Marketing Team presented how Nemesis spreads its name and message, and acquires the means and funding to support the team. Here the students received some very fashionable buttons and (non-permanent) tattoos. At the Software Team station, Nemesis students explained how they create a robot out of a bunch of metal pieces.  The students also watched in wonder as Nemesis’s humanoid Nao robot, sang, talked, and danced.

The event concluded with some great photo opportunities, followed by a meet-and-greet where the elementary students were able to talk to the high school students, and ask them questions.  After witnessing such an amazing demonstration of STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics) the excitement and enthusiasm within the younger students was palpable. “Going around the room, and seeing each individual kid’s excitement for each station was really incredible.  It’s remarkable to see such an interest in STEAM at such a young age.” remarked Nemesis team member, Apoorva Savanur. With this fun-filled afternoon concluded, it is almost certain that Nemesis recruited a group of future team members. Team Nemesis would like to extend its gratitude to Sharon Elementary School for their support and partnership in the Food Drive.

The annual Nemesis Food Drive with Sharon Elementary School brought in over 2,000 non-perishable food items to support the Robbinsville Food Pantry.  On June 12, 2018, the classes with the largest amount of donations, Ms. Rosol’s and Mrs. Zaffarese’s classes, were awarded a demonstration by the Robbinsville High School robotics team, Nemesis.  Team members presented their award winning robot Fury, an introduction to the Build, Marketing and Software Teams, and their humanoid Nao robot. With this presentation, the excitement and enthusiasm of the younger students was palpable.  Students received buttons, (non-permanent) tattoos, and overall, a sense of wonder, as they enjoyed an afternoon full of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) based possibilities.

Snow flurries dusted the ground around Stabler Arena in Lehigh, PA, as Robbinsville High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Team 2590, Nemesis, clinched its second regional victory in what has been a stellar 2018 season. Ranked number one in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the second year in a row, Nemesis won their third Blue Banner of the season with alliance partners Team 225 Tech Fire from York, PA and Team 2016 The Mighty Monkey Wrenches from Ewing, NJ as the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Champions!

The 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition game challenge, FIRST Power Up, thrusts audiences head first into a vintage video game themed challenge. Robots represent game characters entrenched in a battle for dominance with power boosts and point bonuses to ultimately defeat the boss! This weekend, Nemesis competed against 59 other teams from Delaware, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Championship. Local teams that competed include those from Allentown, Hamilton, Plainsboro, Ewing, Trenton, North Brunswick, Montgomery, Hightstown, and more. The competition consisted of 120 grueling qualification matches. Following alliance selection, where the top 8 ranked teams select two partners each, the top 24 robots battle through the playoffs. The prize for the winning alliance: a Blue Banner and a ticket to the FIRST Championship in Detroit, Michigan at the end of the month.

The competition commenced on a high note: Nemesis finished qualification matches with a record of 11-1, fearlessly defeating their opponents with their fluid driving and clever strategy. As the only team with the ability to lift both alliance partners and themselves using unique “wings” (steel beams upon which two other robots can rest), 2590 was evidently popular with the crowd. Every time Nemesis took to the field, the sea of red in the stands passionately showed their support with booming stadium shaking cheers. The Scouting Team diligently recorded statistics and performance data on every competing robot to pick the perfect alliance partner for elimination matches. The team retained their first place position throughout the competition, and Nemesis became the captain of the highest ranked alliance. With two excellent offensive teams and a formidable defense robot, this number one alliance was ready for playoffs.

Nemesis and their alliance partners battled undefeated through quarterfinals and semifinals, and the top two ranked alliances faced each other in the final rounds. After experiencing defeat during the first nail-biting finals match, Nemesis and their teammates were anxious and determined to come back. Winning the exhilarating second match, the two sides were now neck and neck. It all came down to the final tiebreaker. Deafening screams of support for both alliances rocked the stadium as the match began. The scale tipped back and forth, and the scores were unsettlingly close. Suddenly, Nemesis and their alliance pulled ahead. 5..4..3..2..1..0. They won! Celebrations began in the stands and down on the field as Nemesis shouted in delight, realizing they were once again the Mid-Atlantic Champions.

