At the Mount Olive district event, Nemesis 2590 won the prestigious Engineering Inspiration Award. This award was given to Nemesis as a result of our relentless outreach to the Community locally, statewide, and even globally. Our team is highly active, with many outreach programs created, supported, and run by us. One of our primary efforts locally is Discovery and Engineering day, which spreads STEM to young students in our community. We work with the students, in elementary school for Discovery day, and middle school for Engineering day, to complete challenges as both mentors and students assist them to reach the end goal. During the covid pandemic, we did not want to end this long-standing Nemesis tradition, so we made it virtual! We held an online Discovery day, offering students the opportunity to complete kits at home, with tutorials created by team members to assist them in their efforts. Students posted results to our Facebook page with many students sporting impressive results! Ultimately, we were asked to assist other STEM clubs at our school to hold online events, reaching over 70 students. 

Nemesis works every season to put an excellent robot on the field, but it would be nothing without our supportive community! In order to give back to our community, we host a sponsor night, where we invite sponsors, parents, and other members of our community, to hear about all of the great achievements we have attained. We recently held our 2022 sponsor night, which was very successful, and we look forward to maintaining this tradition in the future. Additionally, we collaborate with our local school district to hold an annual food drive, where we work with 4th-grade classes to raise supplies for local food banks. Nemesis offers the class that donates the most food, a demonstration of the robot, delivered by our students. This simultaneously raises food for those less fortunate, and spreads STEM to young students, increasing their interest in joining robotics teams in the future, both FLL and Nemesis itself.

Nemesis understands that the opportunities to spread STEM stretch beyond our local community. We worked with our state assemblyman, Daniel Benson, to pass a bill to distribute funding to 12 districts, with the goal of starting new robotics teams all across New Jersey. These teams will primarily be located in underserved communities that traditionally could not afford to have a robotics team. We started with a joint legislative resolution for the Robbinsville town council, urging our state assembly to take action to increase the number of robotics teams within New Jersey. Following this, we worked with Daniel Benson to move this bill to be in front of the State legislature for a vote. Members of our team gave written and oral testimony to the state assembly and senate. We additionally held preparation sessions for other teams to do the same. The bill passed unanimously in all votes it was a part of, and Governor Phil Murphy signed the bill into law on December 21, 2021. Our team continues to work with FIRST Mid-Atlantic, and the teams that helped us pass the bill, to attain the funding needed for this bill. 

Our team has done numerous outreach events for our community domestically, so when the opportunity arose for us to expand internationally, we jumped at the opportunity to expand STEM to new horizons. We worked with our sponsor ITIAH and the nonprofit ITIAH Angels for Learning to send STEM challenges to students in HAITI. We have fostered this relationship for years, sending kits to Haiti, Panama, and Kenya. We have recently put together 200 STEM kits to send to students in both the House of Hope Orphanage and the Ecole Mere Louise school in Haiti. In addition to STEM kits, we are sending food, clothing, sports equipment, and legos. We fostered our relationship with our local community by holding a lego drive, which raised over 15,000 legos to send to students in Panama. Overall, our team relentlessly works to make sure that we continue to expand our outreach to our community and beyond, making sure STEM reaches as far and wide as it can. 
    
 

Nemesis got its first victory of this season, and an impressive one at that. The competition, hosted by Seneca High School, was the second district event that our team has attended this year. The event was spread over 2 days, with the first day focused entirely on the qualification matches, while the second included both the qualification and elimination matches. Day 1 started with an opening ceremony, followed by 47 matches. We played 9 matches on Saturday, winning all but one. Nemesis ended the day in the second seed and ready for the next day of competing.

The following day started off with a narrow defeat, but Nemesis regained its footing, ending the qualifiers with the 3rd place. Our strategy team worked with fellow teams to pick potential alliance partners, using the valuable data our scouts collected throughout the competition. The Alliance Selection saw the first seed team 5895, Peddie Robotics, choose us as their first pick. The second team chosen was team 5407, Wolfpack Robotics, forging an unstoppable alliance. The first quarterfinal matches demonstrated the amazing synergy of our alliance, and we bested the 8th seeded alliance in the second game of a 3 game series. The semi-finals went similarly, with our alliance scoring triple digits both times and setting a competition-high score of 117 points. Meanwhile, alliance 2 and 3 duked it out in the most intense matches of the day. While alliance 2 won the first game, the second match was decided by tiebreakers. Since the third alliance had committed less penalties, they won the second game. The third semi final saw the teams match each other not only on score, but also the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker, based on who scored more hangar points, revealed that alliance 2 had taken the series.

