FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Community:

I've decided to open the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon League Sign-up today- October 6th. It will close October 16th. 

And wait to open the Non-League sign-ups until next Friday, October 13th at 3:00 pm. This is because I am waiting on dates from Oregon State University.  It will close October 31st. 

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Event Sign-up

• Eligibility for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Events 
  • FIRST Tech Challenge teams must meet in Oregon or Skamania/Klickitat Counties in Washington.
  • Must be a current nationally registered paid team, with two adults as primary and assistant coaches who have passed background screening
    - click here for national registration information
• FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon teams must choose between being part of :
  • a League (League Meets with League Qualifying Tournament)
    • This includes 3 or 4 short League Meets in Nov/Dec with a culminating League Qualifying Tournament in January
  • a Non-League (attending one Non-League Qualifying Tournament)
    • Teams work on their robot in the Fall and attend one Non-League Qualifying Tournament in January
  • Both Non-League and League Teams will advance to the Super-Qualifier Weekend in February for a chance to advance to the State Championship

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FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon League Sign-up Procedure 

• Look at the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon League Schedule 
• SLOW DOWN, Read through the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Sign-up worksheet to know what is asked, prep your answers and know what your options are.  
• After preparing, go online and submit an online FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon LEAGUE Sign-up for your team.
  • ONE TEAM = ONE SIGN-UP FORM. The form is not designed for multiple teams. Submit one form per team
• Pay for your League Membership  ---  includes League Meets & League Qualifying Tournament
  • Sliding scale from $400 (full cost of program) <-----> $200 (minimum for teams who cannot afford to pay the full cost).
    • You can select a discount of $50, $100, $150 or $200.
  • Payment options for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon
    • ONLINE CREDIT CARD PAYMENT for League- Visa, Mastercard, or Discover
    • PAY BY CHECK for League 
    • PAY BY Purchase Order followed by a check for League
• SIGN-UP FOR LEAGUES OPENS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6th at 3:00 pm
• SIGN-UP FOR LEAGUES ENDS ON Monday, OCTOBER 16th at 11:59 pm 

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FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Non-League Qualifying Tournament Sign-up Procedure 

• There will be 2 or 3 Non-League Qualifying Tournaments depending on number of registered teams. A team can compete in only one event.  There will be 2 events on a Sat/Sun at Oregon State University. Date to be announced. A 3rd event will be created if there are more teams than can be accommodated at OSU. All events will occur on January 20/21 and Jan 27/28.
• (when released) Read through the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Sign-up document to know what is asked, prep your answers and know what your options are.  
• (when released) After preparing, go online and submit an online FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon NON-LEAGUE Sign-up for your team.
  • ONE TEAM = ONE SIGN-UP FORM. The form is not designed for multiple teams. Submit one form per team
• Pay for your Non-League Qualifying Tournament 
  • Sliding scale from $300 (full cost of program) <-----> $150 (minimum for teams who cannot afford to pay the full cost).
    • You can select a discount of $30, $60, $90 or $150.
  • Payment options for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Non-League Qualifying Tournament
    • ONLINE CREDIT CARD PAYMENT for NON-LEAGUE- Visa, Mastercard, or Discover
    • PAY BY CHECK for Non-League 
    • PAY BY Purchase Order followed by a check for League
• SIGN-UP FOR NON-League Events OPENS ON Friday, OCTOBER 13th at 3:00 pm 
• SIGN-UP FOR Non-League Events ENDS ON Tuesday, OCTOBER 31st at 11:59 pm 

• QUESTIONS???? - I'm here for you! Email me - I'll monitor email until 4pm and then check after I get home at 6pm (yes, I have a 2 hour commute on Friday afternoons)  

Welcome to FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon - 
This morning I added many new email addresses to our information list.

FIRST Tech Challenge OREGON - League/Non-League Sign-up

FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon had planned to launch League and Non-League Sign-up later this afternoon (10/3). Due to technical difficulties beyond my control I've been unable to access critical data from a FIRST HQ site. This is forcing me to delay the launch.  

The New Launch Date will be Friday, October 6th at 3:00 pm for both League and Non-League. 