Pit Crew member Rahul Sawant effuses, “After the loss in the first finals match, watching us come together as a team to overcome the tough challenges was the greatest feeling ever.”

Nemesis also took home the Excellence in Engineering Award, which celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature. The team ranked number one overall in the Mid-Atlantic District, and will be competing at the FIRST Championship in Detroit at the end of the month.

Nemesis is grateful for the support of their community, and would like to thank their gracious sponsors: Robbinsville High School, Navair, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Picatinny Arsenal, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Lockheed Martin, Robbinsville Education Association, Investors Bank, SkyLink Technologies, CCC, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Gilbane, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, Triangle Copy, DesignTree, Coldwell Bankers, and Canine Services.

The speedy robot streaked across the field as it strategically placed power cubes onto the switch and the scale. The bell rang: time for the teleoperated period. The crowd cheered as the robot gained ownership of all three devices. The bell rang once more: endgame. The robot grew taller until it latched on to the metal rod. It let down its wings, allowing the other two robots to climb with it. Will they make it in time? The three robots climbed into the air with seconds to spare. The crowd went wild!

Easter weekend, Robbinsville High School's FIRST Robotics Team 2590, Nemesis, attended the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Hatboro-Horsham District Event. After a great win at the Hudson Valley Regional under their belts, Nemesis craved another victory. On Friday March 30th, Nemesis, along with 32 other FIRST Mid-Atlantic teams began the 64 qualification matches.

Behind the scenes members of the Marketing and Build Teams spoke with judges competing for business and technical awards. Alum Jenna Mollica visited the pits, reminiscing about her time on Nemesis.

Undefeated, Nemesis flew through qualification matches and earned the first ranked seed position. Nemesis invited the second ranked seed, FRC 25, Raider Robotix from North Brunswick NJ and FRC 6226, the Blue Devils from Burlington NJ, to join their alliance.

The Nemesis led alliance remained undefeated through quarter and semi finals. Final 1 commenced with the alliance gaining control of both switches and the scale. Throughout the match, the scale and switches continued to alternate between alliances. Finally, after the incredibly close match, the Nemesis and their alliance partners came out on top with a score of 259 to 244.

As Nemesis and their alliance prepared for the next match, the crowd waited in anticipation. “And the winner of Final 2 is… the Blue Alliance!” The Master of Ceremonies announced. Nemesis’ crowd of red sighed in disappointment. “One more match!” The drive team chanted, raising the crowd’s spirit. “3, 2, 1. Power Up!” Nemesis’ robot, Fury, raced across the field as the alliance gained control of our switch and the scale. As endgame began, Fury let down its award winning wings as FRC 6226 drove on. Earning 60 points for the red alliance, Fury climbed the scale and beat the boss! The crowd roared, and Nemesis took home their second blue banner of the season.

The ending of the event left everyone on the edge of their seats. Freshman build member, Kavya Velliangiri said, “The final nerve wracking feeling as the end result screen was displayed was something I won’t ever forget.”

The excitement didn’t conclude with the matches. Nemesis was presented with the Industrial Design Award, which celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge. The team hopes to keep the momentum of their season going as they compete at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship!

The crowd watched anxiously as the final scores appeared on the screen.  “And defeating the boss… is the red alliance!” That was it. 18-0-0. After 18 dramatic and exhilarating matches, Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team FRC 2590, Nemesis,  along with alliance partners FRC 1796, RoboTigers from Long Island City, and the FRC 6401, Clarkstown North 8-Bit Rams from New City, NY left the Hudson Valley Regional victorious. Cheers of elation coursed through the Rockland Community College fieldhouse during the weekend of March 23rd - March 25th. The victory at the regional event qualified the winning alliance to compete at FIRST Championship in Detroit this April.  

Nemesis joined 39 other teams at the regional event in Suffern, NY which including teams from Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay. After finishing the Bridgewater-Raritan District Event as finalists, Nemesis was back and hungry for success.

