PowerHawks Robotics Club, Inc.

Welcome to the Hawks' Nest!

Operated by the non-profit, 501(c)3 Power Hawks Robotics Club Inc, the Power Hawks are a group of students, adult mentor, and volunteers dedicated to the practical education of future engineers based in Edgewater, Maryland. These motivated students annually design and build a robot to compete regionally and nationally in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition and Tech Challenge. The Power Hawks improve their science, technology, engineering, and math skills, learn to cooperatively problem solve and develop self-confidence, soft-skills and leadership.

Enjoy your time on our site and feel free to explore and read our latest news.

The Power Hawks are a conglomerate of:

• FRC Power Hawks Team #1111
• FTC Jr. Power Hawks Team #3583
• FTC Talons Team #3796
• FTC Mech Hawks Team #5178  

FIRST®

FIRST® stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. FIRST® is all about creating technical-minded professionals for an ever-changing world.

It's mission: To design accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.

Basically, FIRST® designs programs that promote team building, provide opportunities for student leadership, and motivate students to get involved in science-, technology-, and engineering-related careers.  There are several different programs which allow participants from the Elementary School level all the way up to the High School.  With these different programs, students are able to choose a program that is suitable for their needs.  The variation in FIRST®'s programs is one of the reasons for its popularity, and is an important part of providing opportunities for a large range of students in the science and tech fields.

FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC)

In 1992, FIRST® began the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) with 28 teams and a single 14 x 14 foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. Today, it has more than 1,600 teams participating nationwide and internationally, in over 40 Regional events and in a culminating Championship event in April of each year.

The FIRST® Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people, grades 9-12, and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard "kit of parts" and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in competitions designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals.FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high-school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be.

FIRST® redefines winning for these students because they are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last.

What is unique about the FRC program?

• It is a sport where the participants play with the pros and learn from them
• Designing and building a robot is a fascinating real-world professional experience
• Competing on stage brings participants as much excitement and adrenaline rush as conventional varsity tournaments
• The game rules are a surprise every year

Learn more about the FIRST® Robotics Competition at the official FIRST® website.

FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC)

The FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) is a mid-level robotics competition for high-school students that launched in 2005. It offers the traditional challenge of a FIRST® Robotics Competition but with a more accessible and affordable robotics kit. The ultimate goal of FTC is to reach more young people with a lower-cost, more accessible opportunity to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, and engineering.

FTC teams are not as involving as FRC teams, and are typically suitable for the high school student who does not have 6 weeks of his life to spare for only robotics.  Although the program is less involving, students still construct similar robots to FRC at a smaller scale.

Learn more about the FIRST® Tech Challenge at the official FIRST® website.

FIRST® Lego League (FLL)

This is the robotics program for early elementary aged students that supports and channels the creative thinking of kids ages 6-9. Each year the challenge is a variation of the FLL game based upon real-world issues. Guided by a team coach and mentors, the students research and build models addressing the challenge and present to Reviewers. This is the first taste these students get in engineering and science, along with developing communication and teamwork skills.

Learn more about the FIRST® Lego League at the official FIRST® website.

FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC)

We are a robotics team comprised of students from South River High School in Edgewater, MD. Our mission is to promote the vision of FIRST by providing a unique free-thinking team opportunity supported by a mentor-based, technical and professional environment through the build of competitive robots. We hope to support and inspire a changing ideology in the community to embrace and appreciate the importance of science and technology.

Students in the program are inspired to innovate and create. They leave with well-rounded life capabilities including communication, self-confidence and leadership, in addition to the technical and professional knowledge inherent to the team atmosphere.

The Competition Process

Every FIRST® team gets 6 weeks to design, prototype, build, test, and ship a 120 lb. robot that can remotely execute a set of challenging tasks. Much attention is given to brainstorming game strategy, and scoring, which will steer a final design. Then our team of students, guided by dedicated mentors, combine mechanical, electrical, programming, and other specialized skills to fabricate a hi-tech robot. Finally, we get to share our creativity, and compete graciously with teams from all over the country.

The 2012 Game

Rebound Rumble: The 2012 game is basketball robo-style! The court is divided by a steel barrier and three bridges that robots may cross to shoot hoops that are located on three levels. In the 2 minute, 15 second match, the first 15-seconds is the Hybrid Period when a robot on each team can be controlled 

by a Microsoft Kinect and a human player. In the last 30-seconds, robots rush to the bridges to balance for extra points. This year ‘Coopertition’ - or cooperation in competition with opposing teams - is extremely important. When opposing bots balance on the same bridge, both teams get special points.  