• League Sign-up will close on October 16th. (closes earlier because I need to prepare roster for meets) 
• Non- League Sign-up will close on October 31st. 

 TIPS and TRICKS for a Successful Event Sign-up

• Decide which adult on your team will be responsible for completing the online sign-up. 
• Know your official national FIRST Tech Challenge team number, coach names and coach email addresses that match the ones on your national registration. 
• Know your decision to go League or Non-League. 
• Number of team members per team.  Some demographics about your team members. 
• Which League you wish to join.  League Schedule  
• Choices include Pendleton, Hood River, Hillsboro, Tigard, Salem, Bend Area, Junction City, Roseburg.  
• At this time we are seeking an adult volunteer to be League Manager for the Rose City (Portland)  League. Contact Cathy Swider if you are interested. We have a NE Portland location but need a manager to go forward.  Willing to discuss options. 
• Want to join a league but one is not close Tell us on the online sign-up and if there are enough teams expressing a similar viewpoint in that area, we may start one. 
• If you wish to go Non- League the events/locations do not yet have specific dates. We will be at Oregon State University, which weekend is still being decided - either Jan20/21 or Jan 27/28. A third Non-League event will be added if needed. 

National Registration 
If you haven't nationally registered for this season and plan to play, this week is the time to log on and finalize your national registration for the 2017-2018 FIRST Tech Challenge season. Returning teams are required to update their national registration every season. 

LINK TO NATIONAL REGISTRATION PAGE with Registration Instructions. These instructions include how to invite coaches.
FIRST Storefront Instructions - Paying for the Registration and purchasing product in the FIRST Storefront

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Robot Skills Workshop designed for newer team members by FTC Team #4412-Shower Handles -Sunday, October 8th - 9:00 am - noon - Hood River Valley HS

Tech Talk by FTC Team #9769 Total Chaos  - Fast Forward into the Future - October 21st - @ Puppet Labs.

BensonBot Fest - Saturday, October 21 - Benson High School, Portland - 9:00 - ~3:00 pm  by Benson HS Robotics Club #187, #267, #4560 
Lots of workshops for Rookie Teams, League Meet Training for Volunteer.
Schedule SOON!

Update for FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon

FIRST Tech Challenge National Registration 
As of  today, September 26th, FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon has 119 registered and paid teams. There are an additional 7 teams with temporary numbers making their way through national registration.
If you have not yet registered your team, or finalized your national registration, please do so soon. It helps us plan the number of needed leagues and tournament events. Really hoping to reach 200 teams. If you need help or assistance, please do not hesitate to email me.

LINK TO NATIONAL REGISTRATION PAGE with Registration Instructions. These instructions include how to invite coaches.
FIRST Storefront Instructions - Paying for the Registration and purchasing product in the FIRST Storefront

 Youth Team Member Registration System
(formerly known as STIMS - Student Team Information Management System) 
 Youth Team Member Registration System will replace STIMS as the application FIRST uses for Coaches to issue invitations to parents of team members, to be part of the team. Parents fill out an form and electronically sign a FIRST Consent and Release Form required to participate in meets and tournaments.  The Coach will generate a Youth Team Member Roster(formerly known as STIMS Roster showing all team members) listing the team members and a checkbox showing the student's parent/guardian has electronically submitted a FIRST Consent & Release Form.
PLEASE NOTE: The Youth Team Member Registration System has not yet launched. We expect launch in early October.

SIGN UP to Join a FIRST Tech Challenge League or Non-league Qualifying Tournament
Change to Launch Date: At kickoff I announced Sign-ups would start on October 1. I didn't realize that was a Sunday, an inconvenient day. I'm moving our launch date to Tuesday, October 3rd at 5:00 pm. 
What you need to know prior to signing-up for a league or tournament. 