The first finals match saw our alliance triumph, with a triple digit score, in spite of a double traversal climb from alliance 2. We gripped the edges of our seats as we watched the second match unfold. With a flurry of shots from both alliances, it all seemed like a blur of speeding metal. When the dust finally settled, Nemesis was on the traversal rung and the red alliance had won 89-73. Screams of joy, excitement, and pure happiness filled the air as the entire stadium stood up in applause. We commend our opponents in Alliance 2 for their fierce competitiveness, as well as all the other teams who attended the event at Seneca. We saw firsthand how hard they all worked and how well it is paying off. With our alliance as the winners of the tournament, the awards ceremony ensued. Our team won the industrial design award, commending our excellent “industrial design principles”. Seneca was a resounding victory for our team, and we are most excited to attend our next competition, the First Mid Atlantic Regional Championship, at Lehigh University.
 

Kickoff weekend was two days filled with excitement, curiosity and the begining of new ideas for FRC teams across the globe! The new 2022 challenge, Rapid React, was streamed live from FRC headquarters in New Hampshire to teams on January 8th. Here in Robbinsville, team Nemesis 2590 stirred with anticipation for the game overview to be released as they viewed the live stream together. The entire team was at the edge of their seats as the livestream progressed and the time for the big announcement came closer! The moment the black chest was opened and the two new pieces of cargo were unleashed to the awaiting FRC teams, Nemesis shook the room with cheers and claps! The 2022 build season has officially commenced!

This year's challenge consists of the traditional 3 game periods: the Autonomous period, the teleoperated period, as well as the endgame, when robots can climb the hangar. All of which are designed for the robot to accomplish specific aspects of the challenge. Robots have the opportunity to score points by: taxiing from their tarmac, retrieving and scoring their assigned cargo into the hub, continuing to retrieve and score their assigned cargo into the hub, as well as engaging with their hangar. One large difference from this year’s field in comparison to the last is the hangar itself as it’s no longer located in the center of the field, but instead there are two hangars in the corners of the field (one per alliance).This year’s projectiles, cargo, is also different from previous years as it resembles a lighter, ‘dodge-ball sized’ tennis ball which are color coordinated for each alliance. 

After the livestream, the team split into small groups to talk about their brewing thoughts for the coming season. On Saturday, the rooms stirred with brainstorming, questions and a whole lot of new strategies. The Rapid React challenge, especially with the theme of transportation, is intriguing to Nemesis because of all the possible ways to incorporate the concept into their robot. The question of “What” was being asked as the team clarified their goals on the field, the feasibility of achieving their goals and which challenges were their priorities. Finally, the entire team came together to compile a list based on their small-group analyses.  

On Sunday, after deciding the tasks that the team wished to accomplish, the discussions of “How” came into session. The build team broke into smaller subteams to put out their initial thoughts while beginning strategizing the routes they wanted to take to create their most successful robot. The commencement of prototyping is soon to follow; this is where team 2590 utilizes the method of trial and error to creatively and effectively find ways to complete their missions. Work for the marketing team also began as their large list of tasks was divided amongst members and subteams for the approaching competitions. The main topic in the marketing room was the to-do list for the upcoming Sponsor Night. It’s all because of the sponsors that the team is able to build a world class robot and compete in the First competitions!

Kickoff weekend, at home in Robbinsville, was spent doing hard work, but there was no doubt that it was tons of fun! From the time the challenge was released to the creation of the first prototypes the team shared so many laughs and smiles. There is nothing but excitement from FRC 2590 for this new build season and a fresh start!

Brunswick Eruption was a wonderful way to end the competition season of 2021 and is always an exhilarating off-season event to participate in. This year, for the first time, the competition was hosted by North Brunswick Middle School and was on Sunday November 7th 2021. Covid protocols limited the number of team members who were permitted to physically attend, but the support system from the online watch party was prominent. Brunswick Eruption led Nemesis through ups, downs and finally to victory as they managed to find solutions to any issue that came upon them! The competition was incredibly thrilling but most importantly filled with cooperation as Nemesis introduced new drivers and operators to the playing field and allied with teams in the semi- final matches. There’s  never a dull moment at a competition like Brunswick Eruption and 2021 was a year to remember!