Power Hawks Team #1111 Roster

FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC)

As Varsity Team 1111 grew, we knew that more than 40 people wouldn’t be able to work on a single robot, let alone devote six weeks of the winter living in our team shop room. The solution? FTC teams. Starting in 2009 we debuted two FTC teams, and in the past year started yet another team from the overwhelming response. We supply mentors, materials and supplies to all three teams which operate independently from the Varsity team. FTC serves as the training ground for the FRC team.

FTC is designed for those who want to compete head-to-head, using a sports model. Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and is programmed using a variety of languages. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. Awards are given for the competition as for well as for community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments.

The 2012-2013 Game

For the 2012-2013 game, “Ring It Up!”, robotics play in a 12’ by 12’ field. Two alliances, one red and one blue, composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 30-second autonomous period followed by a two-minute driver-controller period. The object of the game is to score more points than the opponent alliance by placing plastic rings onto pegs on the center rack.

Jr. Power HawksTeam #3583 Roster:

MechHawksTeam #5178 Roster:

Talons Team #3796 Roster:

History

FIRST® Competition 2011 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Raptortron

This year's robot was designed to both deploy a minibot, and also pickup and score tubes on all 3 of the racks. The robot featured a elevator lift that had a rotating claw that was able to pick up and score all 3 of the tubes on the rack. The minibot deployment method was a track that shot out on a motor attaching the minibot, Morgan Freeman, to the pole, and allowing it to propel itself upward.

The Minibot: Morgan Freeman

The Minibot was a special part of this years game, being able to be deployed at the last 20 second of the match, the minibot was a key factor in the game. Our minibot was light and fast, sticking to the pole with a magnet, the robot automatically propelled itself upward with two very fast motors.

The Challenge: Logo Motion

Two alliances of three teams each compete on a 27'x 54' field attempting to earn points by collecting colored tubes in the shape of the FIRST logo pieces and placing them on scoring pegs. Additional bonus points are earned for deploying a “MiniBot” onto a tower at the end of the game.

Chesapeake Regional (March 17-19, 2011)

After 5 wins and 1 tie out of 9 qualifying matches, Team 1111 ranked 11th out of 60 teams, while going into the finals. Our team was selected by Team 1124, the “UberBots” from Avon High School (Avon, CT) and together we chose Team 484, “Roboforce”, (Haverford, PA) as our alliance partners. The alliance progressed to the semifinals to place 5th in the competition. Our robot was able to pick up all three types of tubes off the ground and place them on the highest scoring pegs for maximum points, as well as able to deploy our MiniBot! Additionally, Team 1111 won the 2010 Award for Excellence in Design, Sponsored by Autodesk. The award honors excellence in demonstrated understanding of the design process, knowledge of mechanical engineering and design principles, mastery of 3D design technologies – including CAD and digital prototyping, and presentation. Our team won both categories of the award, including 3D Design and Animation. We also won the Pit Safety Award — given to the team that best demonstrates safe working conditions in the pit and on the field.

Virginia Regional (April 7-10, 2011)
After nine wins in the qualifying matches, Team 1111 ranked 12th out of 63 teams going into the finals. During the alliance selection the Power Hawks were selected by Team 122 (the NASA Knights) and Team 2068 (the Metal Jackets). The alliance progressed to tie for third in the competition.

At this regional, Team 1111 was recognized with the Judges “Swiss Army Knife” Award, which recognizes and celebrates teams who have made multi-faceted accomplishments, performed well, had a spirited team dynamic and provided evidence that in everything it was a team effort.  

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks
FIRST® Competition 2010 Work and Results

The Robot: AVES

This year's robot was built mainly to kick soccer balls.  Employing pneumatics and surgical tubing, the "kicker" was pulled into a ready state and released to fire upon the victim soccer ball.  Additionally, the robot had a ramp ontop of it that would flip out in order to assist in the endgame (which was about elevating robots).  Our ramp would allow robots to elevate themselves and earn our alliance points.