•  Your team must be nationally registered and Paid ($275) prior to signing up for an Oregon FIRST Tech Challenge League or Non-League Qualifying Tournament. 
• You'll be asked to select your preference to Join a League or attend a  non-league qualifying tournament. It's one or the other, but not both. 
•  The Sign-up Form is going to ask for information about your team. #of students and demographic profile. Please be prepared to answer those questions. We need it for awards ordering and grant reports. 
•  There is a separate charge for being part of a League or competing at a Non-League Qualifying Tournament. Those payments are made to ORTOP (Oregon Robotics Tournament & Outreach Program). Please know that when you make a payment, you are helping to pay for more than just that event. Expenses for FTC Oregon include events and much more to make this happen. We have office space, storage space, insurance, staff, equipment purchases to name a few.   
• ORTOP has a sliding payment scale for FIRST Tech Challenge events. It ranges from the Full Cost of the Program (FCP) to a minimum amount. We understand that not all teams can afford to pay the Full Cost of the Program. Assess your situation and pay what you can afford. We try to find sponsors to pay what teams cannot afford to pay. 
• League Participation - includes all Meets and League Qualifying Tournament  
• Full Cost of Program - $400  <---------> $200 Minimum payment 
• Non-League Qualifying Tournament 
• Full Cost of Program - $300  <---------> $150 Minimum payment 
• If your team advances to the Super-Qualifier level 
• Full Cost of Program - $400 <----------> $200 Minimum payment 
• And if your team advances to the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Championship!!! 
• Full Cost of Program - $500 <-----------> $250 Minimum payment 

TEAM SUPPORT AWARD FUNDING UPDATE
ORTOP Team Support Award - Round One is closed. Applicants will be notified sometime on Friday, September 29th if your team(s) were or were not selected to receive an award.  
ORTOP Team Support Award - Round Two applications will be accepted until midnight Saturday, September 30th.  Click here for application information

National FTC Veteran and Rookie Grants - FIRST HQ is giving out grant credit to cover the $275 national registration. If your team has not yet paid for their $275 national registration, you are eligible to apply and receive a grant credit. Click here for more information 

BENSON BOT FEST - October 21st 
Save the Date  - Preference given to Rookie Teams for the Workshops
Volunteer Training for Head Referees, Referees, Scorekeepers, FTA, Inspectors
Time: Check-in at 9:00 am - runs to about 3:00 pm / Schedule of Event: TBA
*****Looking for 4 Veteran Teams to run a 30 second Autonomous Program into Teleop to give the Referees a chance to practice the new format change.  Autonomous does not need to accomplish much, just run for 30 seconds and shut down using the proper SDK protocol.  Email Cathy Swider to commit.

Start of a new season

Four items for you today

Resources from FIRST Relic Recovery Kickoff 
Our thanks to our teams at St. Mary's teams in Medford, Summit Robotics teams in Bend, Intel in Hillsboro for hosting FIRST Relic Recovery Kickoff events last weekend. And a thanks to and Hood River Valley HS teams for trying to host.

There was a ton of information communicated during kickoff. I have consolidated much of it on our FIRST Tech Challenge Team Resources page on www. ortop.org

Major Rule Change to FIRST Tech Challenge 
This is HUGE!!
"Starting in the 2017-2018 season, there will no longer be a hard stop following the autonomous period to transition to the driver controlled period of the match."
Read all about it and watch the video.... click here 

League Meet Schedules 
Most of our Leagues have submitted a date and location schedule. We are waiting on a few more. Here is the schedule as of today.  

BENSON Bot Fest - October 21st at Benson Polytechnic HS, NE Portland
Rookie Workshop/Scrimmage  

• For too many years to remember the FIRST Tech Challenge teams at Benson High School have hosted the Benson BotFest. This is a very valuable event for our community.   This event is for Rookie teams, rookie team members on veteran teams and rookie mentors/coaches to attend programming workshops, strategy workshops, have hands-on time with their robots and get the advice of seasoned veteran mentors/team members.  
• Veteran team/team members wishing to mentor/lead a workshop... contact Cathy 
• And for the 2nd year, this will be LEAGUE VOLUNTEER TRAINING and League-in-a-Crate Pickup.  We'll be holding training for Head Ref and Referees, Inspectors, FTAs and Scorekeepers. 
• Mark your calendars - There will be on online Sign-up posted on the FTC Team Resources Page and Workshop Page early next week.  