It took a full team effort to win the event, from the drive team’s (Jared Miller, Dahany Choi, Alex Keller, and Mariko McMurtry) performance under pressure, to the pit crew (Matthew Began, Richa Mandrekar, Nolan Quon, and Rahul Sawant) who speedily repaired the robot after each match, and the scouts (led by Chinmay Savanur, Harsh Padhye, and Bhargavi Lanka) who charted every robot’s performance and worked around the clock to determine which robots would join Nemesis’ alliance.

By the end of all 80 qualification matches, Nemesis sat in first place with an average of 3.33 out of 4 ranking points per match. Meanwhile, in the pits, Nemesis’ marketing team (Jarelle Boac, Likhitha Patlolla, Ethan Silberberg, Julia Ruch, Nick Anderson, Josh Lichtenstein, and Rebekah Rahman) impressed the judges with their world-class business plan and presentation skills.

During alliance selection, Nemesis chose FRC 1796, the RoboTigers, and FRC 6401, the Clarkstown North 8-Bit Rams, to join them in battling the boss. The crowd cheered in either triumph or agony for their robot to make it to the next round. As one side of the scale lowered, one side of the gym erupted, and when an opposing robot countered, the other side of the fieldhouse equaled their excitement.  The energy in the room continued throughout 13 electric quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

During the first finals match, Nemesis and the red alliance put forth a dominant performance.  They controlled the scale throughout the match, placed 6 cubes into the vault and received 65 points for their endgame climb, adding up to a 435 - 232 win. The red alliance once again kept strong control of both the switch and the scale during the second finals match. The red alliance achieved all 90 endgame points, paving the way for a 413-322 win and an undefeated  Hudson Valley regional victory.

Not only did Nemesis walk away from Suffern, NY as victors with a secured ticket to FIRST Championship, but they also won the Excellence in Engineering award, which recognizes a unique and exemplary feat of engineering, impressing the judges with distinct robot-carrying wings, efficient intake, and a dual elevator.

After their success at the Hudson Valley Regional event, Nemesis hopes to continue improving at their next events, the Hatboro-Horsham District Event, and FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship.

Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis went global.

Sponsoring a fun and exciting engineering experience in Haiti over the holidays, Nemesis shared their love of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with the House of Hope Orphanage. Who would have thought that a high school club could make a significant educational impact in a developing country?

Nemesis alumna, Jolia Thadal, currently studying at the Rochester Institute of Technology, joined the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC) on a mission trip she co-organized to the House of Hope. The small but mighty orphanage cares for over 70 orphaned and abandoned children and simultaneously operates a K-13th grade school program where all expenses are covered by public donations.

On behalf of Nemesis, Thadal hosted an engineering camp modeled after Discovery Day, a highly successful day camp held annually at Robbinsville High School where children learn about the engineering design cycle through open ended challenges. Nemesis, the technology sponsor of the trip, supplied the resources and training needed to engage 43 children from both the orphanage and surrounding areas. Through the camp, entitled “Discover Engineering: Let’s Build and Be Creative!”, Haitian children were exposed to basic engineering principles in a fun and collaborative environment. Utilizing their creativity and problem solving skills, the campers worked in small teams to address engineering challenges.

The day camp was a massive success: the children treasured their experiences, as well as the t-shirts, hats, and goody bags that Nemesis provided. Robbinsville High School could not be prouder of Thadal and the team for their success in inspiring future generations outside of United States to develop a passion for STEM.

When asked about her experience, Thadal gushed, “I have traveled worldwide for many different reasons, but this trip was certainly one of the best experiences of my life. I was touched by the effort exercised by all the children to complete their projects.”

Nemesis is eternally grateful for their sponsors’ support of the team’s goal to mold the future STEM leaders of the world: Robbinsville High School, NAVAIR, CCL Label, Lockheed Martin, Investor’s Bank, NYSCC, Triangle Copy, Robbinsville Education Association, Robbinsville Education Foundation, RAS, McGraw-Hill Financial, Design Tree, and Knowledgent. Sponsors, family and friends are welcome to come out to Hatboro-Horsham High School for our first District Event on March 2nd through 4th. Admission is free.