The Challenge: Breakaway

This year's challenge was similar to soccer.  There was two horizontal bumps (about a foot high) placed along the field that robots had to be able to either go over or follow a tunnel under.  This restricted robots to either being able to go over bumps or be short enough to pass through tunnels.  The method of scoring was to shoot soccer balls into goals.  Lastly, the end-game consisted of elevating robots on "towers" to receive extra points.

Washington DC Regional (March 4-6, 2010)

• Engineering Inspiration Award - Celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community. (2010)
• Team Spirit Award - Celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork. (2010) • Atlanta (April 14-17, 2010)

FTC Teams #3796 Talons and #3583 Jr. Power Hawks

The South Central FTC Regional Qualifier

Talons:

• Inspire Award
• Placed 9th in Qualifying Rounds
• Part of 4th Seeded Alliance

Jr. Power Hawks:

• Placed 10th in Qualifying Rounds
• Nominated for Motivate Award
• Nominated for Connect Award

Maryland FIRST® Tech Challenge Championship

Talons:

• Ranked 10th

Jr. Power Hawks:

• Ranked 25th
• Motivate Award

FIRST® Competition 2009 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Hawkbot II

This robot was capable of picking up the moon rocks from anywhere on the competition floor and dumping them into opponents trailers. The robots were required to pick up "moon rocks" from the game field and dump them into opposing team robot's trailers.

The Challenge: Lunacy

This year's game was moon-based.  The surface of the game field was made of material that would emulate a coefficient of friction that was nearly 1/6th of the standard used in other years' FRC games.  Also, specific wheels had to be used to maintain this friction ratio.  The objective of the game was to score "moon rocks" (the purple and orange balls on the right) into other team's trailers (see red structure behind robot on right).

Chesapeake Regional

• Xerox Creativity Award - This award celebrates creative design, use of certain components, or just a creative or unique strategy of game play.

FTC Teams #3796 Talons and #3583 Jr. Power Hawks

Maryland FIRST® Tech Challenge Championship
Talons:

• Part of 3rd seeded alliance
• Motivate Award

Jr. Power Hawks:

• Part of 4th seeded alliance
• Nominated for Motivate Award

FIRST® Competition 2008 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Hawkbot

Fear not, as we had taken our drive system to the next level. In this year, 2008, we initiated the all manueverable omni-drive system by having each of the wheels face a 45 degree angle. This drive system enabled our robot to move in any direction while facing forward. Combined with this system was the newly introduced controls system, the Xbox 360 controller. Utilizing both of these, we had created the most manueverable robot out there, dominating the field. Attached to this drive system was a two-piston pnuematic arm for extending and pushing the 40" diameter balls off the rack.

The Challenge: Overdrive

For the 2008 season the game was called Overdrive. In Overdrive there was a 27 by 54 foot track. Six and a half feet above the ground there was a structure called the Overpass that had three spots for holding Trackballs. A Trackball was a 40 inch in diameter, 7.2 pound spherical game object. For every match the participating teams were split up into two alliances, red and blue. Each alliance got points by getting the Trackballs down, and racing them around the track.

Chesapeake Regional

• Regional Finalist
• Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award - Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components to provide unique machine functions.

FIRST® Competition 2007 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

This season had been kicked off on Jan 6, 2007 and looked bright for our newest robot in the making, Heavy Mettle. Due to our 7th place in the Chesapeake Regionals the year before, we had a spot in the Nationals this year in Atlanta, GA.

The Robot: Heavy Mettle

We had pushed the limits of the game this year, leaving no possible points out of our reach. Heavy Mettle could pick up tubes from the ground or from a human player, score on all three levels of the rack, and pick up both alliance members the full 12" off the ground at the end of the game. The electrical wiring was much more organized this year, coupled with the component assembly for the upper mechanism, making Heavy Mettle easier than ever to repair and tweak in competition frenzy.

The Challenge: Rack 'n Roll

This year's game object was an inner tube hung vertically by the robots from a fixed central goal called the Rack. Teams scored when tubes of their alliance were in straight rows or columns across the Rack. Black tubes nullified any position when placed.

Chesapeake Regional

• J&J Sportsmanship Award - Celebrates outstanding sportsmanship and continuous gracious professionalism in the heat of competition, both on and off the playing field.

FIRST® Competition 2006 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

Our team was extremely busy this competition season, pursuing many more tasks than usual by having a more diverse group of hardworking teammates.

