Maine robotics team Northern Force earned a spot at the FIRST® Championship in St. Louis, Mo., earlier this year. Click here to see more photos from the event.
When TI employee Thomas Moutinho's daughter approached him about attending an informational meeting about the Falmouth and Gorham High School robotics team, he looked at it as an opportunity to spend more time with her.
Moutinho soon got involved with the FIRST® Robotics Competition as a mentor. The next year his son joined the team. Four years later, his third child joined the team and his wife became a coach. A FIRST Robotics family was born.
This year has been a particularly special year for Moutinho and this Maine Robotics team. FRC Team 172, also known as the Northern Force, built a robot with the ability to hurl Frisbees, climb towers and defend its way to the top to earn a spot at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo., earlier this year.
"The energy level of everyone in the Edward Jones Super Dome was incredible," Moutinho said. "The program has such a positive influence on so many students by exposing them to STEM. There are only 14 teams in Maine, and we need so many more."
This year, Northern Force encompassed 26 mentors (volunteers from various companies, including Moutinho,) and 42 students from the combined high schools. They joined thousands of students and hundreds of mentors and other robots to compete for their respective titles.
"It is clear to me that this program is producing the next generation of engineers and leaders who will be solving some of our most difficult future problems," Moutinho said.
The robots compete in alliances of three teams and battle during four days of competition, all while upholding the FIRST value of "gracious professionalism."
"We're happy to be here," said team member Joey Moutinho, age 15. "Being on this team has taught us to be ambitious and to give it all you can."
Also this year, TI supported the VEX Robotics Competition, an event that drew 700 of the world's best student-run VEX teams and more than 15,000 student participants, educators, mentors, industry leaders and community members from 24 countries.
Dave Heacock, senior vice president and manager of TI's Silicon Valley Analog business, attended the VEX World Championship and presented the Mentor of the Year awards to Pat Fairbank of Bellarmine College Prep in California and Steve Sadler from East Barnet School in the United Kingdom.
Before handing out the awards, Heacock reinforced TI's strong commitment to science, technology, engineering and science (STEM) education.
"The VEX Robotics Competition is a chance for Texas Instruments to collaborate in an area we're passionate about — STEM education — which builds for the future and makes a difference in our world," he said. "Innovation is not just part of our history; it is the key to our future."
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