UPDATE  - Thursday, September 7th Hood River Kickoff - POSTPONED UNTIL A LATER DATE
Due to the increasing Eagle Creek Wildfire in the Columbia Gorge we are forced to postpone the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon - Kickoff Event at Hood River Valley High School scheduled for Saturday, September 9th.
 3 out of 5 area school districts have cancelled school and all activities due to increasing levels of hazardous air caused by smoke and evacuation notifications.  Out of concern for the safety of our team members and volunteers the event will be rescheduled for a later date.

______________________________________
 News for you and your team!
1) RELIC RECOVERY KICKOFF
2) Other FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon News: $$$Team Support and Event Registration
3) FIRST Tech Challenge HQ News from Manchester, NH: Software Release and Android Control System documentation

IT'S FIRST TECH CHALLENGE KICKOFF WEEK!!! 

The wait is almost over!
The 2017-2018 FIRST Tech Challenge season RELIC RECOVERY Game Animation Video and Game Manual II will be released on Saturday, September 9th at 9:00 am Pacific Time.
Doors open for Live Kickoff events in Oregon starting at 8:30 am

How you can join in on the fun!

• Attend a live Kickoff event in Oregon (see list below) 
• or gather your team together to watch the FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Live Stream Event  from Medford. Including Relic Recovery Game Animation Video, Game Manual II Highlight Video by FTC Oregon Championship Head Ref Aaryn Curl!  &  presentation from  Matt Heverly from NASA!  Medford will go live at 8:50 am. 
• or distribute link information to team members to watch at their leisure 

Can't be there for the kickoff?  
If you miss the launch, no worries the Game Animation video, Championship Head Ref Aaryn Curl's Game Manual II highlight video will be available online. 

FOR ROOKIES and ROOKIE TEAMS:
Why is this all so important?  This Saturday, September 9th  is the day the FIRST Tech Challenge community learns the specific details of the 2017-2018 annual challenge. So far teams were given access to Game Manual I (non-specific challenge rules/guidelines and a video teaser for Relic Recovery.   On Saturday, the actual game field will be revealed and the annual challenge revealed via a game animation from the FIRST HQ in Manchester, NH via YouTube and Game Manual II will be released.
Also, at the live kickoff events, several are offering workshops and presentations to help your teams get off on the right foot. We will try to make as many of these presentations available online post-kickoff. 

LIVE Kickoff  EVENTS
Medford – 8:30 am – 2:30 pm 
St. Mary’s School, 816 Black Oak Dr, Medford, OR 97504 – EVENT FLYER 
FTC Relic Recovery Kickoff at St. Mary’s School in Medford on Sept 9th: Teams will get to watch the Relic Recovery animated video, followed by Game Manual II Highlight Video by Championship Head Referee Aayrn Curl, see the arena in person, listen to Matt Heverly from the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and Mars Curiosity Rover driver talk about the methodical steps routinely used in solving an engineering challenge, brainstorm solutions in a breakout session, have lunch (yes, there are free lunches!) with other teams, and participate in practical educational sessions for old and new teams. Topics may include programming, control system, Vuforia, engineering notebook, presentations to judges, season organization, SolidWorks CAD, 3D printing, etc. Let us know if your team is interested in making a presentation. Every effort will be made to make it a worthwhile and action-packed day. Contact Kent Dauterman if you plan to come and how many are coming so that we can order the right amount of food. Just bring your positive energy and a good appetite.

