NNSRI is ready to rumble

It is that time of year again where the area's best and brightest students, the Near North Student Robotics Initiative (NNSRI), FIRST Team 1305 - Ice Cubed, put their ideas and ingenuity to the test by rumbling at a number of FIRST robotics competitions in March.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

At FIRST competitions students work alongside mentors to apply math and science concepts to develop functioning robots that will outlast others and solve the annual FIRST challenge.

The competition centres on sportsmanship that has the teams not only compete against each other but cooperate, help each other and form alliances at high-energy regional tournaments that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.

Celebrating their 12th year, Team 1305 which is open to all students of the Near North District School Board, has their work cut out for them as they continue the FIRST tradition of looking for new recruits, new challenges, mentoring new teams, all while preparing for competition:

•Waterloo Regional- March 22-24, 2012
•Greater Toronto West Regional – March 29-31, 2012
•FIRST World Championships – St. Louis – April 26-28 2012.

The team is mentoring two teams from Sudbury and Huntsville, both are now part of FIRST and will compete in March.

This year’s FIRST robotics challenge is “REBOUND RUMBLE.” Two alliances of three teams will compete on a 27-by-54-foot field, attempting to earn points by scoring as many of the basketballs in the hoops as possible.

Three different heights of hoops add dimension to the sport.

Bonus points will be earned for each robot that can balance on bridges at the end of the match.

Compliance, communication, strategy, programming, technical skill, quick thinking and perseverance are major factors in the game.



The winners of each regional event are invited to St. Louis for the World Championships in April. NNSRI has qualified for the World Championships for the past eight years and is looking forward to its ninth year!

The experience both mentors and students gain from participating in the program is immeasurable, but students who have participated in the program say it has helped change their lives and set them on their career path:

George Wong is a past captain and in his 4th year at Queens studying Life Sciences.

“I like to think that the beginning of my current path started somewhere during my time with team 1305. It was then that I learned that I must take initiative in what I do every day and take on challenges that may seem daunting. Above all, I learned to never give up on what I truly want. No idea is too crazy (It’s so crazy it just might work!), everything is worth a try, and don’t compromise on your dreams. In my last year on the team, we dreamed big with our robot and our vision for the team, and we were rewarded with our first Chairman’s award, record number of recruits, and Top Canadian Seed at the World Championships.”

Amy Adams is at MIT working towards her PHD in Geotechnical Engineering:

“As a student, robotics was just plain fun. Fun with friends, fun ‘playing’ in the shop, fun building things, fun tearing things apart, fun being creative, fun being in the media, fun exploring the world around us. Oh, and fun seeing how long we could last on just pizza and Subway. Looking back, it was about so much more. The skills I learned, and more notably the confidence and love of learning that was planted during those years has formed the foundation of my adult life, as well as my academic success.  

Have fun. Cherish the friendships of your peers. Robots break. Electronics short circuit. Mechanical pieces go flying (wear safety glasses!). Friends help you solve problems, help you pick up the pieces, and stand tall.”

Braden Stenning was a founding captain of our team 12 years ago.

“NNSRI strongly influenced the direction I have taken. I am currently working on my Ph.D. at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies where I am developing better path planning, terrain assessment and localization techniques for the next generation of rovers headed to Mars and the Moon. I am lucky enough to work in a field where, again, hard work is fun.

My experience with NNSRI was inspiring and I continue to be inspired by what you accomplish. I would like to thank the entire team and its supporters. Good luck in Rebound Rumble!”

Jerri Clout is at the University of Toronto majoring in Neuroscience with a double minor in physiology and music:

“Our mentors taught me a valuable lesson that sticks with me every day: when you love what you do and are committed to it, hard work will pay off.

I enjoy working at the Princess Margret Hospital and volunteering at the Toronto Humane Society.

A day doesn’t go by when I don’t apply a skill I have gained from Team 1305! Good luck to Ice Cubed and have fun!!!”

Richard Procunier was a member of the Near North Student Robotics Initiative for two years from 2005 to 2007.

“Before NNSRI, I was a shy, not too knowledgeable person. Through NNSRI I gained confidence and my knowledge base grew exponentially.

I am now in the first year of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto.

A patient healthcare provider relationship is built on trust and professionalism. The skills that were first fostered during my time with NNSRI, I now use every day in our Medication Therapy Management labs, clinical encounters and soon in my experiential rotations. I will soon be educating and working with patients to understand their medications and optimize their drug therapy. Professionalism, dedication, and hard work are a must in these encounters. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to develop these skills through FIRST and NNSRI.

The team slogan “Tam Insulsum est ut Fortasse Expidiat!” (It’s so Crazy it Just Might Work) exemplifies what I gained from my experience on NNSRI. That is, every idea no matter how crazy has the potential to work; every person has the potential to be great.”

Nick Bourdon was on our team 8 years ago. He is working with a start up company in San Diego, California as a hybrid controls engineer:

“Hearing updates on your annual progress always makes me proud and makes me miss those days. FIRST was a great opportunity for me; it helped me decide what I wanted to do in University, and just having that experience on my resume has allowed me to do some pretty exciting things with my career.

I'll be developing the software that dictates how a system operates in an effort to get the best fuel economy possible. We have some pretty stiff competition, so we have our work cut out for us. But I know you all know what that's like.”