The Robot: Pedro

In 2006 we entirely abandoned the pneumatics option, causing our robot to always be underweight. We had pursued the use of the several CIM motors for a chain drive and a ball-shooting and ball-rolling mechanism.

The Challenge: Aim High

The idea of this year's game was to have robots work together in alliances of three teams to score as many points as possible by shooting into a high goal or a lower ball corral, while minimizing the score of the opposing alliance by using tactical defense.

The Standings: 7th place Regionals

Pedro had thus far been the most successful robot produced by the hands of the Powerhawks. Our Chesapeake Regional standing was at seventh place, out of the 64 teams attending it.

FIRST® Competition 2005 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Deeper Thought

The team developed a robot to pick up scoring tetras and place them on tetra goals.

The Standings

We hardly advanced this year as our ranking was still 38th at the Chesapeake Regional. The number of teams at the regional stayed about constant as well.

FIRST® Competition 2004 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Deep Thought

The team developed a robot with arms capable of grabbing large yellow balls and movable goals. See the US FIRST® website's archives for the specific game.

The Standings

Team 1111 was in 37th place at the Chesapeake Regional, a significant improvement from the year before!

FIRST® Competition 2003 Work and Results

FRC Team #1111 Power Hawks

The Robot: Sparky

The team developed a robot which had some trouble moving without flailing. See the US FIRST® website's archives for the specific game.

The Standings

Team 1111 was 54th place out of 55 at the Chesapeake Regional, but the experience was still worth it!

Mentors and Volunteers

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Richard Chapman (FRC and FTC)

Richard "Dink" Chapman, our head build mentor, has been with the Power Hawks Team 1111 for six years. In addition to his own career as IT Director at the Executive Residence at the White House, Mr. Chapman devotes his time and energy after work toward mentoring to FIRST® robotics. Mr. Chapman has encouraged Team 1111 student members to spread their wings, share their knowledge, and become mentors themselves; the Power Hawks Team, including Mr. Chapman, now mentors three elementary, Fourteen middle and Two FTC high school robotics teams, and Five Annapolis area Boys & Girls club teams. Having even yet more to offer, Mr. Chapman also serves as president of the 501c3 non profit Power Hawks Robotics Club, Incorporated which promotes and secures funds for FIRST® Robotics programs within Anne Arundel County.
 

 

 

 

Brooke Chapman (FRC)

Ms. Chapman joined the NEMs of Team 1111 in her son's, Taylor C., first year on the team. Four years later and counting, she is an an active mentor with the Spirit team, fundraising, team building, and general organization. Ms. Chapman simply enjoys being around the Team and the energy and drive that each student and mentor brings into her life. She loves being a Mom and considers the Team family. Ms. Chapman is on the Board of Directors for the Power Hawks, Inc., nonprofit organization, which was recently established. Personal notes about Ms. Chapman: Baking cakes is her passion, her favorite color is green, she holds a B.S. in Economics, and is a self-identified Mother of a Super Nerd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Cruz (FRC and FTC)

A Project Manager for the last 26 years with Lock Martin and Raytheon, Mr. Cruz has been responsible for projects ranging from Software Development to Forensic Accounting, in addtion to Construction Management and Disaster Recovery / Emergency Management. Brought into FIRST® by his daughter some seven years ago, Mr. Cruz has stayed with the PowerHawks at South River High, in addition to mentoring an FLL team (the Power Cobras) and an FTC team (the Talons).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ted Dressel (FRC and FTC)

Mr. Ted Dressel started working with the Power Hawks in the 2007 build. He’s been working with computers since 1984 and has brought some of that expertise to the Programming Team. He grew up 20 minutes from Disneyland in CA and attempted twice to be a parking attendant there. He failed both times! Alas, he took his work ethic and decided to do something more with it and attended UC San Diego where he received a BA degree in Computer Science. While at UCSD, he met his wife to be, Lisa, and eventually had two children, one of which was on the Power Hawks robotics team. In 2005, Ted Dressel tired of flying around for work and moved his family from San Diego to the Edgewater, MD where he works for Microsoft as a consultant to the US Army. Ted Dressel is a Principal Consultant with MCS (Microsoft Consultant Services) and has been a consultant at Microsoft for 12+ years. Prior to working with the Army, Mr. Dressel worked with the Navy and helped to create a web portal for the US support effort (all support came via Pacific Command) for the Tsunami in Dec 2004. Ted and Lisa Dressel sponsor Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy and have been at it since they moved to the area. You might call that their hobby.

