A: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a global nonprofit organization that encourages students to explore science and technology through robotics competitions. The organization was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen and Woodie Flowers with the goal of inspiring students to pursue engineering and technology careers. 

FIRST offers a variety of programs for students in grades PreK-12, including after-school activities and school-based robotics teams. The programs are designed to build confidence, resilience, and skills that can help students succeed in the classroom and workforce. FIRST’s philosophy is based on “Coopertition” and “Gracious Professionalism”. 

The organization’s main competitions are: FIRST LEGO League (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). 

In the FRC, students work together to design and build robots, and then compete in tournaments and alliances. Competitions are overseen by judges, referees, and fans, and teams are evaluated on design, technology, sportsmanship, and commitment to FIRST. The highest honor is the Chairman’s Award, which is given to the team that best exemplifies FIRST’s values. The season ends with a championship event, which is usually held in Houston, Texas in late April. In addition to competing, students can learn from professional engineers, use sophisticated software and hardware, and improve their teamwork and communication skills.

A: The Tulsa Robotics Center (TRC) is a facility that provides a home for STEAM Post 26 teams. STEAM Post 26 is a youth-led organization that provides opportunities for youth to learn about STEM through FIRST Robotics and other programs. STEAM Post 26 has programs that enable youth to develop all kinds of skills including teamwork, leadership, communications, problem solving, computer programming, social media and much more.

The Tulsa Robotics Center Foundation (TRCF) is a 501(c)(3) organization.

A: Our programs are for ages 2nd grade through 12th grade.  We offer programs for the following ages:

• FIRST Lego League Explore (FLL Explore): For youth in grades 2nd through 4th
• FIRST Lego League Challenge (FLL): For youth in grades 4th through 8th grade
• FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC): For youth in grades 8th through 12th grade
• FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC): For youth in grades 9th through 12th grade

These are robotics programs organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – more below), but they cater to different age groups and levels of complexity. FLL is for younger students with a focus on learning basic concepts and teamwork, FTC is for older students with a focus on more advanced robotics and programming, and FRC is for the most experienced high school students, involving large-scale robots and complex competitions. Here’s more about each program:

FIRST LEGO League Explore (FLL Explore)

• Age Group: 6-10 years old (Grades 2-4)
• Robots: Teams use LEGO Spike Prime Essentials
• Focus: Designed for elementary school children aged 6 to 10. Each year, students dive into an exciting topic in science and technology. Along the way, they playfully explore the world of programming using a LEGO® Education robotics set and create a motorized LEGO model.
• Complexity: Entry-level; focuses on introducing students to STEM concepts through hands-on learning and collaboration.

FIRST LEGO League Challenge (FLL)

• Age Group: 9-16 years old (but most of our 14+ youth move on to FTC/FRC)
• Robots: Teams use LEGO Spike Prime kits.
• Focus: Teams build and program a robot to complete various missions on a themed challenge mat. The challenge changes each year and includes both robotic missions and a research project.
• Complexity: Entry-level; focuses on introducing students to STEM concepts through hands-on learning and collaboration.

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)

• Age Group: 12-18 years old.
• Robots: Teams use a variety of components and kits including GoBILDA, REV Robotics, and other modular parts to build their robots.
• Focus: Teams design, build, and program robots to compete in a game with specific rules and objectives that change annually. FTC robots are typically smaller and more versatile compared to FRC robots.
• Complexity: Intermediate level; emphasizes more complex engineering and programming challenges.

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

• Age Group: 14-18 years old.
• Robots: Teams build large robots (up to 120 lbs) from a wide range of materials and components, including custom parts.
• Focus: Teams are challenged with designing and building a robot to play a complex game in a large arena, often with dynamic scoring and strategy elements. The build and competition process is intensive and requires significant teamwork.
• Complexity: Advanced; involves deep engineering design, programming, and team management.

A: Cost is $240 per year per youth to participate in one of the FIRST robotics programs (FLL, FTC, FRC).  If you have more than one youth that would like to participate, the cost is $120 for each additional child. There is an additional $60 fee for participating in more than one of the robotics programs (i.e. FLL + FTC or FTC + FRC).

The fee includes the program registration and a team/program t-shirt.  There is no cost to be a registered adult (adults can optionally pay for their background checks and youth protection training).

