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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.

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Nemesis Starts Robbinsville High School’s First FTC Team

Apoorva Savanur

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.

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FLL Meet and Greet: Building Connections, Brick by Brick

Nemesis 2590 recently held a meet and greet event for parents interested in creating First Lego League(FLL) teams within the Robbinsville community. The event started off with the prospective FLL parents arriving at the tech lab, and the kids heading to the hallway, where they could learn more about FLL. First, the kids were shown the FLL team IDK’s Lego robot and how it maneuvered on the field. Members of IDK explained the various sensors on the robot, the attachments, and how the robot was coded. Students were then given a chance to ask questions about their robot and FLL as a whole, which members of Nemesis 2590 and IDK answered. Throughout this process, the students developed a passion for FLL, and were excited to get started on a team.

Meanwhile, the parents were shown a presentation which detailed how FLL works, and the commitment it takes for parents to be part of an FLL team. Interest was higher than ever for FLL after the presentation. After the presentation, parents had the opportunity to network and form teams. Coaches were decided for each team, and they took the final steps in settinmg up teams.

Overall, the FLL meet and greet was a successful event with new teams forming and kids expressing interest in First. The event was a great way for children to have fun while learning, and for parents to learn more about the FLL program, and how to get involved. Nemesis plans on helping these teams through their journey, and hopes they have lots of success, fun, and gain knowledge of STEM. Nemesis plans to continue hosting these types of events and additional workshops to promote STEM education, and inspire young people to pursue careers in these fields.

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2023 Week 2: Build Journal

After a successful first week of planning and prototyping, the build team continued to test different intakes, cycling options, and game piece indexing mechanisms. Among the indexing designs we considered were the V-Intake, which used two bands in the shape of a V to pull cones to the middle of the robot, and the Bar Indexer, which uses a simple horizontal bar to right fallen cones.

However, after testing and evaluating these designs, the team ultimately scrapped the V-Intake and moved on to other ideas such as a claw-like intake, which used flexible arms with wheels to grab game elements, and the Suction intake, which used suction cups to stick onto cones. We also worked on an "Over the Bumper" intake, which used a shaft with wheels at cone height in front of the robot's bumper to pull cones in and over the bumper into the robot.

In addition to these intake designs, the team also focused on building and refining other aspects of the robot, such as the Spindexer, a mechanism to index the cone into a finite number of fixed locations inside the bot's frame perimete We also made progress on field elements and field set up. We hope to have prototyping done by the end of this week, so that we can break in Week 3 with a discussion of what our final design should be. Overall, it was a successful and productive week for the build team.

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Nemesis 2590 Takes Center Stage at Robbinsville State of Schools!

Robbinsville High School saw a very successful, informative night on Thursday, January 19th, as it held the annual State of the Schools event. There were a multitude of clubs, organizations and school administration showcasing their accomplishments over the past few years. The common area was buzzing with people from all over Robbinsville, especially around the back corner, where Nemesis 2590 had their own booth.

This had many aspects, with the center of attention being Nemesis’ 2022 robot, Iris. The drive team was able to show off their skills, allowing attendees to experience the robot's shooter through audience interaction, while catching cargo from the robot. While this occurred, other team members presented the ins and outs of Nemesis 2590. They educated the crowd about Nemesis’ operations, the team's various community outreach events, and more. The team gave out tattoos and tri-folds to those attending, while also showcasing posters detailing all aspects of our team.

At the superintendent’s debrief on the current events of Robbinsville, Nemesis was honored to be mentioned many times. The dedication of Nemesis team members, the new 2023 game, and the team hosting its first district competition were all spoken about during the speech. Overall, it was a very successful night for Nemesis. The team was incredibly excited to share a year of accomplishments with the Robbinsville community.

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Nemesis hits the books with a successful library robot demonstration

On the morning of January 21st, members of Nemesis 2590 were up and ready to showcase their award-winning robot, Iris. Held at the local Robbinsville library and open to elementary and middle schoolers, the demonstration was meant to show the community what Nemesis is all about. After a brief explanation of our team and what we do, students were able to have hands-on interactions with Iris.

