812
From FIRSTwiki
| The Midnight Mechanics | |
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| Rookie Year: | 2002 |
| Inactive Years: | {{{inactive}}} |
| Location: | San Diego CA USA |
| School: | The Preuss School UCSD |
| Approx. size: | 60 |
| Team Website: | http://www.midnightmechanics.org/ |
Contents |
History
-Peter Preuss, UC regent
We are a group of bright, young high school students from the Preuss School UCSD's FIRST Robotics Team 812, "The Midnight Mechanics". Preuss School Robotics Team is a year-round club, where in January we begin our quest in the FIRST Robotics competition. During the six weeks of competition we design, construct, wire, program and test a full functioning robot made to the specifications of that year's task. Afterwards we compete at various regionals around the nation and finally at nationals.
Team 812 robotics not only build robots, but we act as commissioners of the FIRST program. The purpose of FIRST is to widen the spread of math and science in our society's culture. Members of our robotics team does this through a lot of involvement with our community.
Preuss School Robotics is now in its 5th year of participation and are continuing their exemplar successes as a veteran team. Team 812 encompasses all aspects of the FIRST spirit, from building the robot to educating their community using the ideals of FIRST. Team 812, The Midnight Mechanics are truly "Engineering Inspiration" champions.
For More Information - [1]
Team projects
Team 812 has initiated several programs in order to instill an interest in engineering in the youth. This year, Team 812 reached out to communities beyond the San Diego community. Trough the FIRST BUDDY program, the Midnight Mechanics reached out to neighborhood Los Angeles, Riverside, Imperial, and Orange counties.
Our team brought concepts of math, science, and engineering to our communities by mentoring two FIRST Lego League teams at the Preuss School UCSD. In addition, we coordinated the second informal Annual San Diego FIRST Lego League Competition. Other programs launched by FIRST included establishing engineering education with the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Saturday Enrichment Academy, peer mentorship at San Diego Public Libraries, local Boys and Girls Clubs, the Monarch School, and communities events, such as the UCSD Sally Ride Festival. In addition, we partnered with Student Actively Volunteering for You and Volunteer San Diego to further our endeavors.
We have also worked with the University of California, San Diego Machine Perception Laboratory [MPLab] as the outreach portion of their institute. Our involvement with the MPLab includes a partnership with Project RUBI [Robot Using Bayesian Inference] which studies artificial intelligence through robot to human interactions. In addition, Project RUBI solicited our team to take part in their Reach for Tomorrow Program [RTP] and the future UCSD Dynamic Learning Center [DLC] which works to matriculate students into institutes of higher learning.
In addition to our attempts to reach out into our communities, Team 812 established the FIRST STEPS program which builds partnerships with MIT MITES, UCSD, SDSU, UC COSMOS, Temple University Physician Scientist Training Program, John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, WPI Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science, and NASA National Science Biomedical Research Institute to motivate children to pursue professions in math and science.
Preuss Robotics believes that it is their duty to spread the message of FIRST. The personal growths they have seen within themselves motivate them to reach out to others. This can be seen through our three thousand hours of community service and outreach programs. Each year, Team 812 endeavor to innovatively integrate math, science, and engineering into our communities. This year, Team 812 has been revolutionary in launching our mass science outreach projects targeted towards students in our underserved communities.