Other expenses covered by the program fee include administrative costs (software, printer paper, toner, etc.), some travel/meal funds, scholarship funds, and shared organizational tools and parts.

A: Yes. Please contact a member of our admin team. We have a dedicated fund to help offset our fees so that all youth can participate regardless of financial status. We have an application that will need to be completed.

A: All FTC and FRC youth are required to sign a Code of Conduct.  Minor incidents of code of conduct violations will be brought to the student’s attention and suggestions will be made on how to correct the behavior. Continued violation will result in a time-out and notification of the parent. The staff will seek parental support to resolve issues and to encourage positive program participation. Participants who remain disruptive after consultation with the parents may be dismissed from the program.

STEAM Post 26 is sensitive to the safety and positive experience of all participants and as such the following will not be tolerated: 

• Refusing to follow the Code of Conduct or STEAM Post 26 program-specific rules
• Misconduct that is deemed in violation of the law – The appropriate law enforcement agency will be notified. 
• Fighting or threatening of others (physical or verbal) 
• Bullying or Harassment – Physical, emotional or electronic harassment/harm against self, fellow members, advisors, sponsors, or others. 
• Sexual Misconduct 
• Leaving the TRC or other site of a STEAM Post 26 program without permission 
• Possession of and/or use of tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs, fireworks or weapons of any kind 

A: Epic students are welcome to join STEAM Post 26. When they sign up, they will go through the normal registration process.  Please let the administrative team know that we need to bill Epic for the membership fee. We will take care of the rest.

A: The time commitment depends on which robotics program and what the youth want to get out of the program.

• FLL, FTC, and FRC meet every Thursday evening at the TRC starting at 6:00pm. FLL ends at 7:30pm while the other two go until 8:00pm. Extra or extended meetings may be scheduled to prepare for competitions or special events.
• When special events or competitions are approaching, we sometimes schedule extra and/or longer meetings.
• FLL and FTC competitions typically happen on Saturday (with an occasional Friday evening). FRC competitions are multi-day events beginning during the school week and finishing on the weekend. 
• We know schedules are full and people are busy, so come to the meetings you can and don’t worry about missing the ones you can’t — simply let us know either way!

A: The robotics season is different for each of the programs. This is typically how the programs go:

FLL – New members are recruited over the summer and youth are able to participate in activities on Thursday nights from 6:00pm – 7:30pm to help them prepare for the upcoming season. The game is released in early August.  Our teams generally are not formed until the second week of September. Each youth will have the opportunity to be a member of one of our FLL teams. They will build a robot, program it, and prepare for competition, which will be a Saturday event in November. They will compete for an opportunity to compete at the State Championship in December.  The official FLL season will typically end in November if the team doesn’t advance to state or in December after the state championship event.  If an FLL team qualifies for the FIRST Championship (aka “Worlds”), they will compete in Houston in April. The FLL program will take a break at the end of the year and then will start back up with new program activities in January.

FTC – New members are recruited over the summer. The season will officially kick off on the first Saturday of September when the game is announced. Competitions include league meets starting in November, followed by a state qualifier in January.  If a team qualifies, they will attend the state tournament in February.  During competition season we meet multiple times per week.  A team can qualify for the FIRST Championship (aka “Worlds”) at the State Tournament.  Worlds takes place in Houston in April.

FTC also has opportunities for post-season tournaments over the summer that typically involve travel.

FRC – New members are recruited over the summer.  The FRC game is released the first week of January and ends at the FIRST Championship “Worlds” Event in Houston in April (along with FLL/FTC).  The team will compete in at least one, likely two Regional Qualifiers in February and March.  Because the season is so much shorter and the robots are bigger, more preparation work will be needed leading up to the game release, and more frequent meetings than once per week are likely in January and February.

A: We encourage all new FTC youth to participate in our Development program before they join a team.  The Development program allows youth to learn the valuable skills needed on an FTC team, such as CAD, Programming, Building and more.  The Development Program starts in early September and runs parallel with the FTC season (and beyond).  The youth in the Development Program will go through the build process of a robot, using a “Kit Bot” that the TRC provides.  They will learn building, wiring, programming and teamwork skills while working on the “Kit Bot”.  There will also be opportunities to learn CAD (typically using the “OnShape” program) and 3D printing.

