Aug
5
Mon
bIrobot Robotics Summer Camp @ Beaver Island Community School
Aug 5 – Aug 9 all-day

Interested in robots? Programming? Sign up for the bIrobot Summer Robtics Camp. Design and build a robot to meet challenges in a game revealed at the start of camp. Team up with others and compete as an alliance against other teams to see who can score the most points. You’ll build and program a robot the first day of camp and then build on those skills to complete a week-long version of a FIRST FRC season. The grand finale will be a competition among the teams, to find the best robot. But everyone will win with a great experience. Your mentors will be the bIrobot FIRST FRC team, veterans of three FRC seasons, along with their coach, who teaches programming and robotics at BICS. No prior programming or robotics experience is required, but those with experience will still find plenty to challenge them.

Class meets from 8:30 to 12:30 Monday through Thursday and 8:30 to 3:00 on Friday.  Our competition will begin at 2:00 on Friday after a traditional bIrobot Pizza Party for campers (so pack a lunch Friday if you don’t like pizza).  Summer residents and vacation visitors are welcome.  You need not be a student at BICS to attend. There is a $35 activity fee.

Jan
4
Sat
2020 FRC Season Kickoff @ Beaver Island Community School
Jan 4 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
2020 FRC Season Kickoff @ Beaver Island Community School

Join us for a 2020 season kick-off event in the robot lab at BICS.  We’ll watch the kick-off show live streamed for FIRST HQ and then begin work on planning our 2020 robot.  We’ll wrap things up with a traditional pizza party at 1:00 p.m.

If you aren’t able to join us at BICS, you can watch the Kick-off live from FIRST HQ here: https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1747660/85b43e41-770e-4585-86bf-f0a69d289791

Mar
12
Thu
Escanaba District Event Competition @ Escanaba High School
Mar 12 – Mar 14 all-day

Our first District Event of the 2020 season is in Escanaba at the Escanaba High School.  Once we finalize travel arrangements, those details will be posted here.

Mar
26
Thu
Alpena District Event Competition @ Alpena High School
Mar 26 – Mar 28 all-day

Our second District Event for 2020 will be at Alpena High School.  Travel information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Apr
8
Wed
Michigan State Championship Event @ Saginaw Valley State University
Apr 8 @ 4:00 pm – Apr 11 @ 5:00 pm

FIM HAS CANCELLED THE MICHIGAN STATE CHAMP EVENT.  FIM is looking at options to conduct an alternate series of events at SVSU at a later date.  CHeck back here or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for details.

The State Champ event returns to Saginaw Valley State University (where we competed in 2016 and 2017). We will work hard to return this year.

The detailed schedule for the event has not yet been published, but please note that it runs over three days rather than the two (as is the case for regional events).

Full event information from FIM will be posted here:  http://firstinmichigan.us/FRC/events/

Apr
29
Wed
FIRST World Championships @ Cobo Hall
Apr 29 – May 2 all-day

FIRST HAS CANCELLED THIS YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT IN DETROIT.

Again this year the FIRST world championship events are split between two locations–Houston and Detroit.  We qualified for the world championships in St. Louis in 2016 (when they were still a single event) and have attended the Detroit Championships as a guest of Consumers Energy after winning a state-wide Pit Display comeptition.  We will work hard this year to return as a competitor in the event.

Here is a link to information about the Detroit World event: https://www.firstchampionship.org/detroit-home.   The FIRST world event is more exciting than any other high school competitive event we know about.  In addition to competition events for all four FIRST Leagues (FLL Jr., FLL, FTC and FRC), you can visit the teams in their pits and attend a full schedule of conference sessions that cover a broad range of topics of interest to students, parents and mentors that cover a variety of robotics and other topics. If you can make it there even for a day, we encourage you to go.  It’s all free for general attendance at the matches and for all conference events.

Jan
8
Sat
2022 FRC Season Kickoff @ Beaver Island Community School
Jan 8 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
2022 FRC Season Kickoff @ Beaver Island Community School

Join us for a 2022 season kick-off event in the robot lab at BICS.  We’ll watch the kick-off show live streamed for FIRST HQ and then begin work on planning our 2022 robot.  We’ll wrap things up with a traditional pizza party at 1:30 p.m.

If you aren’t able to join us at BICS, you can join us by Zoom:

This year, FIRST® teams will explore the future of transportation. From the shipment of packages in rural and urban areas, to disaster relief delivery and high-tech air transit, teams will re-imagine faster, more reliable, inclusive, and sustainable transportation innovations that better connect and grow communities and economies around the world. Teams will address today’s global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9, focused on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. By encouraging FIRST participants to think about future transportation sustainability, we’re also empowering them to be the next generation of leaders and innovators, tackling the world’s toughest challenges.

Mar
24
Thu
FIM District Midland Event @ H.H. Dow High School
Mar 24 – Mar 26 all-day

Our first District Event of the 2022 season is in Midland at H.H. Dow High School.  Once we finalize travel arrangements, those details will be posted here.

Click this link for directions to the venue.

 

Apr
7
Thu
FIM District Kingsford Event @ Kingsford High School
Apr 7 – Apr 9 all-day

Our second District Event of the 2022 season is in Kingsford in the UP at Kingsford High School.  Once we finalize travel arrangements, those details will be posted here.

Click this link for directions to the venue.  Additional information about the event is available on the Kingsford Event page at the First in Michigan site.

The team will depart from Welke Airport at 9:00 a.m. on April 7.  The robot will depart late the prior day.  It is about a 4:45 drive to the site so, with a few pit stops we should arrive there around 4:00 p.m. EDT, but because Kingsford is on Central time, the local time will be 3:00 p.m. EDT.  We will leave Kingsford to return Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. local time and arrive back at CVX around 3:00 p.m. EDT.  Our return flight is at 4:30 p.m.

The team will be staying at yje Days Inn in Iron Mountain, which is about three miles from the competition site.  Reservations are available here. Directions to the hotel are here.

Our route to Kingsford will take us through Norway.  However, because we will not disembark there, no passports will be required.

Jun
13
Mon
bIrobot Cyber Security Camp @ Beaver Island Community School
Jun 13 – Jun 17 all-day

Join the BICS robotics team bIrobot for a cybersecurity camp.  Learn how to defend PCs by understanding how they are attacked. Participate in a cyber-sec “capture the flag” game as you compete against students from across the state.  It’ll be lots of fun and the skills you learn will help get you ready for the BICS CyberPatriot team launching in the fall.  The class will be taught by long-time island summer resident and cybersecurity expert Chris Sorensen with assistance from bIrobot Lead Mentor Kevin Boyle. The camp sessions will be available online and in person, but those on the island are encouraged top plan to participate in person.  Camp times are 8:30 to 11:30

Signup begins May 1. To sign up, send an email to cybersecure@birobot.org.