Firstly, lead members of Nemesis gave a presentation to the students and their parents. They described what FIRST is, how the FIRST Robotics Competition works, and different ways students could get involved in FIRST. Brief introductions were given about the FIRST Lego League, and a quarter-final match, with Nemesis 2590 playing, from the FRC Championship of 2022 was aired for the students. Described as “a chaotic mix of the NBA and BattleBots”, students were glued to their seats by the sight of six 120 pound robots racing around the arena. The match got students ready and excited to learn about Iris and see how the systems of the robot function.

After the presentation was finished, students were able to witness Iris’s use of its Limelight, a tool which can find the reflexive tape on a hoop in order for the robot to be able to aim itself, first hand. They were given a necklace with a strip of reflective tape on it, and the robot used its Limelight to track the tape on the students as they walked around the robot. Students were able to see the green light shined on them, and the precision of the Limelight’s tracking ability.

After demonstrating the Limelight, the turret was showcased to the students. Some students stood in front of the robot, and a ball was shot from Iris’s turret for the students to catch. This was the same turret and auto locking system used during the 2022 competition season, but the power was turned down so that the ball was catchable for students. While this was happening, other students were able to drive the robot and experience how the control system for Iris works.

Finally, students were given a chance to take a look at Iris, while being guided through the various systems by Nemesis team members. They were walked through the intake, cycling, and shooting systems on the robot, so that they could have a rudimentary understanding of how the different aspects of Iris works. This wrapped up the hands-on interaction for the students, and they were able to go home with an increased understanding of FIRST, with many now preparing to be on FLL teams for the next season.

About Us | 2007-2008

Nemesis 2590

During the late spring of 2007, a group of determined rising seniors asked Mrs. Wolfe, the new Technology teacher at Robbinsville High School (RHS), to please start a FIRST Robotics Team. They either had relatives or friends on local teams and wanted to start an academic tradition at their three year young high school. Nemesis, FRC 2590 was created when the “stars” came into alignment during November 2008, Chris Gregory, the Hightstown FRC 1089 mentor, Paul Kloberg, Michael Reffler, Sara Reffler, NJ FIRST Senior Mentors, and Gene O’Brien of the NJ Society of Professional Engineers, came to RHS offering their support.

It all fell in place when NASA awarded the team a $6,000 Rookie grant. In December, we embarked into the unknown that filled us with terror and joy as we scrambled to earn money for robot parts and learn as much as possible, reading all available documentation and websites, picking the brain of the mentors, and attending workshops. Team Mercury 1089 loaned us their old robot to study and use for fund raising efforts, in addition to giving workshops. We went to the kick-off in January with high hopes and a bit of healthy fear about the build season ahead.

For the next six weeks, we spent every night and weekend in the Tech Lab at RHS bonding as a team and creating a team culture similar to a high tech start-up company. Everyone eventually found their place. It was serendipity that Michael Arak took one look at our box of receipts and proceeded to create detailed financial books and spreadsheets as our Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager, keeping the team afloat. Mark Panes, our Chief Executive Officer, with his infectious smile and positive attitude kept us on track and motivated. Steven Rutsky and Rida Alvi came into their own as the Chief Technology Officer and Director of Research and Development. Our mentors were amazing, everyone worked together to create the robot and the team.

Initially, the Build team didn’t know how to build a chassis; all of the pieces in the Kit of Parts were just that….pieces. We were clueless but happy to have mentors that were just as enthusiastic but inexperienced with the FIRST program. After the first week, the Cavalry arrived as Mr. Ed Petrillo, Mr. Chris Gregory, Mr. Michael Reffler, Ms. Sara Reffler, Mr. Matt Palmere and Mr. Ed Healey walked into the Tech Lab and started working with us, offering practical advice on the mechanics and software. Marco’s signature saying during the build season was “Do work, son” and we worked.

There is a bond that grows from adversity. We brainstormed, prototyped, bounced back from mistakes, and ran debriefing session, while implement the design cycle. Working alongside professionals, the students learned about their various professions, absorbed their work methods, and honed the practical application of their skill sets. It was a time of minimal sleep and total dedication.