- FIRST BUDDY
Since its conception in the fall of 2001, Team 812 has been committed to changing the culture of our world by starting with the kids. Most Midnight Mechanics did not know the value of science and technology until joining the team, thus we are dedicated to providing children with all the tools they might need to succeed by exposing children to science and technology. Our mission is to bring science and technology to the youth, minorities, low income students, and girls, groups that compose our team, and give them the head start that we did not have in our under served schools. First started at our own school with tutoring and mentoring of middle school students, our efforts to expand our reach have spilled beyond the bounds of Preuss and to all over San Diego. FIRST Building Understanding and Determination in Developing Youth [BUDDY] was born out of these efforts. Since its conception early this season, we have reached to hundreds of youths through this program by partnering up with Students Actively Volunteering for You, Volunteer San Diego, Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Public Libraries, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Monarch School. We also peer mentor and hold community events, such as the UCSD Sally Ride Festival to instill in these students the seed of FIRST. Our efforts to change the community start with the youth. Generations later, perhaps some of the same students will remember us as the catalyst for changing their lives, and changing the community around them. That is what Team 812 wants to remembered for – change and progress – to be initialized by BUDDY
- Team San Diego
“Team 812 is the eldest team in San Diego and we have taken the leadership role to recruit more teams in the county. The Team San Diego Robotics Forum consists of a collection of ten teams from primarily the San Diego County area. This forum works together in an effort to bring the FIRST ideals to not only Southern California, but across the border as well. Schools and communities that were not positively exposed to math & science are now changed by the community created by our Team San Diego.
Working together to change others’ perspectives of technology, Team San Diego has a mission to continue the Midnight Mechanics’ legacy of introducing FIRST to more schools and lives. Team San Diego works together to both host a variety of robotics events in the San Diego area and to support each other in the building of our robots. This web of collaboration between the teams enables both students and adults to work cooperatively towards a common goal.”-Paul TranTeam San Diego was formed in 2003 under the leadership of Team 812. Being the oldest team in the county, we took a prominent role in the formation and success of this coalition. Currently, Team San Diego is comprised of ten award winning FIRST teams. The teams work together in order to build a high regard for math and science in their under served communities. They collaborate on presentations and a series of events that are hosted. A strong bond that is created between all of the teams leads to a cooperative environment. Ideas and concerns are shared between the teams. Through this partnership, the teams have been able to succeed inside and outside of FIRST.
Under our leadership, teams from the Team San Diego coalition have won the All-Star Rookie Award for three consecutive years at the Southern California Regional and last year at Arizona. Teams have also won the Las Vegas Regional, the Engineering Inspiration Away, Safety Award, Daimler-Chrysler Team Spirit Award, Johnson and Johnson Sportsmanship Award, and the Perkins Entrepreneurship Award. Team 812, along with the Team San Diego coalition, is working with local businesses and community members to gain support for a new San Diego Regional in the near future. The success that the Team San Diego coalition is having in our community is immense. Team San Diego does active recruitment, rather than just showing off their robots. Team 812, among other teams, invite community members and prospective schools to be involved in FIRST and Team San Diego.The San Diego FIRST Exposition was established in order to educated prospective community members, leaders, educators, and students about the FIRST Robotics Program, Team San Diego, and integrating engineering education.
The following is an account of the San Diego FIRST Exposition from a students perspective:“When we arrived at the San Diego FIRST Exposition, the team was still setting up. The playing field was being reconstructed for the mock competition and signs were being posted. Mr. Mainieri told me to help with any of the preparation needed for the event. Therefore, I followed the team members to put up signs. We placed the “Welcome” and “FIRST Robotics” signs, along with the “Arrows” around Madison High. Once the signs were up, we came back to Mr. Mainieri for any other jobs that were needed to be done.Mr. Mainieri stated that there would be sponsors coming to the event. Therefore, we needed people who were familiar with FIRST and Team San Diego to greet them, at the door, and welcome them into our program. Veterans took the job. They were responsible for delivering a presentation to the prospective sponsors about FIRST, Team San Diego, and our impact on the community. Being articulate, I was assigned to greet prospective FIRST Robotics members at the gate and show them to the Exposition. Then afterwards, when the amount of guests arriving started to die down, we went to the mock competition area and watched the robots perform. Being novice to the world of Robotics, I wanted to be able to experience its applications. So I asked Julian Hernandez and Thien Nguyen if I could have a try at attempting to drive the robot. They gave me their consent.The robot was not that difficult to maneuver. It took some time, and like everything else, you have to practice to become efficient at it. I was able to take a turn at driving the robot and moving the arm up and down. At the end of my trial, I had three tetras on the frame. It was an interesting experience because the robot would make sudden movements if you didn’t control the joystick or the handle on the arm would fall off. Minute issues that, I realize, in competition, could determine a victory or loss. Many of the teams had their robots out on the field. The people driving the robot did so with such skill and grace that it impelled me to practice even more so. The game was self explanatory.”The San Diego FIRST Robotics Kick-off is the fruit of several years of recruiting teams and finding a secure location to keep the game veiled until the moment came.