Nemesis was playing in the first match of the competition, and we got off to a rocky start when our robot, Hades, was motionless during the autonomous period. The endgame of  this match didn’t prove successful as the robot failed to climb. This moment didn’t discourage the Nemesis team members, but instead empowered them to think of quick and efficient solutions to these issues. Next, things took a turn for the better as our drivers (Griffin David, Jack Hobart), operators (Abhik Ray, Rohan Bhatnagar), and robots warmed up and got situated on the field during the Qualification Matches. The technical issues that were seen in the opening match were nowhere to be found as the competition progressed. After the buzzer sounded, commencing matches, Hades brought cheers from the stands, but one moment that was especially memorable to everyone in the room was when Nemesis had an outstanding autonomous period performance. The robot shot three balls and had time to retrieve more balls from the trench and all in the allotted fifteen seconds. Nemesis ended the qualification matches with a rank of 8th place (out of 14)

Closely following the elimination matches came the time for alliance selection. The top four placing teams were allowed to choose two more teams to form an alliance with. The number two alliance, Robo Vikings (2607), partnered with Nemesis. The second team which the Robo Vikings chose in alliance was team 1626, Falcon Robotics. The partnerships made in the alliance-selection were dependent on the scouting records from the Qualification matches. With Nemesis only being able to bring along twelve team members, the scouting experience was not akin to years past. In prior competitions, full teams would gather to encourage, assist and scout during matches. Scouting is when a team member keeps a log of a robot’s performance during a match. However, this year the strategy leads, Araash Ahuja and Hammad Farooqi, took on the task and succeeded in scouting solo.

The greatly awaited semi-finals have arrived! A Round-Robin style competition format with the fully formed alliances took place (everybody gets to play everybody). Anticipation filled every team member, mentor and robot in the gymnasium as each match was being played. The hard work of a full season came down to these matches as the 2021 season was coming to an end. Nemesis, Robo Vikings and Falcon Robotics played three matches and came out victorious in each one! With a (3-0) record our partnership with alliance number four continued to the exhilarating final rounds. 

The Finals consists of three matches, and the best of three takes home the title of champion. The remaining six robots align themselves behind the initiation line. Heart raced in the crowds like sprinters as the first match of the finals was seconds away from beginning. The autonomous period went as planned for Nemesis, but shortly after, things took an unexpected course as the game piece intake jammed. It’s moments like these where team members must utilize a plan B and adjust to the circumstances instead of folding under pressure and that is exactly the skill that Nemesis showed. With the intake clogged up, shooting and collecting balls was no longer an option and the Drive team put their minds together to come up with the idea to spend the match playing defense. Our alliance compensated for the inability to play offense as expected when the endgame came around; not only did they perform an incredible double climb, but also a leveled shield generator was achieved which brought an additional 65 points on our side of the scoreboard. At the end of the first match, the ball was in the court of our alliance as they won with a score of (109-84). The time for the second match approached and excitement covered the stands like a blanket. The match began and from the beginning of the autonomous period to the closing of the end game, there was not a single person not at the edge of their seats. Both teams continuously made penalties throughout the match which kept the score tight. All eyes were glued to the field and with every passing second a new level of anticipation and excitement was reached. As the buzzer rang to announce the end of the second match, it was uncertain who the winner was as the score seemed extremely close during the entirety of the match. Finally, as the score was revealed along with the animated red fireworks behind it the red alliance were named the champions of the competition (2 out of 3 matches were won). The gymnasium shook with cheers and the energy was through the roof! The claps and hollers were all that was heard from the participants of the competition!

Brunswick Eruption was an ultimate success, not only for Nemesis, but for their wonderful partners in alliance: Robo Vikings and Falcon Robotics aswell. Strategy Lead, Hammad Farooqi explains, “The whole story of Brunswick Eruption was of progression and perseverance because although we got off to a bad start it was really inspiring to see our drivers and our robot get better over time and ultimately win the competition alongside our great alliance.” This day showed that no matter how unexpected and crazy things seem handling each moment with teamwork, calmness, and determination towards the goal will lead to victory. There was no better way to wave goodbye to the 2021 season than this and Nemesis looks forward to being back at Brunswick Eruption in the future. 

Scraps of newspapers, tape, and scissors. That was all students had to create the tallest possible structure capable of lifting a dodge ball. In the first meeting since COVID lockdowns, a buzz of excitement and nervousness filled the air. 

A team undoubtedly different from that which entered COVID, they entered with eagerness to learn and compete. Nemesis leadership randomly chose groups of three, and then presented the challenge.