Bend 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Summit High School, 2855 NW Clearwater Dr, Bend, OR 97703
FIRST Tech Challenge – Game Animation followed by Game Manual II Highlight Video by Championship Head Referee Aayrn Curl,  game/field viewing and discussion.
FTC Blocks Programming Workshop 10 AM – 3 PM, bring your lunch,(taught by Bruce Schafer, ORTOP).
We encourage veteran FTC programming students to attend the workshop so that you will be able to help mentor rookie teams throughout the season.
If you can – bring a laptop & a basic FTC Bot for the programming workshop.
Adult mentor & coaches networking discussion on Fundraising & Team Building

Hillsboro – 8:30 am – noonIntel Jones Farm Conference Center Auditorium, 2111 Northeast 25th Street, Hillsboro, OR 97124
FIRST Tech Challenge – Game Animation followed by game/field viewing, followed Game Manual II Highlight Video by Championship Head Referee Aayrn Curl and live discussion with Championship Head Referee Aaryn Curl. Presentations include Strategic Design: How to make the most of your season, and be as effective as possible by Shishir Pandit-Rao,  Being a Rookie Team Member by Rachel Weirnick & Rispa Vranka Wafula,  Championship Field Technical Advisor Update by Dale Jordan and Krishnan Duraiswami

Hood River - POSTPONED DUE TO THE EAGLE CREEK WILDFIRE Hood River Valley High School, 1220 Indian Creek Rd, Hood River, OR 97031
FIRST Tech Challenge – Game Animation followed Game Manual II Highlight Video by Championship Head Referee Aayrn Curl,  by game/field viewing and discussion. Breakout sessions: How to succeed in FTC Notebook/outreach,  Intro to Block programming, Do’s and don’ts of building a FIRST Tech Challenge robot.     EVENT FLYER

Gladstone 
Kraxberger Middle School – 17777 Webster Rd Gladstone Oregon 97027FTC Teams 8188 and 8132  is hosting a breakfast kickoff – Watch the Game Animation video, followed Game Manual II Highlight Video by Championship Head Referee Aayrn Curl and eat waffles served by the teams. Chat and brainstorm Relic Recovery strategy. Learn how Kraxberger teams fundraise via their tech recycle program.   Physical field will not be available at this site

OTHER FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon News 

• So far 71 Oregon teams have registered for this season.  Hoping for about 140 more.  Link to National Registration  
• Applications for ORTOP Team Support Awards for funding are still being accepted. This includes funding from the Oregon Department of Education.  
• Applications received by September 15th will be processed as ROUND #1.  
• Applications received after September 15 and by September 30th will be processed as ROUND #2, using any remaining funds. 
• FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon EVENT REGISTRATION -  Teams that are nationally registered can register for:
•  a LEAGUE October 1st  - 15th. This includes participation in 3 - 4 League Meets and one League Qualifying Tournament. 
• a Non-League Qualifying Tournament October 1st - 30th. This includes competing at one Non-League Tournament. 
• LINKS to Event Registration will be released via email to coaches and this blog. 
• FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Event Fees  - links to pay for events will open on October 1st with event registration. 

NEWS from the FIRST Tech Challenge HQ in Manchester, NH 

Scheduled Software Release

There is a scheduled release of the new FIRST Tech Challenge software, for Wednesday, September 6th.  The new release will include usability and reliability improvements for the 2017-2018 season.  Features include a new "OnBot Java" programming tool that lets kids program using Java without the need for Android Studio.  The new software will also have some enhanced Vuforia features.  Note that teams are not required to upgrade to the newest software.  Updated software will be available from Google Play and on the public GitHub Repository (https://github.com/ftctechnh/ftc_app).

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 Online Document for Android Control System

FIRST Tech Challenge now has an online, "evergreen" document for the FIRST Tech Challenge Android control system.  This online document is a centralized repository with up-to-date information about configuring, using, and troubleshooting the FIRST Tech Challenge Android control system.  The community can access the documentation at the following address: https://github.com/ftctechnh/ftc_app/wiki.

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THE NEW ORTOP WEBSITE COMETH!!!  

After 17 years and coinciding with the total eclipse of the sun, ORTOP will launch a brand new website on Monday, August 21st.  

We hope everyone will benefit from a streamlined website that will allow you to access materials quicker. 

We expect a few bad links and some 404 messages as we work out the bugs.  If there is something you'd like to see included on the FTC Oregon part of the new site or would like to report a bug issue, please email Cathy Swider. 

