Team 3322, Eagle Evolution, competes with teams around the state in a competition created by FIRST. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) is an organization that strives to introduce students to the wide world of engineering through a simple and effective concept; making a robot for a game. Every year the creators at FIRST release a new game concept for robots to compete in, posing new challenges for young engineers. Competing for 12 years in the FIRST Robotics Competition, Team 3322 has grown in size and experience, evolving each year to meet the expectations and challenges set before us with every new game. Our team has won three district events (Saline 2023, Jackson 2022, Livonia 2012), the DTE division competition at State Championships (2022), and has attended the World Championships five times (2011, 2012, 2015, 2022, and 2023). You can learn more about us and our various accomplishments here. Despite this, our team values student success more than competitive success. For many years we have sent student volunteers to mentor our local middle school robotics teams, providing learning experiences for the students we help and the volunteers we send. Our team has a rich culture of collaborative competition that has grown over years of cooperation with other local FRC teams to foster bonds between students from many schools and various backgrounds. This unique feature of FIRST is something we are proud of and eager to take into the future.

Even though the pride of Eagle Evolution is in its student leadership, one of our greatest strengths is collaborating with a network of mentors and parent support to achieve our goals. Our faculty advisor Laura Schaffer makes it possible for us to operate as a club for our school, Skyline High School. The incredible mentors that donate their time to our team teach students about engineering and business, providing us with the tools we need to have a fantastic season. Our three team captains organize, plan, and run meetings, along with activities and communication within the team. These include assigning projects to Subteam leaders. Subteam leaders (each responsible for one aspect of the robot like programming, wiring, design, etc.) micro-manage and delegate jobs/projects to specific team sections.

Team 3322 treats robotics as a year-long activity. Regular meetings as a team begin in the fall when school starts. These fall meetings consist of ‘Modules’: these are classroom-like lessons led by our experienced mentors. Students attend these Modules twice a week until the release of the WAPUR (Washtenaw Area Pick-Up Robotics) Game. The game released, similar to our real season challenge, poses tasks for our robot to complete for points. Eagle Evolution uses this game as a learning opportunity and a chance to practice the design process before our real season begins. WAPUR wraps up in December, shortly before the beginning of our competition season.

FIRST releases its game in January every year. Teams have about two months to design, fabricate, build and program their robots before their first competition. Our team divides and conquers projects and tasks based on what part of the robot a student has proficiency in; For example, one group of students could be using 3D modeling software to create a digital image of a prototype, while another group programs a lift system. Student leadership manages projects and deadlines, pushing for the robot to be done with time to spare before our first competition. In Michigan, there are five weeks of “District” competitions. Every team competes in two of these events, each of which takes up a weekend. After the five weeks of competition are over, the Michigan State FIRST Championships get held. Here, the top quarter of teams in the state will compete for spots at the World Championships in Texas.