A challenge was made to test the creativity and teamwork skills of each group, and no one was disappointed. The rules required each group to build a detachable structure out of tape and paper capable of lifting a playground ball in just 90 minutes. These rules and requirements certainly pushed everyone to use their design and engineering skills to the fullest. 

Nonetheless, every group worked productively to put their ideas into practice. Each group had distinct and original solutions to the problem, and none failed to hold the dodge ball to incredible heights. The solutions ranged from models of skyscrapers, tripods, cubes, and pyramids. Groups competed with one another to prove their design in a race against time.  Some groups who had finished early expanded on their original concepts to reach even higher heights. One group revised their model three times to reach the breathtaking height of 10 feet.

The first meeting built the connections and chemistry needed for a new team, and brought valuable experience to each and every team member. We look forward to a new and better season of FRC!

The sound of exciting conversations radiated from everyone’s computers as Nemesis 2590 brainstormed ideas for their next project…

One of the competitions that Nemesis participated in for the 2021 FIRST FRC season was the Innovation Challenge (IC). For this contest, teams were given the prompt, “Identify a problem or opportunity and design a solution to help people (or a community of people) keep, regain, or achieve optimum physical and/or mental health and fitness through active play or movement.”

The dedicated and hard-working Nemesis IC subteam immediately jumped in to take on the challenge. Although the entire season was fully virtual, this obstacle did not hinder Nemesis in any way. Many excellent ideas were developed during the first few weeks, from fitness tracking shoes to an online platform with live workout challenges. After going back and forth between many inspirational proposals, the team ultimately decided on BeneFit.

BeneFit is a free fitness app that emphasizes a physical and mental health balance. The app greets the user with a screen that asks how the user is feeling. Based on this information, the app recommends a specific workout tailored to the user, ranging from high-intensity training to yoga and meditation. At the end of the workout, users answer another brief survey on their likes and dislikes of the workout they just did. Through this process, BeneFit learns the user’s preferences to improve the recommendation system for future workouts and the app can provide unique workouts to each user. This design helps to bridge the gap between mental and physical health, as the system revolves around the emotions of the user.

The app has many other aspects as well, such as a personalized daily schedule, avatar customization through in-app currency, and the option to order food within BeneFit through vendors such as Hello Fresh. BeneFit also has a feature that imitates working out with friends through real-time progress reports of all the participants, even if they aren’t physically there together. This was an especially relevant feature at the time since many people refrained from meeting others during the Covid pandemic.

Extensive planning was needed to make BeneFit. The IC team conducted thorough research to formulate the business plan for the app. Many factors, such as video ads, affiliate links, in-app purchases, customer outreach, and other resources needed for BeneFit were taken into account when making the business plan. Several user experience mockups were created to show the interface of the app, and a detailed competitive analysis comparing BeneFit with other popular health apps such as Calm and Weight Watchers was done as well. Furthermore, the team consulted several experts from different fields such as mental health, software, and finance to seek feedback and improve BeneFit as much as possible.

Nemesis advanced to the semifinals for the 2021 Innovation Challenge. However, the story doesn’t end here! The team submitted the idea of BeneFit for the 2021 Altice Innovator Awards. Nemesis won first place for the Innovative Design Concept Award and the runner-up for the Outstanding Business Model Award. In total, Nemesis was presented with a grant of $2500.

Although the virtual season was not ideal, Nemesis was very proud of what they achieved. BeneFit is a creative innovation that is very useful for individuals striving to improve their mental and physical health. The team was grateful to take part in the 2021 Innovation Challenge.

Our award-winning game animation video begins, “Welcome to Nemesis 2590’s entry for the 2021 FIRST Game Design Challenge: FIRST Fusion...“

For this year’s Game Design Challenge (GDC), one of the remotely-judged 2021 FRC competitions, teams were tasked with creating their own functional FRC game, complete with a fully developed set of rules and playing field. Winners pitch their game ideas to the official FRC Game Design Team, for the opportunity to have their designs used in future FRC competitions. 

Nemesis’ designated GDC subteam, though working entirely virtually, dove straight in to tackle this challenge. By following the engineering design process as they would when building a robot, the group emerged with Nemesis’ own original FRC Game: FIRST Fusion.

Weeks of research, brainstorming, evaluating and refining ideas were essential to creating this finished product. The group made sure to incorporate some of the best aspects from past FRC games while still creating a unique design. Difficulty of tasks, strategic play, rookie/veteran inclusion, as well as player and audience engagement were some of the important factors considered when creating the game. On top of this, FIRST Fusion’s game field and rules were fine-tuned to ensure smooth, fair gameplay.

