About the Team
What is F.I.R.S.T.?
"For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology". The mission of F.I.R.S.T. is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
What is F.I.R.S.T. Robotics?
Every year we go to Stony Brook University and watch the kickoff on the first Saturday in January. This is where we receive everything about this year's F.I.R.S.T Robotics competition. From that point we have six weeks to design, build, program, and test our robot. It needs to be built from scratch and student made, mentors are only to guide us in this endeavor. Every year is a new and original competition, so it is difficult to use parts from prior years. These competitions are more focused on your robots ability to perform the tasks at hand than fighting the other robots.
The Team and F.I.R.S.T.'s Ideal
F.I.R.S.T. defines how our team approaches tasks, but not only during the daily meetings at West Islip High School. Because of the program, our members try to be professional in all of our endeavors. Our involvement in community events, our mentors' devotion and passion for the team, and our members' love for technology are what make the West Islip Robotechs a model F.I.R.S.T. team. FRC has given our members opportunities to interact with and learn new technologies in a manner that would otherwise be impossible. Without F.I.R.S.T. our team members would not have the amazing educational opportunities that we have. We appreciate F.I.R.S.T. and our community for allowing us to compete in the SBPLI Regionals, and the opportunities that the competition affords us. We feel that the best way to show this appreciation is by upholding the ideals touted by F.I.R.S.T.
Get to Know the Team
The team is divided into many different sub-teams, but there are four major ones. To teach the students the necessary skills, mentors volunteer their time and knowledge. They guide the team members with their professional experience