 

 

 

 

Becki Hutchison (FRC)

This is Mrs. Hutchison's fourth year with Team 1111 and first as team adviser. She is a NEM (Non-Engineering Mentor) who helps with the business side of the team and takes care of all of the team paperwork! Mrs. Becki's favorite part of robotics is watching like-minded kids work together to accomplish a common goal - just like in the real world! She likes to hear "Good Things" and hates taking out the trash. Mrs. Becki holds an M.L.S. degree from UMCP and would enjoy reading in her spare time, but doesn't have any! She is happy to be Team Mom to 44 awesome Power Hawks and two amazing Hutchison children, including the Controls subteam captain!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jay Kalin (FRC)

Mr. Kalin has a degree in Computer science combined with Electrical and Mechanical engineering. He has worked for Lockheed Martin for 25 years and is a senior satellite flight operations manager. for NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He has been a mentor with the Power Hawks for the last 5 years. He provides engineering expertise in the areas of drive design, pneumatics, and mechanisms. His youngest son will start high school next year and is anxious to participate in the Power Hawks robotics program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kym Lyons (FRC)

Kym Lyons became part of the Power Hawks Team 1111 family last year when her son, Michael, joined the team. She had no idea what FIRST® robotics was all about at that time but liked what she saw right from the kick off event. She is in awe of the wonderful mentors the team has and the time they give to the team. Ms. Lyons is a strong believer in building ” Super Nerds”, working spacecraft testing and control for the navy she has a MSEE and sees the need for them daily. Last year she worked with the Power Hawks Team bringing lunches on Saturday during build season, working fundraisers selling hot dogs and hamburgers, and doing a carwash. This year she helped coordinate the 100 plus volunteers that worked the FLL qualifier competition the Power Hawks held at there high school in December and works on the Community Outreach committee. She is overwhelmed with gratitude for experience of being part of the Power Hawks Team 1111 family and all the people that make FIRST® Robotics what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A second generation metal worker, Mr. McCarter is a master welder whose company fabricates professional creations in wrought iron, stainless steel, and all types of aluminum. His interest in team 1111 grew after his daughter, Sam, currently a junior, joined the team 2 years ago.

His skills at metal crafting and structural engineering have become an integral part of the team, both in actual design requirements, as well as teaching sound metal working principles to our students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Marker (FRC)

Mr. Marker joined our team four years ago. From the first kickoff broadcast in his son’s freshman year, Mr. Marker has been on board.

As a long time home builder with an architectural degree, Mr. Marker is an essential mentor for our drive and mechanism sub-teams. Seven days a week, above and beyond, Mr. Marker also mentors the team, as do all our mentors, in valuable non-engineering skills like dedication, commitment, sacrifice, perseverance, creative thinking…the list goes on and on.

Also a board member of our independent booster club, we hope to have Mr. Marker’s influence for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Sallie Jo Marker (FRC)

Mrs. Marker joined our team four years ago when she attended her first team meeting as the mother of a freshman. Knowing nothing of FIRST®, but curious about the club her son had joined, Mrs. Marker walked out of the initial meeting with her eyes glazed over and her agenda book full. She was the 2006 Atlanta Nationals trip coordinator and from there her role grew. As a strong leader in the Power Hawks NEMO, Mrs. Marker coordinates travel, lodging, lunches, fundraisers, etc.

Realizing during that “freshman” year that she did qualify as a mentor, albeit a non-engineering one, Mrs. Marker works with students on all projects she is involved with, mentoring them in organizational and accounting skills. As the mother of both a Senior and Sophomore, we know we have her hooked for at least two more years, as the treasurer of our newly formed independent 501 (c)(3) booster corporation, we think we have her hooked for even longer.

 

 

 

Tom McCarter (FRC)

A second generation metal worker, Mr. McCarter is a master welder whose company fabricates professional creations in wrought iron, stainless steel, and all types of aluminum. His interest in team 1111 grew after his daughter, Sam, currently a junior, joined the team 2 years ago.