Another build season has finally arrived! After attending kickoff, Nemesis headed back to the RHS Tech Lab to discuss game analysis. We became familiar with the game field and rules for FIRST POWER UP. Both build and marketing students were able to participate in brainstorming, coming up with different ideas for all the subsystems. We focused on the ability to place power cubes on both the switch and the scale, which would be strategically beneficial. We also focused discussion on climbing. After hours of discussion we split into smaller groups to begin prototyping. The upperclassmen guided the underclassmen, turning sketches and ideas into working designs. Subteams worked on creating elevators to be able to reach the scale, fabricating a climber, and constructing multiple intake systems. This allowed all of the underclassmen to work hands-on with a variety of tools on their prototypes.

For our climber, we want a durable locking system to prevent us from falling. Subteams created a hook to grab onto the rung using pneumatics in ways that would be strong enough to support our robot. Although it isn’t as strong as we wished, we are still refining it in hopes to reach our goal.

The intake subteams have combined prototypes for the most efficient design. Using a combination of wheels and bands, we are able to pick up the power cube and securely hold it as the elevator rises, either to place the cube on the switch or the scale.

The elevator subteam has constructed two designs; a cascading and a scissor elevator. When tested to see which one is more effective, the cascading elevator proved to be the winner.

We decided on a 6 wheel west coast drive train with no drop center. The front and back will be curved up to allow out robot to drive onto the platform. In the upcoming week we will continue to improve and finalize these prototypes. We are all excited to see everything come together.

Fifteen students, a challenge, and a robot. In October 2017, Robbinsville High School’s (RHS) FIRST Robotics Team FRC 2590, Nemesis, started a First Tech Challenge (FTC) team 14020, Nemesis Prime. FTC is a branch of FIRST for students from ages 12 to 18. These students develop important skills in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) fields. Each year at kickoff, a new game is revealed and the season begins.

This year’s challenge, Relic Recovery, features two alliances whose goal is to organize foam blocks into one of six patterns to score points. FTC freshman Rugved Dikay explained the game as “a journey through a Pharaoh’s Tomb”. During the first thirty seconds of the game, known as the autonomous period, robots are controlled by pre-programmed instructions. The final two minutes, the robots zip around at the drivers command.

In preparation for their first competition, Nemesis Prime sought out help from members of Nemesis to give them a head start. Students from Nemesis aided Nemesis Prime members in areas of coding, driving, and building the robot. Mentors from the marketing team taught them how to present with confidence. All involved were rewarded a sense of leadership. Student mentor Matt Began shared his thoughts on Nemesis Prime, “Watching them persevere through obstacles gave me hope for FTC’s future.” Nemesis also shares their facilities and donated both financial and material resources to ensure the success of the FTC inaugural season.

Starting Nemesis Prime was a bold move for Nemesis. Their first competition was nerve wracking, and exciting. Members were swallowed by panic when the robot failed to work during the autonomous period. With fire in their eyes, the drivers managed to make up for what they lost during the driver operated period.

Nemesis Prime learned some valuable lessons so far this season. FTC freshman, Ashrith Pagedemarry, shared, “I have gotten a lot of hands-on experience and learned a lot from this program.” Nemesis looks forward to the rest of the FTC season and wishes Nemesis Prime the best of luck.

Get ready to build robots! The annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) game competition has begun. The game brings great joy and excitement to hundreds of thousands of high school students in real time all around the world, including the Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team 2590, Nemesis.

Well over 400 students from several local teams including Robbinsville, Montgomery, Hamilton, The Peddie School, Hightstown, and many more from Mid-Atlantic Robotics had the opportunity to attend robot themed seminars prior to kickoff. The students chose from gearboxes and transmissions, sensors, pneumatics, and Autodesk Inventor, (computer aided design software) among others. These seminars supplied students with the preliminary knowledge needed to tackle the challenges of the 6 week build season. Finally, it was time for the moment that all FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) enthusiasts around the world were waiting for: the reveal of the FRC challenge.

