Glassboro - Seven students from Robbinsville High School’s Project Lead the Way program (5 of which are members of Team Nemesis) were invited to participate in The 2010 Guidance Counselor Conference at Rowan University today. The conference was designed to provide an overview of PLTW and training for counselors in active PLTW schools. Thirty guidance counselors and technology teachers from across the state attended the conference.

A mockup of the arena bump was built to the documented specifications. A rolling chassis was built to test the ability to roll over the bump – and it almost did just that. Luckily, the chassis was caught just before tumbling and crushing the precious cRIO. Lesson learned – a low center of gravity is EXTREMELY important if the goal is to cross the field.

Now that real build season is in full swing we need to re-emphasize safety protocols. Safety glasses must be worn; proper tool use is critical, etc. Everyone should know where the fire extinguisher and first aid kit are located.

After having an evening to ponder the new challenge, the team met on Sunday for a brainstorming session. Strategies, rules, and strengths/weaknesses were discussed, and the team came up with a mission statement for this year's competition.

Team 2590 traveled to Montgomery High School where Team 1403, Cougar Robotics hosted this year's kickoff. This year’s competition, Breakaway was announced. During the game, teams will attempt to score points by shooting soccer balls into goals and by suspending their robots from a tower on the playing field.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Company, the students of Team Nemesis continue on their quest of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science knowledge and the pursuit of excellence. For the first time in our young team’s history, we will compete in a second regional event in 2010. We applaud the BMS commitment to inspire the next generation of engineers, computer scientists, technology and business leaders.

It's time to start the pre-season work for the coming 2010 FRC competition. This year the team is going to focus on experimenting with different drive systems. New members will also be introduced to the various teams to get hands-on experience.

Snug Harbor, Staten Island, NY: Gadgetoff is a one day, invitation only event designed to showcase technology, innovation and art. Team Nemesis was one of five FIRST Robotics teams invited to participate and demonstrate what FIRST and the FRC is all about.

The event had a little bit of everything: a remote control airplane made entirely from garbage (delta wing made from some recycled rigid foam insulation – awesome flyer!); a demonstration of a DIY/open source, non-lethal, vomit inducing flashlight (http://ladyada.net/make/bedazzler/); a trebuchet that flung watermelons across the outdoor exhibit area; an NG rocket propelled, spinning ride (talk about vomit inducing); and much more.