Youth can be part of the Development Program for as long as they need – be it a week, month or an entire season.  Every youth is different and comes into the TRC with different skill levels and knowledge.  Our goal is to help our youth feel comfortable with the program and confident in their ability to contribute as part of a team.

Once they feel ready to participate in FTC, they will be able to join a team.  To join a team, they must provide a one-page resume and set up interview(s) with the team(s) they want to join.  Every team has a distinct personality and youth should interview with all teams to find the right fit for them.

A: That depends on your youth.  If they are new to Robotics or FIRST, or they are still gaining confidence in their robot-building or interpersonal skills, FLL would probably be a good fit for your child.  If they already have experience in programming or building robots through other programs—or are self-taught and proficient in Java, CAD, or building—and are ready for a faster-paced, high-pressure environment, then FTC may be a better fit.

One of our mentors would be happy to discuss your individual situation with you to help determine which program would be the best fit for your youth.

A: Most travel is within the state with locations such as Muskogee, Oktaha, Mustang, Oklahoma City, Tulsa-area, Bridge Creek, Pryor, etc.  We have also traveled to the FIRST Championship (aka “Worlds”) in Houston, to competitions in Arkansas, to the Chicago Robotics Invitational in Chicago, IL, to the Michiana Premier Event in South Bend, Indiana and to the Maryland Tech Invitational in Baltimore.

A: Registration fees and fundraised funds are used for a variety of different expenses, including (but not limited to):

• Program operating expenses
• Robot parts
• Team materials
• FIRST & State team registration
• Travel expenses including hotel and food 
• Competition registration fees
• Summer camp supplies
• Equipment for the TRC (3d printers, tools, computers, etc.)

A:  We offer education for youth in many aspects of STEM.  We are looking to expand our educational curriculum this year to include a Tuesday night Robotics class as well as additional opportunities to learn programming, CAD, project management, time management, and presentation skills.  We are also offering instruction in portfolio design and social media engagement

A:  This past summer the TRC offered summer camps on FLL and FTC principles, 3D printing, and Lego Battle Bots and plans to develop more summer camps in the future.

A: Adults can join our program by registering as an adult mentor or volunteer. Adults will need to authorize a background check and the mandatory Youth Protection Training.  There is no cost for registration unless you volunteer to pay for the background check (typically $30). If you plan to be around the TRC during meetings or would like to serve as a volunteer, please contact the admin team for a link to get started with this certification.

A: Parents are not required to stay at the meetings as long as we have a good way to contact you in case of an emergency.  Please be sure to be back to pick up your youth promptly at 8:00pm (7:30pm for FLL). 

If you do plan to stay at the meetings, please consider serving as a volunteer! Even if you’re not able to volunteer at this time, we ask you to complete youth protection training if you intend to stay at weekly meetings on a regular basis.

A: Yes. Closed-toe, closed-heel shoes are required.  Safety glasses are required in the FTC and FRC areas. Clothing bearing offensive content is forbidden. At a minimum this includes any clothing which refers to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or sexual content.

A: A junior mentor is a high-school graduate that has been a part of STEAM Post 26 or another robotics program that is volunteering to support our program.  Junior mentors must be at least 18 years of age and be a junior mentor for 2 years before they can become a full adult mentor. Typically, all college students under 21 years of age are classified as Junior Mentors. Their super power is that they are much closer in age and have recently experienced robotics as a student and can best empathize with our current team members.

A: We send weekly email newsletters and other emails as warranted. We also communicate via Discord.  All parents as well as FTC & FRC youth (not FLL youth) are invited/encouraged to join the Post Discord server using a link sent by the admin team once registration is complete.

The Post practices two-deep leadership or the “rule of three,” meaning there are always (at least) two adults present for in-person meetings when youth are also present. When youth communicate electronically with Post adults (email, Discord DM, etc.), two adults need to be included in the communication (e.g. mentor + parent or 2 mentors). Post mentors will not respond to direct messages in any format if another adult is not copied, though adults may initiate a response which includes another adult.

A: The best day to visit is on Thursdays during our normal meeting time from 6-8pm. To schedule a visit, please call/text (918) 236-7986 or email info@tulsaroboticscenter.org to let us know you’re coming. Or you can fill out this form.