The students settled into the auditorium. As the clock counted down the moments until the big reveal, the excitement was overflowing inside the auditorium. Prior to the reveal, a representative from Picatinny Arsenal, Shah Dabiri, came onto stage and spoke inspirational words about the children of today, and the hope we have for the future. His words definitely spread the message of STEAM and FIRST to the young engineers and future business leaders sitting in the audience. 0:03, 0:02, 0:01, 0:00. The lights dimmed while deafening applause traveled through the auditorium. The presentation had begun and wonderstruck students gazed upon the screen. FIRST Power Up has arrived.

Alliances of 3 teams each are trapped in a nostalgic video arcade game, where the field consists of 1 scale located in centerfield and 1 switch on each end. Power cubes are used to control the balance of the scale and switches and can be found throughout the field.  For every second a scale/switch is tipped in one alliance’s favor , that alliance gains 1 point. During the 15 second autonomous mode, the robots are operated with the use of pre-programmed instructions; anytime the scale or switch is set in an alliance’s favor, that alliance earns 2 points per second. During game play, Power-Ups give temporary scale or switch ownership resulting in score boosts. Robots can boost their alliance’s score even more by climbing the scale’s structure during the end game.

After the video ended and the lights slowly lit the room, many students minds were already at work on the infinite possibilities for their upcoming build season. Kavya Velliangiri, a Robbinsville freshmen on Nemesis stated, “The kickoff was exhilarating, and it was an experience to remember!” From the faces on many of the students in the room, they were feeling exactly the same way.

Teams were quick to flood out of the building, eager to return to their high schools to study the manual, filled to the brim with rules and information pertaining to the challenge, and share their newfound ideas during brainstorming sessions. Nemesis is very excited to start their build season off right.

Nemesis will compete at the Hatboro-Horsham District Event on March 3rd-March 4th, the Bridgewater-Raritan District Event on March 17th-18th, and the Hudson Valley Regional in Suffern, NY on March 23rd-March 25th. All events are free admission and all are welcome.  

Nemesis would like to extend great thanks to their generous sponsors: Robbinsville High School, NAVAIR, Bristol Myers Squibb, Department of Defense STEM, CCL Label, Knowledgent, Lockheed Martin, Nordson, Picatinny Arsenal, New York Society Of Cosmetic Chemists, Leidos, Robbinsville Education Association, RAS Process Equipment, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, Investors Foundation, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Sharbell Development Corporation, Gilbane Incorporated, Design Tree, Northstar Vets, Skylink Technology Incorporated, Triangle Copy, and Coldwell Banker.   

The Nemesis team members are working harder than ever to ensure a great season.  The Marketing Team, has spent Week 1 performing many tasks, most notably, preparing for 2018 Sponsor Networking Night.  Save the date emails have been sent, formal invitations are on their way out, and presentations are being prepared.  Additionally, new photos have been picked out to be displayed in the showcase, and a new backdrop theme is being developed.

The Finance Team, is busy writing new sponsor grants, and all marketing members are making their first “cold calls” of the year.  The Logistics Team is planning for our competition season.  Finally, flyers have been made for Nemesis’ first ever Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser.  After only one week, the marketing team has completed a lot of work, and as the week closes, the team is really looking forward to what the rest of the season holds!

The future of society undoubtedly lies within the realm of online shopping. Skipping lines, hassle, and heartache never felt so good. And now when you shop on Amazon, Amazon gives back… to us!

Shop using the link, smile.amazon.com/ch/46-4204449, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Robbinsville FIRST Robotics Team 2590!

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon and Amazon products you know and love! So this year, when you run out of your favorite products, or are in need of a little retail therapy, you can support Nemesis with ease.

Please consider using our link, and as always, happy shopping!

