Are YOU interested in joining us?!

If so, why not fill out this short survey so you can start receiving our e-mails? It'll help us to keep everyone on a compiled list. And don't worry, if you become uninterested in the team then we'll remove you promptly at your request. Click here in order to fill it out!

Next Meeting

Our next full meeting will be on Thursday, September 15th, at 7:00 p.m. It will be at the Warehouse, located at 4068-B Fernandina Rd. Columbia, SC 29212. The driveway is next to All-Star Gymnastics.

Summer is Almost Here!

Alright, our season is over and we did amazing this year at the Palmetto Regional. Now the summer season will start soon begin to ready us for SCRIW coming in October. Tonight, (May 19) we should be meeting at Dutch Fork High School for the STEM Orientation for recruiting. Anyway, this summer we will definitely be having a car wash, so if you are going to be out of town, be sure to let Mr. Hedden or Brianna know. This helps so they can plan the car wash when many people will be in town. Thanks for everyone's support this season. It's been a great school year!

Looking for information?

Email Stephen Orr (iusorr@gmail.com) or Matt Hedden (mhedden@gmail.com) and/or check our calendar for the when and where of our next meeting!

D5Robotics Gets to Semi-Finals!

• D5Robotics finishes the 2010 FRC season with its best ever finish by advancing to the semi-finals at the Palmetto Regional. The robot did well throughout the competition, even better, the team did a terrific job troubleshooting various issues that came up over the rigorous three day schedule. The team was picked to be part of the second seeded alliance after the round robin schedule and had a couple ups and downs in the tournament. Each problem the team faced was unique and our members did a great job identifying the issues and giving our bot the chance to succeed in each case.
  We have a more experienced team going on to the next step and you should see a lot of progress over the next year. Way to go 1293!
• A big thank you goes out to all the members, mentors, parents, and fans who came out to support us.
  In particular the team would like to especially thank Felician Stratmann, Savannah Savage, and Tom Tarter for keeping the team going with their energy and commitment over the past year; and Ryan Brown and CJ Corsi for their continued involvement and expertise in taking the team to the next level. With out these very special people this year would not have been the same.

2011 Season Kickoff Info

• Watch the kickoff online... All kickoff info can be found HERE.
• The Palmetto Regional website can be found HERE.
• If you have cable it should be broadcast on channel 139 at 10:05am, I believe...

• We will be meeting at the warehouse starting at 2pm to unload the kit of parts (KOP) and start brainstorming!

What is FIRST?

FIRST is a not-for-profit charity organization that’s mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication and leadership. FIRST has different competitions: FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST LEGO League, and the FIRST Tech Challenge. FIRST was founded by Dean Kamen in 1989, his vision was "to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.”

What is D5 Robotics?

D5 Robotics is a collaboration of the three Lexington District Five high schools Chapin, Dutch Fork, and Irmo (hence the title D5 Robotics). The schools have, in the spirit of cooperation and innovation that characterizes everything FIRST-related, put aside their rivalries to form what may be understated as an amazing robotics team. Members from all involved schools attend the meetings and contribute to the team in a variety of ways. They are given the opportunity to specialize on something within the team, but all eventually try their hand at every job for the full robotics experience.

Students are guided by experienced professionals in fields of science, technology, and engineering. These mentors volunteer their time to teach students (their future co-workers) skills needed in the real world for their fields, as well as showing them (while experiencing them yet again) the reasons why they chose engineering as a profession.

The team works on various projects in robotics, animation, marketing, philanthropy, and community enhancement, and more! All are welcome!

If you are a student, parent, or community member looking to be a mentor with our team and want to get involved, please sign up for an account on the forum and introduce yourself. This forum is the main way we communicate with our team. It also has most information that you may need. Thanks for the interest!

If you are a potential or current sponsor and need to speak with someone,
please email Stephen Orr.