His skills at metal crafting and structural engineering have become an integral part of the team, both in actual design requirements, as well as teaching sound metal working principles to our students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich Perez (FRC)

Mr. Perez- a "freshman" mentor - enjoys learning from the fabulous group of motivated South River students and metors at the FIRST Power Hawks Team 1111. The enthusiams is highly contagious!

Mr. Perez has one child (also a robotics freshman), whose enthusiasm motivated his participation in the team. Mr. Perez hopes to spend part of his time, with the team help, encouraging the Documentaion Group to document the great work they are ALL involved in and pass it on to the freshman class. With perserverance, we (Documentation Group) may even graduate from Power Hawks with full honors!

 

 

 

Pete Quinn (FRC)

This is Mr. Guinn's second year with Team 1111; his son is a Senior on the team and Mr. Quinn hopes that his daughter will be a member of the team when she enters in late 2012.

Mr. Quinn earned a Bechelor's of Science in Electrical Engineering from New York Institute of Technology and a Master's of Science in Engineering Management from George Washington University. Mr. Quinn is presently a Systems Architect at a local engineering firm, where his duties include overall technical responsibility for all designs and solutions within his division. Mr. Quinn works with the sales team to obtain system requirements, with the Engineering team to develop the technical solutions to meet these requirements, and with the Program Management Office to obtain the funding and develop scheduling for the requested solution.

With over 25 years of experience in design and development in both the government and the private sector, Mr. Quinn has been very impressed with the South River Robotics program and is proud to be a member of the FIRST Robotics Power Hawks family.

 

 

Doug Reiman (FRC and FTC)

Mr. Reiman grew up in Port Washington, NY where in high school he was introduced to computer programming in 1977. He wrote programs in Basic on an early mini-computer that was donated to the school. From there he went on to attend Purdue University majoring in Computer Science. During his time at Purdue, he learned the Unix Operating System and wrote software in various programming languages including, Pascal, C, Basic, CoboL and assembly language. He graduated in 1984 and went to work for IBM in Gaithersburg, MD. At IBM, Mr. Reiman worked on government contracts in various roles such as programmer, tester and technical leader.

In 1996, he joined the U.S. Government as a programmer for the Department of Defense. He began working on his master’s degree from John Hopkins University and received it in 2006. Mr. Reiman continued to work on various different types of projects that help improve the security of the Unites States. As his interests changed, he eventually moved from programming to being a System Engineer. In this role he was the technical lead for various projects. He enjoyed his employment with DoD and eventually got the opportunity to be stationed in the United Kingdom for three years working with our British Allies.

Mr. Reiman has three children, the oldest of which got him involved in Team 1111. All three of them are involved in robotics and he is likely to be involved for some time. This is his second year on the team and he has mentored the programmers on the club’s two newly formed FTC teams as well as this year’s FRC team.

 

 

Roger Squires (FRC)

Roger Squires joined the Power Hawks in his son Duncan's first year on team 3796 and has loved every minute. Mr. Squires has a BS in Computer Science and works for Booz Allen Hamilton as a Systems Engineer and Development Lead supporting a wide variety of clients. He has always enjoyed tinkering with electronics and now enjoys creating small BEAM and Sumo bots with his children

 

 

Tyler Todd-Evans (FRC)

This is Tyler Todd-Evans' first year mentoring the Power Hawks. He started FIRST in 2003 on team 949 in Bellevue, WA. In 2004, he started a team at his own high school, team 1294 in Sammamish, WA which his dad still continues to lead and mentor. He went to college at Purdue University in Indiana for Mechanical Engineering and helped mentor team 1646 while there. In his years in FIRST, he has specialized in mechanisms but also worked on electrical and drivetrain. He now has his dream job working for NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center using robots in a lab to help develop thin glass mirror technology. The mirror technology will be used for the next x-ray space telescope similar to Hubble to search for black holes in the 2020's. He hopes to give back to the FIRST program and help others get their dream jobs and aspire to their full potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Wiliams (FRC) 

 

Jim Williams is a Software Engineer at the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and previously worked at Pixar Animation Studios. He is a lifetime fan of robots and electronics and learned to solder about the time he learned to write. He has a master's in Computer Science from George Washington University.
 