With the help of Team San Diego, but led by Team 812, the San Diego FIRST Robotics Kick-off became an official Kick-off on Saturday, January 7, 2006. On the campus of High Tech High, San Diego, teams from San Diego County congregated to discover what this years challenge would be. In addition to viewing the pre-recorded broadcast, participants were invited to a series of brain storming activities and team building exercises lead by Team 812 student leaders. After receiving the kit of parts, we had a part cataloging session with team veterans leading. The session was designed to help rookie teams and interested individuals to become familiar with their kit of parts.Pre planning and strategizing has made all the difference for Team 812 in the past, and emphasizing that it is a crucial part of the design process was one of our main goals for the Kick-off. In small groups we began to think of what are the best strategies of attack and defense. As a larger group we decided on main goals that each robot would like to achieve. Veteran mentors gave an orientation to new and inexperienced mentors on what being part of a FRC team is like. Rule analysis of the new game, potential of Team San Diego, and further strategizing where also discussed.The Kick- off serves as a first glimpse of FIRST for rookie teams and gives them the opportunity to have questions and concerns addressed. To involve potential schools in FIRST, we contacted and invited every school in San Diego and Orange County. Our dedication to spreading FIRST goes beyond.
Team San Diego, under the leadership of Team 812, hosted the Second Annual San Diego County Lock-in and Scrimmage. Approximately twenty teams from California, Arizona, and Nevada attended to compete in an informal post-season FIRST competition. The day started with teams preparing up the playing field similar to those at the actual competitions. The event took placed at Madison High School. Many teams had arrived earlier the previous day to take part in our Annual San Diego County Lock-In event.At the Lock-In event, teams participating in the Scrimmage had the opportunity to socialize with other FIRST Robotics teams. Hosted at Madison High School, Team 812 members coordinated the event. Coordination includes the creation of signs, robot preparations, presentations and listing an inventory of available necessities [i.e. toiletries, sleeping bags, etc.] that are unavailable for our participants. Team 812 robotics members are responsible for the preparation of the competition environment. Preparation includes setting up the playing field for the competition.Entertainment included a LAN party in which Pre-Ship Pickup GameTeam 812 students help the Team San Diego eventsmembers could bring their own laptop, or use Madison’s school computer, to participate in “Counterstrike,” an online game. The members are able to use internet in that room only. While most members stayed up all night to participate in this event, others choose to participate in other forms of entertainment. Over all, the Lock-In established an atmosphere for team members to socialize with one another and/or develop interpersonal relationships with other FIRST teams.Many teams also arrived the day of the Scrimmage. Team 812 members began to organize and set up the area for the public, media, and community leaders. Decorations were prepared with inspirational quotes as well as informative signs. Food concessions containing salsa, chips, candy, soda, donuts, along with muffins, which were all donated by Team San Diego parents and members, were open to provide steady revenue for Team San Diego teams. The Scrimmage was similar to an actual competition. The Scrimmage consisted of practice rounds, qualifying rounds, alliance selections, and finals. Judges and referees were present to regulate the game. There was a room for any repairs needed to be done. Teams were able to share resources and states advices, showing the quintessence of gracious professionalism. During the battles music were played to entertain the guests and to lighten the mood. This friendly competition was a great way to bring closure to the season. Veterans trained rookies that are newly initiated in the team. Training included teaching the rookie members the driving and arms and lifts components of the robot while other teams compete. They were able to experience the tension, pressure, and excitement that come with being on a multinational robotics competition team. Most importantly, the rookie members learn the collaboration skills and the art of communication. Not only was the Scrimmage is an opportunity for FIRST teams to show off their hard work, it was also a chance for the San Diego Community to experience a FIRST competition. Many members of the community were in attendance including science teachers visiting from Los Angeles area. The San Diego Community also had the chance to experience FIRST when many media outlets televised the competition and wrote about the event.“The Scrimmage was a great way for me to learn what Robotics is about. I feel the excitement and the feeling of being part of something great. By going to the Scrimmage I developed many new skills and a new level of comprehension.”-Melody Nguyen
- FIRST STEPS
Preuss FIRST Robotics students have witness our teammates, despite their situation, achieve their dreams. By reaching out to the next generation of Preuss students, they motivated us with their accomplishments and their stories. Our success as individuals today, is a direct result of their mentorship, gracious professionalism, and service. Now, being given access to a path towards success, we recognize that it is pivotal to reach out to children; children whose lives are not much different from our own. We provide our communities the resources that we were not fortunate to have access to when we were younger. As a result, these children do not have to face the struggles that Preuss Robotics students had to experience.