Nemesis’ GDC subteam created its very own game animation video, similar to the official FRC Kickoff videos that are released at the start of the build season every year. The team modeled, animated, and spliced together a video from scratch, describing the game challenge and giving a brief overview of the expected gameplay. FIRST Fusion’s game animation can be viewed below:

Upon submitting their game description documents and game animation video, the subteam gave a live, virtual presentation of their game to a panel of judges. At the official 2021 Game Design Challenge Awards show, it was announced that Nemesis’ FIRST Fusion won the Engineering Design Award in the FIRST Mid Atlantic region.

As the 250 fourth graders of Sharon Elementary School piled into the auditorium, heads were straining to see what the commotion was all about. Standing at the front of the room, Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics Team Nemesis 2590 was ready to present two of their award-winning robots, Eris and Daedalus.

The room went silent and the children’s eyes widened as they saw the robots come to life.     

Nemesis fulfilled the children’s curiosity about how such phenomena exist by explaining how the team builds a robot in such a short time, hosts various fundraisers, and partakes in community outreach programs. Additionally, team members spoke about the history of Nemesis and what it aspires to achieve in the future. 

After this, students were provided with an opportunity to see the robots up close and challenge the robots in various games.

The children clamored as they watched their classmates try to throw more balls into a bucket than Eris, the robot.  The objective of this game was to throw as many small balls as possible into a bucket. 

Once the time began, students were focused on one mission: scoring every shot. Shouts of encouragement were heard as each student stepped up. As the time ticked down,  students began to rush, fearing a loss. In the end, the selected 11 students combined to score fourteen balls. 

Eris, Nemesis's 2017 competition robot, then had a minute to try and score more balls than the students. Eris collected several accolades during its 2017 season including a first place banner at the Mid-Atlantic Region District Championships. At the demo, driver Griffin David maneuvered Eris with ease, shooting balls out at a high velocity and finishing the challenge with 17 balls in the garbage can! Although the students lost the challenge, they were amazed by the speed and accuracy of Eris’s shooting.

Despite this loss, the fourth graders held their heads up high and began the next game. The second game involved picking another set of 11 fourth graders. Instead of Eris, the 2016 competition robot Daedalus was the opponent. The second game was shotput; in this game, students had to launch a larger ball to a designated target, and the group who hit the target the most would be crowned as the victor.

After the one minute timer elapsed, the students were able to score consistently. Next, Daedalus was tasked with matching the students’ extraordinary performance. After a slow start, Daedalus quickly picked up the pace, shooting balls faster and more accurately. Sadly, Daedulus could not catch up to the unprecedented students, who were deemed victorious. 

As students stood up and cheered, the demonstration came to an end. Team members and mentors began packing and saying their goodbyes to the fourth graders. The school bell rang as students left the school with a meaningful moment to look back. Many team members were reminiscent of their time that they attended Sharon Elementary School. All in all, Nemesis 2590 was able to provide the fourth grade class with an insight into the world of STEM.

Nemesis 2590 would like to thank its sponsors: Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Inc., Coldwell Banker, and the family and friends of Nemesis.

Four weeks into the build season, Nemesis 2590 briefly stopped prototyping, dropped their tools, and took a break from the usual chaos to host the best night of the month, Nemesis’s Sponsor Networking Night! 

As a robotics team and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Nemesis depends on donations from sponsors to support the team. Nemesis’s Sponsor Networking Night provides the most direct way to maintain relationships with sponsors and thank them for their support. Through various presentations, hands-on demos, and interactions with team members. Nemesis provides its sponsors with an insight into how the team operates.

The night began as pairs of students greeted sponsors and parents. They were then escorted to presentations offered by the different subteams. Senior build executives, Danny Marincas and Mathew Joseph, explained the 2020 FIRST Robotics Competition Game Challenge: Infinite Recharge. Providing insight to the robot parts, explaining the team’s strategy for the season, and playing a video displaying the prototype of the robot. After the presentation, students answered technical questions about the robot and the game challenge as well. 

In the business center, senior Zach Harris as well as juniors Josh Lichtenstein and Madhu Seshadri gave a presentation which recapped Nemesis’s successful 2018-2019 season as well as their community outreach. Sponsors such as Mrs. Thadal, Mr. Mollica, Assemblyman Benson, and Councilman Schuberth had the opportunity to watch these presentations.