_______________________________________________________________

SOLAR ECLIPSE OF THE SUN - Monday ! 
FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon extends a huge congratulations and good luck wishes to Tigard Tech for their NASA Solar Eclipse Balloon Project. The team which includes FIRST Tech Challenge team members and alumni will culminate their 14-month project by  launching a scientific weather balloon with attached video payload on Monday morning, August 21st from Culver High School in Central Oregon.   KPTV highlighted their project on their newsbroadcast on 8/15/17. 

In celebration of the Solar Eclipse, ORTOP Executive Director David Perry, declared Monday, August 21st as an official ORTOP Science Holiday. Our office will be closed  allowing staff to scatter throughout Oregon to their spots on the red line.

RELIC RECOVERY KICK-OFF!  Saturday, September 9, 2017

It's official! We have locations and times for our LIVE  Kick-offs.
Please plan to attend and please invite others who might be interested in starting FIRST Tech Challenge teams. I have MJ Murdock Grants for brand new teams! Please help us outreach to potential new teams. 

• The following locations will have Relic Recovery fields set up for teams to explore and plot their path to a successful season. 
• DOORS OPEN AT 8:30 AM / Game Animation at 9:00 am 
• Each Kickoff site will feature a showing of the Game Animation video and Relic Recovery field.

• BEND 
• Summit High School 2855 NW Clearwater Dr, Bend, OR 97703
• Additional details on presentations TBA
• HILLSBORO 
• Intel Jones Farm Conference Center Auditorium 
• 2111 Northeast 25th Street, Hillsboro, OR 97124 
• Additional details on presentations TBA 
• HOOD RIVER 
• Hood River Valley High School 
• 1220 Indian Creek Rd, Hood River, OR 97031
• Additional details on presentations TBA 
• MEDFORD 
• St. Mary's School 
• 816 Black Oak Dr, Medford, OR 97504
• Teams will
• watch the Relic Recovery animated video, see the arena 
• listen to Matt Heverly from the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and Mars Curiosity Rover driver talk about the methodical steps routinely used in solving an engineering challenge 
• brainstorm solutions in a breakout session, 
• have lunch (yes, there are free lunches!) with other teams
• participate in practical educational sessions for old and new teams.  Topics may include: programming, control system Vuforia, engineering notebook, presentations to judges, season organization, SolidWorks CAD, 3D printing, etc.  
• Let us know if your team is interested in making a presentation.  Every effort will be made to make it a worthwhile and action-packed day.  Let us know if you plan to come and how many are coming so that we can order the right amount of food.  Just bring your positive energy and a good appetite.  
• CHECK OUT #8372 TNT - YouTube FTC Workshop Presentations Channel 

ORTOP Team Support Awards $$$$

To date we have received a relatively small amount applications for financial team support. For that reason, I have changed the grant deadline/notification schedule.   :-(
What you need to know:

• ODE: In case you are just tuning in, ORTOP was awarded the Oregon Department of Education: FIRST Robotics Grant.  In past years, public school teams applied directly to ODE for these funds. This year, public schools will complete an ORTOP Team Support Award Application for ODE funding. There are different applications for each FIRST program; FLL, FTC and FRC. 
• ELIGIBILITY: If your team is not affiliated with a public school, you are still eligible to apply for a number of the corporate sponsored grants. 
• THE ORTOP FTC APP: The ORTOP Team Support Award Application: FIRST Tech Challenge  acts as a "Common Application" that covers ALL sources of funding that ORTOP has available for FIRST Tech Challenge including ODE, corporate grants and corporate giving dollars. 
• There are two types of applications 
• NEW Team/School/Organization Application - brand new teams at new locations (referred to as  Rookie App)
• EXISTING Team/School/Organization Application - locations where FIRST Tech Challenge already exists (referred to as  Veteran App).  If location (school or organization) wants to ADD additional new teams to their existing teams this is the application to use. 
• NEW Deadline/Notification Schedule
  • Applications accepted from NOW - September 30th. No applications will be accepted after September 30th.
  • 1st round notifications will begin Sept 30th for all awards for applications submitted by September 15th. 
  • 2nd round notifications will happen on October 10th for all awards for applications submitted by September 30th. 
• LINK TO THE ORTOP Team Support Award Information/Application page for FIRST Tech Challenge 
 

Almost time to get back into the swing of things!  We have exciting news to share. 