The Midnight Mechanics initiated the FIRST STEPS [Students Together for Education and Promotion of Science] Program to matriculate students into a math, science, and engineering profession. Our team made partnerships with the University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University, University of California Education System COSMOS Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MITES Program, NASA National Science Research Institute, Temple University Physician Scientist Training Program, John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, WPI Girls in Math and Science to make our program the first successful scholarship and internship program in the West. The FIRST STEPS program launches a mass outreach program targeted towards inner-city students. Team 812 coordinates community events, specifically informative conferences, in which educates and advocates scholarship and internship programs. During these conferences Team 812 holds workshops on informing the community about the scholarship, how to fill out applications, alumni experience, and how to integrate engineering education and FIRST Robotics in inner-city high schools.
Our involvement with scholarship and internship foundations is exemplary. Our partners are involved with every step of the coordination process. They speak at our conferences and support us by providing both financial and educational support. FIRST STEPS is supported by engineering corporations and community members. We have possible sponsorship from David Evans and Associates Inc., Grice, Lund and Tarkington Inc., and Kids Korps USA underway. Upon hearing about our FIRST STEPS program, they are very excited in becoming involved with FIRST Robotics, Team 812, and our endeavors in bringing math, science, and engineering into the community.
Robots
- In 2003 - Waheesah
- In 2004 - M2
- In 2005 - Rob oht
- In 2006 - M5
Accomplishments
- 2006 Robert Mainieri: National Woodie Flowers Award
- 2006 Southern California Chairman's Award
- 2005 Southern California Chairman's Award
- 2004 Championship Engineering Inspiration Award
- 2004 Southern California Engineering Inspiration Award
- 2004 Robert Mainieri: Southern California Woodie Flowers Award
- 2003 Southern California Daimler Chrysler Team Spirit Award
- 2003 Arizona Judges Award
- 2003 FLL Judges Award Winners
- 2002 Southern California Rookie All Star
- 2002 FLL Mentorship Award Winners
2006 Sponsors
Team 812 is supported by community members and leaders. We are seen as an “engineering inspiration” and a model of a successful engineering corporation.
- UCSD
Nestled along the Pacific Ocean on 1,200 acres of coastal woodland, UCSD is a powerful magnet for those seeking a fresh, next-generation approach to education and research. Since its founding over four decades ago, UCSD -- one of the ten campuses in the world-renowned University of California system -- has rapidly achieved the status as one of the top institutions in the nation for higher education and research. UCSD’s interdisciplinary ethos and tradition of innovation and risk-taking, underlie its research strength and ability to recruit top scholars and students.
- The Preuss School UCSD
Preuss School was established on the UCSD campus in Fall 1999. Preuss is chartered under San Diego Unified School District. Its mission is to provide an intensive college preparatory curriculum to low-income student populations and to improve educational practices in grades 6 through 12. If these goals are realized, the school will matriculate students who are competitively eligible to enter the University of California or other selective institutions of higher education. The School opened with 150 students in grades 6 through 8, and now is fully enrolled with 767 students in grades 6 through 12.