Smashing pins, flying pucks, robots, and happy faces. That’s what you would have seen if you stepped into the Robbinsville High School Technology Lab on December 2nd and 3rd during Robotics Discovery Day, a half day robotics experience for 2nd through 6th graders run by Nemesis, Robbinsville FIRST robotics competition team FRC 2590, and Nemesis Prime, Robbinsville rookie FIRST technology challenge team, FTC 14020. Campers came to learn and have fun with diverse robotics challenges.  By the end of their sessions, the campers had an exhilarating experience building cool robots, playing with their creations in competitive challenges, and watching robotic demonstrations. Campers were left inspired, interested and wanted to keep building.

The campers, started off their day by meeting Nemesis’s humanoid NAO robot. He shot a ball, drew a picture, and danced around as the campers watched with delight.  Next, the campers saw a FIRST Lego League (FLL) demonstration put on by Pond Road Students. Teams I.D.K, Shockwave, Electrons, and Nerd Herd awed the campers with their LEGO EV3 NXT robots that completed tasks in a model “Hydroelectric Society” game. The FLL teams showed an in-depth demonstration to the campers to help them understand the different motors and gears used to make the robots work. Additionally, the campers experienced the thrill of driving Nemesis’s own 120 pound, 2017 award winning robot, Eris. They navigated onto a game field like experts and then shot a flurry balls into the high goal to score points.

To moderate the difficulty of the challenges, campers were divided into two age groups. 2nd, through 4th graders, took on the design of using only two motorized gears to create an air hockey striker that could both score goals and defend their area. Through propellers and wheel shooters, the campers brought their creative ideas to fruition. They faced off against each other, high school mentors, and the daunting “fun table” which required pinpoint accuracy to navigate past spinning pieces placed around the table. Even at the younger age, the Nemesis (high school) mentors took a hands-off approach as the campers let their imaginations run wild.

More advanced 4th, 5th, and 6th grade campers put their building skills to the test as they built a robot made out of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT pieces. Their first goal was to create a robot that could hit a ball and knock down pins. The campers then used the same robot but started at a different position. This would challenge them to create a new program that could move over to the ball before hitting it. In the final and toughest challenge, the campers used an ultrasonic sensor to seek out and topple pins scattered around an area. In this challenge the mentors helped create the programming, but, building the robot was all up to the campers.

The goal of Discovery Day is to heighten campers’ interest towards a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) future. Through challenging the campers to see what they could build in a finite time, they were introduced to a pre-engineering environment.  Cassidy, a Discovery Day camper, enthusiastically said, “I liked building robots because I’ve always wanted to be an inventor.” We hope that the campers go onto a successful career that started at Discovery Day 2017.

Discovery Day also has a huge impact on the Nemesis team members. Mentoring the campers was a great experience for everyone involved. They created friendships with their campers in a dynamic learning situation. Finance team member and senior Jarelle Boac said, “The campers made my day! They had such raw enthusiasm and curiosity and were so smart. I'm glad I could be a part of such a rewarding experience as a Discovery Day student mentor. It's bittersweet knowing this event was my last.” At Discovery Day, the campers learn that they can all achieve their goals in order to accomplish whatever mission is ahead of them while the mentors learn how to help the campers succeed, fail, and create their own robots.

Discovery Day 2017 was a huge success. Nemesis gives a big thank you to all the campers and can’t wait for next years event. It is always a highlight of the robotics season!

Nemesis also expresses their gratitude to the many sponsors that make community outreach ventures like Robotics Discovery Day possible. Special thanks to Robbinsville High School, NAVAIR, CCL Label, Lockheed Martin, Investor’s Bank, NYSCC, Triangle Copy, Robbinsville Education Association, Robbinsville Education Foundation, RAS, McGraw-Hill Financial, Design Tree, and Knowledgent. Sponsors, family and friends are welcome to come out to Hatboro-Horsham High School for our first District Event on March 2nd through 4th. Admission is free.