FUNDING and Team Support Awards, specifically Oregon Department of Education: FIRST Robotics Grant.
 
We’re also happy to announce that for the first time, ORTOP has been selected by the Oregon Department of Education to administer the ODE: FIRST Robotics Grant application and award process. ODE funds will be distributed through ORTOP using the standard team support application process, which is currently open. We hope this will make the process slightly easier and more efficient for teams who require assistance. Because the budget process took longer than expected this year, we are left with a very tight timeline to process the applications and awards. Please apply as early as possible to ensure you receive the most support possible for your team. There is over $200K in funds to be awarded across FLL, FTC and FRC.  

This means you can apply for the ODE funding and other ORTOP corporate giving team support awards using one common application for all teams in one school. This application is not meant to be filled out to cover multiple schools in a district.  One school per application per program.   This is different than the way ODE managed the grant last year. 
You can find out more information and begin the application process by going to the FIRST Tech Challenge Team Support Awards Information Page - CLICK HERE 
__________________________________________________________________________

MAKE FIRST LOUD opportunities  
We are looking for teams to volunteer to inform the public about FIRST at the following events. If your team or a few team members are available to volunteer, please email Cathy Swider cathy-swider(at)ortop(dot)org

• OREGON STATE FAIR - Wednesday, AUGUST 30th  
• PORTLAND MINI MAKER FAIRE (OMSI) - SEPTEMBER 16th or 17th
• OREGON INTERNATIONAL AIR SHOW (Hillsboro Airport) - SEPTEMBER 23rd or 24th 

_________________________________________________________________

FIRST RELIC RECOVERY will soon be here.  Here is a checklist. 

______ Contacted team members, recruited new team members

______ Created a funding plan and started fundraising, applying for grants and awards

______ Read the FTC Oregon blog posts to catch up on the new stuff 

______ Started or completed updating your national team profile and paying for  NATIONAL REGISTRATION - CLICK HERE FOR LINK 

______ Established a meeting place, time or thought about it? 

______ Thinking about joining/staying in a league or going non-league. (next blog will have updates for league places, dates, times - we are still working on the logistics) 

______ Join  #SLACK or FTC Oregon to be up-to-date on team tech support and team strategy info

______ Dismiss all thoughts of getting Relic Recovery game details out of Cathy before Sept 9, 2017 at 9:00 am PDT. (However, it is a very interesting game. Put your Indiana Jones hats on, there is thinkin' to be done!)______ Make plans to attend RELIC RECOVERY KICK OFF on Sept 9, 2017 either in person or virtually. More info on Oregon locations and time in next post. 

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR
FIRST Team Members and Alumni - ages 16 - 24 living in Multnomah and Washington Counties, through WorkSystems.org - Summerworks program 

The position is for Cyber Security Researchers at Tripwire (in Portland).  (DO NOT CONTACT Tripwire directly)
Link to application through Summer Works 

The job description is pasted below:

***COMPLETION OF THE FIRST ROBOTICS PROGRAM IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THIS POSITION*****

Summary of essential job functions

As a Security Research Intern you will be doing research into defending against cyber security attacks. As such, you will learn how to:

• Build a virtualized computer lab

• Obtain and use offensive cyber security tools

• Obtain and use defensive cyber security tools

• Apply this learning to different situations such as online research, capture the flag program, responses to media events

• Design and implement new ways to detect and defend against cyber attacks

Minimum requirements

• ANY CANDIDATE MUST BE A CURRENT PARTICIPANT IN THE FIRST ROBOTICS PROGRAM

• COMPLETION OF ATTACHED SCREENING QUESTIONS

• Willingness to learn, the ability to do online (internet) research and apply what has been learned to technical solutions. 

• Problem solving, critical thinking and the ability to think outside of the box.

• Comfortable working with technology.

Preferences

This position is a technical internship and will involve working with computers and applications, both through a gui and command line. Experience of installing and configuring computers will be a benefit. Experience of basic computer networking will be a benefit.