- SPAWAR
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego [SSC San Diego] is the U.S. Navy’s research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for command, control and communication systems and ocean surveillance. SSC San Diego provides information resources to support the joint warfighter in mission execution and force protection.
- General Motors
General Motors Corp., the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 325,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries. In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company’s history. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.
- The Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation is the successor corporation to the Annenberg School at Radnor, Pennsylvania established in 1958 by Walter H. Annenberg. It exists to advance the public well-being through improved communication. As the principal means of achieving its goal, the Foundation encourages the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. Ambassador Annenberg has observed that the transmission of information is a factor in every human advancement or reversal. In an age of fiber optic cables and satellites, events are witnessed around the world even as they take place and the very telling of the tale affects the pace and nature of change. But the revolution wrought by communications began more than five centuries ago. The swift and cheap dissemination of information first made possible by Gutenberg’s invention of movable type has given rise to new political, social, and cultural forms that have enhanced life for millions of people. While the modern computer and broadcast technology are important communications tools, they are only amplifiers and extenders of the visual image, written word, and human voice. The Foundation’s focus is not on chips and wires but rather on education, particularly public school restructuring and reform in the United States. The Foundation is open to collaboration with other philanthropic institutions.
- UCSD Machine Perception Laboratory
The goal of the Machine Perception Laboratory [MPLab] is to gain insights into how the brain works by developing embodied systems that solve problems similar to those encountered by the brain. We focus on systems that perceive and interact with humans in real time using natural communication channels [e.g., visual, auditory, and tactile information]. To this effect we are developing perceptual primitives to detect and track human faces and to recognize facial expressions. We are also developing probabilistic models for integrating multiple sensory modalities, and actions. Developing such systems requires a multidisciplinary approach that combines mathematical modeling, machine learning techniques, computational modeling of brain function, and behavioral experiments. Applications include personal robots, automatic tutoring systems, and automatic assessment of affective disorders.
- San Diego County Fair
In 1880, a group of San Diegans organized an agricultural fair to bring county farmers together to share ideas, see who had the best citrus fruit, who baked the best pie, and who had the fastest horse. After that first fair, the county fair was held annually with a few exceptions in various county locations until 1936, when it moved to its present Del Mar home.
- Qualcomm
QUALCOMM’s active philanthropy and volunteerism programs are essential to our corporate commitment to creating meaningful community relationships. QUALCOMM’s giving and volunteerism programs are based on respect for community organizations and their constituencies, cooperative leadership development and philanthropic creativity.QUALCOMM’s corporate volunteerism program, QUALCOMM Cares, was developed to encourage employee involvement in the community and is our way of connecting our diverse employee base to local volunteer opportunities. From walk-a-thons to holiday drives, QUALCOMM Cares creates many opportunities for its employees, friends and families to participate in charitable events. Serving a wide range of needs, our employees are helping people with disabilities, improving the environment, feeding and clothing the homeless, and caring for animals. QUALCOMM Cares organizes volunteer team building projects as special opportunities for internal departments to foster teamwork and celebrate accomplishments, while contributing to the improvement of the San Diego community.
Members List
Students
Drive Train
Thien Nguyen
Kenneth Winfrey
Kyle Norquist
Bobby Barnhart
Ramp
Paul Nguyen
Ximena Mora
Electrical
Summer Puente(PEMP)
Programming
James Noraky
Rose Cao
Chairmans
Paul Tran
Antoinette Brou
Katrina Wong
Webmaster
Trang Dinh
Alumni
- Alumni Example - Alumni Present Location, Class of XXXX
Mentors
University of California, San Diego:
Scott Fall
Gene Tran
Mike
Neal Bloom
DJ Watson
George Chen
SPAWAR:
Nghia Tran
| Index of teams by region: |
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NH NJ VA OR AZ FL GL PIT MO CT MD DT GA SAC LI OH CO IL NY PA CA ON TX SC SJ MI WI |
Categories: 812 | Rookie 2002 | Teams