While upbeat dance hits played on the loudspeaker, Nemesis competed at the  off-season event Brunswick Eruption, hosted by Raider Robotix, North Brunswick Township High School’s FIRST Robotics Team. With over thirty teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, it was an exciting competition. Members could be seen faithfully scouting other robots, providing crucial data for future alliance decisions. Nemesis furiously cheered and chanted for the drive team as they skillfully advanced Nemesis’ 2017 competition robot, Eris, through the grueling matches.

On the field, the drive team tactfully maneuvered Eris.  Brand new team members were fascinated, watching from the edge of their seats. New drivers had the opportunity to test their skills out on the field. Nemesis emerged from the qualification matches ranked 14th. During alliance selections Nemesis was quickly chosen by the third seed alliance captain, FRC 1279, Parallel Universe, and was later joined by FRC 219, Team Impact and FRC 56, ROBBE. Together they made a strong alliance that valiantly fought through the elimination matches.

Brunswick Eruption had space for more than just robots. Party music kept everyone in high spirits. The Evil Sundae competition included member Emmy D'Amico eating a combination of sardines and whipped cream.

Faltering in the semifinals, Nemesis did not bring home the coveted win. The day was highly memorable for new team members. It gave them their first taste of just what to expect from competitions and a sense of comradery with their teammates. Freshman Kavya Velliangiri exclaimed that: “...seeing everyone as a team made me feel unified -- like a part of something bigger!” A feeling that new members relate to as they eagerly wait for kick-off in January.

Sunday, October 8th, the Ladies of Nemesis woke up bright and early to attend the inaugural FIRST Ladies MAR Conference. Hosted at The College of New Jersey, the girls were excited to see what FIRST Ladies had in store for them.

The brainchild of Nikki “Panda” Stout and Elizabeth Olshanetsky, the FIRST Ladies Conference was envisioned to a place where girls in FIRST can be heard, ask questions unique to them, and learn from those who have ‘been there’.  Attended by girls from Nemesis FRC2590, Redbird Robotics FRC1807, Gearheads FRC1189 and ZeroGravity FRC2180 it was a day to be remembered.

There were four seminars available for the attendees to choose from:

• Libby Kamen - Leadership and Student Development

• Jessica Kaestle - Resume Building

• Deborah Berrien - Life Lessons From a Career in Information Technology

• Nikki Panda - Web Design and Development

The Ladies of FIRST were encouraged to mingle and get to know each other not only as competitors, but as people with a common goal.

Following the seminars, the professionals held a panel discussion where the girls were asked to pose the questions that had been plaguing them throughout the season.

Sophomore Constance Mehl reiterated “It was great to talk to the other girls and find out their experiences are so similar to mine. I really appreciate the opportunity to meet with the other girls, not competing with them but as friends.”

Informative and interesting, it was an eventful day.

Thank you to the FIRST Ladies of MAR for hosting!

Saturday, November 4th, Nemesis took a ride to the Robbinsville Mercer County Library. Following days of preparation, Nemesis planned a presentation, fully equipped with videos, speeches, two robots, and games for kindergarteners through seventh graders.

The attendees had a blast!

“It was really nice to see how many students were interested in what we do, despite being so young,” exclaimed Likhitha Patlolla, Marketing member.

They loved hearing about Steamworks, the FIRST Robotics 2017 challenge and meeting Eris, Nemesis’ 2017 competition robot. Students learned how the robot was built and how the software and electrical systems are integral parts of the machine. The marketing team introduced the concepts of fundraising and community service, making sure to thank those that participated in the Nemesis 2017 food drive with Sharon School.

“Watching those little kids be astonished by the robot was a great experience. It really showed me what robotics is all about,” gushed Nemesis junior, Rahul Sawant.

Everyone enjoyed playing games pretending to be the robot, finding hidden gears, and shooting fuel into the makeshift boilers. For many, dancing with the Nao humanoid robot was the highlight of their day.

With a goal to inspire a love for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathemathics), the library demonstration is an outstanding opportunity to connect with younger students and show them what makes us excited to be Nemesis.

Nemesis would like to thank the Robbinsville Library for this wonderful opportunity.