The Marketing team documented the Nemesis story as they wrote the Chairman’s Award, created the team PowerPoint, and marketing materials. We practiced giving presentations, answering questions on the fly, and learning how to interact with all types of personalities. Dressed in business attire, we gave presentations to the Board of Education, the local Businesses, and the Robbinsville Education Foundation asking for their support. The community responded with great enthusiasm and monetary contributions. On a wing and a prayer, we built our simple, reliable robot and went to the 2008 New Jersey Regional Competition.

To our amazement, Blaine Zaffos and Mark Panes drove our robot through 8 undefeated seeding rounds, placing us as the third highest team. Rob Hyams and his team of scouts identified our alliance partners: MORT, Mount Olive High School and Aberdeen High School of Aberdeen, Maryland . We made it to the Finals! During the awards ceremony, Nemesis FRC 2590 won the prestigious “Rookie All Star,” “Highest scoring Rookie,” and the “Finalist” awards and invited to the National Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. We were thrilled; it was more than we ever expected.

The Robbinsville community rallied to our cause and the donations came pouring in as the story of our success was published in the newspaper. We went to the Nationals and met teams from all over the world. It was a once-in-a- lifetime experience.

Our seniors graduated and are now attending top universities and colleges with majors in Engineering, Computer Science, and Business. They received scholarships and made lasting friendships and left a legacy of excellence.

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TCHS Rolls In Robotics Contest

Joy Wolfe

TRENTON TIMES

TRENTON -- Local teams performed strongly at this year's New Jersey Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at Sovereign Bank Arena, with Trenton Central High School taking top tournament honors and Robbinsville High School's rookie team coming in second yesterday.

Each team's win was shared with fellow alliance members, teams they cooperated with during the tournament. Trenton Central shared its Regional Competition championship with allies North Brunswick Township High School and Palisades High School of Kintnerville, Pa. Robbinsville High shared its Regional Finalist Award with Mount Olive High School and Aberdeen High School of Aberdeen, Md.

Robbinsville High also took home the Rookie All-Star and Highest Rookie Seed awards.

"We are just very thrilled," Joy Wolfe, faculty adviser for the Robbinsville team, said. "We're still finding out what these students can do as a team, and this was very unexpected. They were so excited."

"I think we were all surprised that we did so well," Rida Alvi, Robbinsville High team leader, said.

The team did not receive its first endorsement until November, when it won a $6,000 grant from NASA, just two months before kits for the New Jersey Regional competition were sent out. According to Wolfe, the team received a great deal of guidance during the fundraising process from Hightstown High School's robotics club. Hightstown High took home the Gracious Professionalism award after it was nominated by Robbinsville High.

Wolfe said involvement in the robotics team has been a life-altering experience for some students.

"We've had a lot of interest from students who leaned to the art side because this follows the same progression as an art project. This is the first time they've considered going into engineering as a career," Wolfe said.

Karisa Williams, team captain for Trenton Central, had a similar experience.

"I wasn't sure my freshman year whether I wanted to go into art or engineering. Then a friend took me to one of these competitions and I fell in love with it. Now I'm a senior and I'm looking to be an engineer," Williams said.

This year's competition involved a game called "FIRST Overdrive," in which the robots that students designed and built raced around a course attempting to place or throw giant nylon balls over an overpass to score points.

Going into the final rounds, Trenton Central's alliance had scored a regional record 114 points, while Robbinsville High had gone undefeated during two days of competition. But it was ultimately Trenton Central's alliance that stood victorious.

"I think we were able to do well because our robot was built for racing. It was fast, and it earned points that way," said Katelyn Sapio, who worked in the electronics department of the Trenton Central team.

While Trenton Central's alliance beat all other competitors at "FIRST Overdrive," Pascack Valley Regional High School was awarded the Regional Chairman's Award, the competition's most prestigious prize, having been judged as the team with the greatest commitment to spreading passion about science and technology to other schools and communities. As a result, it received a reserved spot in the national finals to be held in Atlanta.

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