 

 

 

Past Mentors:

 

 

Ryan Sackett (FRC and FTC)

Mr. Sackett has been a teacher at South River High School for three years. He has been the head mentor of team 1111 for three years and is loving every minute of it. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a degree in Technology Education and now teaches engineering classes in South River's STEM magnet program. He oversees all things involved with the Power Hawks organization, handling administrative repsonsibilities, planning, and scheduleing. His major responsibility is keeping one 40+ student varisty team and two 10 student FTC teams on track and motivated. He loves everything that FIRST® stands for and works diligently promoting it in his classroom and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Daley (FRC)

Bob has always enjoyed tinkering with all types of engines and machines as well as electronics and computers. He is a U. S. Air Force Vietnam veteran originally from upstate New York. For many years he worked in Information Technology (IT), aligning and administering IT assets to continuously improve and be responsive to various business demands. He has extensive experience as a large systems project architect, integrator, planner, and manager. His clients in the U. S. and abroad included the IRS; U. S. Customs Service; Bank One; Nationwide Insurance; Bancomer (Mexico); Banamex (Mexico); Ministry of Interior (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); Standard Insurance; Alex Brown; Rubbermaid Commercial Products and many others.

Bob is now retired and says he was lucky when his son joined the FIRST® Robotics Team and gave him an opportunity to come along.

Hobbies: Building Computers and Networks; Home Improvement Projects; Lionel trains; Private Pilot.

 

Henry Lyons (FRC)

In response to the urging of his grandson Mr. Lyons attended the regional competition in Annapolis in 2009. He came away from there with the feeling that “that is something I would like to get involved in”.

Mr. Lyons, a Registered Professional Electrical Engineer, with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland began his career in electronics in 1951 when he enlisted in the US Navy and became an Electronics Technician. The majority of the time since has been spent in Electronics Systems (any and all kinds) Design, Programming, Test and Evaluation.

Mr. Lyons spends most of his time with the Power Hawks team wandering around, sticking his nose into things and passing on advice. He is enjoying putting his many years of Computer Hardware and Software design experience to work assisting and advising the students of Team 1111.

 

 

 

Tom McCarter (FRC)

Sharon Zehner (FRC)

Mrs. Zehner received her Bachelor’s Degree in Math in 1987. Since then she has worked as a contractor at NASA GSFC supporting various missions. She has a very round robin experience where she has done Operations for Shuttle and Payload (HST) attitude programs, Testing , FORTRAN, C, C++, and MOTIF Programming Development, FORTRAN, C Maintenance, Systems Administration for a Unix Operating System (pre-networking), Help Desk Management, Systems Engineering where she wrote and maintained various scripts, and Requirements Definition for a graphical User Interface program. She is currently utilizing all of my experience as a Configuration Management Officer for a rapid build spacecraft project. She became absorbed by the Robotics competition after her daughter joined during build season of 2008. Her daughter asked her to get involved, and she started coming every day. She has done many home projects along with my husband, so she is somewhat familiar with using power tools. Mrs. Zehner wanted to encourage all of the kids to work with the tools and supported their ideas. She tries to help out where the team seems to be short-handed.

Resources

FLL Qualifier: South County Showdown

 

A couple years ago, we started hosting an FLL Qualifier for over 10 teams in our area.  Feel free to view our FLL Qualifier Website!

Documents

1. • Forms
     • The Buy-Me-Stuff Form
     • FRC Varsity Robotics Application
     • FTC Junior Varsity Robotics Application
     • 2010-2011 FIRST® Consent and Release Form
     • Parent/Student Release For Photograph, Digitized Image, Video Image, Voice
     • Permission to Publish High School Student's Full Name on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Website
     • Student Self Transportation Form
   • Documents by the PowerHawks
     • How to start an Jr/FLL team — this brochure, put together by our team, explains what JrFLL and FLL are, outlines information for how to start an FLL team, and gives tips for how to have a successful build season.  The brochure is a great read for new teams who are interested in giving back to the FIRST® community and promoting FIRST®'s ideals.
     • See our Programming Subteam section for some helpful guides on the cRIO, classmate, and programming laptop setup.
     • See our Fundraising section for an assortment of fundraising ideas.

Helpful Links

The Blue Alliance The Blue Alliance is a FIRST® Robotics resource site dedicated to giving you all the best tips, tricks, and scouting resources.
FIRST® Robotics Resource Center A website hosted by Worcester Polytechnic Institute that outlines everything needed to be known about the FIRST® Robotics Competition.  The site covers FRC, FTC, and FLL too.
Think Tank Portal Outlines basic shop safety rules applicable to any shop. Includes a sample safety exam to test students on proper shop rules and hand tool usage.
AndyMark AndyMark sponsors FIRST® with the Kit of Parts (KoP).  If there's any information you need about parts from the original KoP, you'll find it here.  Replacement parts can be found here as well.
FIRST® The ones who make our team what it is.  FIRST® is the one that makes the game and everything to do with it, and motivates us to be a part of this team.  Also notable is Maryland FIRST, which covers information on FIRST® news and events for Maryland.
MOEmentum First-Year Infobase MOEmentum is a repository of information for both new and veteran teams. It is a very useful resource.
Chief Delphi Chief Delphi's team website has the largest forum on FIRST® Robotics. If you are unable to get your question answered here or anywhere else, they are likely able to help you.
South River High South River High School is the host of the Power Hawks.

Alumni

Class of 2012

Class of 2011

Class of 2010

Class of 2009

We'd like to support our alumni James Dressel and Patrick McKenna in their intention to run for president and vice president in 2028.

Class of 2008

Class of 2007

Class of 2006

Class of 2005

Class of 2004

Class of 2003

Build Subteams

Build Operations Officer

This person serves as a system engineer for the subteams and a shop manager. This person is also responsible for developing the Work Break Down Structure used to guide the season deadlines. They work closely with the Team Executive Officer to develop a plan of action and meeting goals/agendas.

Build Support

This multi-subset group work on competition field mock-up, crate construction and shipping details, research and documentation. This group plays a pivotal role in maintaining communication among the subteams and record keeping for future years.

CAD

This group is responsible for working with other subteams to rapid prototype designs of the robot. This helps to save money, time and unnecessary effort on the part of mech to refine designs that could have been identified as trouble beforehand. This program allows us to analyze designs and plan out our bot before we hit the shop room.

Animations

Animations is responsible for developing the storyboard and executing the plot line in the FIRST animation challenge using 3Ds Max. This group works on both the safety animation, and the year specific challenge given during the build season.

Drive

Drive is responsible for designing and building the chassis and drive system. The captain is responsible for keeping the team working quickly, designing the steering, chassis and drive systems, working with other subteams to meet chassis needs, and teaching/training other members on the drive system.

Electrical

This group is responsible for the power distribution to the robot. They connect the various motors and other components used by the mechanisms and drive teams to the power distribution panel. Electrical also wires up various systems for the programming and controls subteams. The captain is responsible for keeping everyone focused, designing the electrical system around space constraints, creating the electrical map and providing electrical support for prototypes.

Mechanisms

This group is responsible for creating different parts on the robot that directly interact with the field game pieces, and occasionally other robots. The captain is responsible for keeping the team on task and working efficiently, facilitating the design of the structure and mechanisms, integrate mechanisms with systems of other teams, and work with the CAD team to adjust designs as necessary to avoid conflict. This group is often subject to change based upon the game each year. In the 2011 game, Logomotion, a minibot subset was added to design the pole climbing attachment to the larger robot.

This year, Mechanisms got a new addition, the Minibot sub-subteam.  This team is responsible for building the minibot(s) which will participate in the endgame for Logo Motion.  It was created the day that the game was released as a reaction to the completely new game component.

Programming

The programming team plays a huge responsibility in making the robot work. The language used to program the robot is LabView, which is what the JV teams use. The other options for programming the robot include programming in Java, or using C++. At the beginning of the build season, programming team works with the other sub-teams to write up a list of requirements that each sub-team expects programming to accomplish. With doing this programming team ensures that whatever it makes the robot do is exactly what the other sub-teams intended upon. Other major tasks that the team works on aside from just programming is setting up the cRIO and driver station, as well as working with Controls sub-team to configure the controls system.

Resources(Right Click -> Save As):
Robotics Laptop Setup Directions v13
2010 Robotics Requirements v10
Robotics Reset Guide v04
2011 Robotics Requirements
2011 Robotics Requirements Matrix
 

Controls

Controls is responsible for creating the interface used to let the driver and operator communicate to, and control, the robot. Controls must also keep in touch with other subteams to incorporate any changes into the controls board or program. They also design and create the wiring layouts for the control panel, as well as work with drivers to create the most efficient controls. They research and implement various sensors on the robot, and also connect all PWM wires.  

Business Committees