During the past season, the team won the Bensalem District Competition along with three Entrepreneurship Awards. Currently, the team is working on an initiative with the local government to help establish a pilot program that provides grant funding to school districts to participate in FIRST Robotics Competitions. Nemesis also sponsored a STEM challenge introducing underprivileged students to FIRST on a trip to Panama with the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Finally, sponsors experienced the robots in action as they watched students drive Nemesis’s 2019 award winning robot Gaia and the 2018 robot Fury. The student drivers demonstrated how the robots picked up balls and shot them. In 2007, Nemesis began as a small 14 student team, now the team has grown to over 60 members. Nemesis takes pride in their many accomplishments and extensive community outreach. This would not be possible without the support of Nemesis’s sponsors, friends, and family. 

Nemesis 2590 would like to extend its gratitude towards the wonderful sponsors who made this season possible: Navair, Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Inc., Coldwell Banker, and the family and friends of Nemesis.

The moment the 2020 game reveal ended, Nemesis was instantly bursting at the seams with ideas on how to solve the problems they would face.  After a speed read of the game manual, the team was ready to begin brainstorming. 

The team split up into small groups, where everyone made a priority list of what parts of the game were strategically most important. The entire team  finalized what areas of the game the team would focus on. Once the “what” was decided, the team separated to tackle the “how”; where every team member threw out any and all ideas they had.  Each group created a design using contributions from every member. The team reviewed all the designs, effectively giving the members insight into the ideas of others, and additional potential solutions to all of the tasks to be completed.  After two days of brainstorming, the prototyping phase was ready to begin.

The team decided that the main subsystems that needed to be built included a power cell ground intake, a conveyer belt, a way to launch game pieces into the power port, a drivetrain, and a way to climb.  The entire team was split into prototype groups and proceeded to design and test prototypes to effectively address the game challenge. Some succeeded wonderfully, while others failed. Ideas quickly evolved; some branched off into completely new directions, while others were tweaked and perfected. Major progress was made with the shooting mechanism and climber.  As the prototypes improved, ideas were combined and the outline of the robot started to take shape.

The build season has just begun, but Nemesis is ready to tackle any challenge the 2020 season may bring!

The 2020 build season has officially started! And this time it is more out of this world than ever before. This year’s annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) kickoff event took place at Montgomery High School and introduced a game challenge unlike any other.

Nemesis 2590 from Robbinsville High School was one of the many teams that took part in celebrating the start of the new season as well as over 30 local teams. Along with introducing the game challenge, there were also multiple workshops taking place such as, bumper design, safety, and women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) which included an impressive array of presenters from Princeton University and alumnae of Montgomery High School.    

As the time for the game reveal came closer, all team members rushed into the auditorium and silenced and as the light lowered a hush came over the crowded room. The MidAtlantic Regional teams that were mentioned in the video that Montgomery High School presented, including Nemesis 2590. As the countdown started the excitement could be seen on all the members’ faces, lost in the midst of crowd Shweta Raman, a sophomore on the Nemesis 2590 marketing team could be heard screaming, “3,2,1!” Slowly, the curtain revealed the new 2020 game challenge, FIRST Robotics Challenge: Infinite Recharge.

In this year’s game challenge, two alliances work together to shield FIRST City from incoming asteroids. This year’s teams were given an unlimited build season, which is different than the previous years where teams had six weeks to design and build a robot. Every Alliance, alongside their trusty droids, race to gather Power Cells to activate their shield generators and use them to score. Robots also need to move a control panel and balance their droids on a hanging steel rod in order to protect FIRST City! 

After the game reveal, teams raced back to their schools to create strategies and brainstorm ideas for this year’s season. May the force be with you and we hope to see you at our competition!

The sound of jousting robots colliding and battle cries filled the halls of Robbinsville High School on November 23rd and 24th. These half-day events called Discovery Day are annually hosted by two robotics’ teams, Nemesis; Robbinsville’s FIRST robotics team and Nemesis Prime; Robbinsville’s FTC team. The goal of this event is to foster interest in STEM and provide elementary and middle school aged campers with exhilarating experiences centered around Legos to encourage them to keep building. 

This year’s challenge for Discovery Day dated back to the Middle Ages as the 64 campers were tasked with building a robot that could joust. In order to moderate difficulty, second through fourth grade students experimented with RCX motors while fourth to sixth graders worked with the more challenging NXT Mindstorms. This required them to code a program from scratch. The winners of this challenge were determined by which jousting robot remained undefeated. Campers could also earn “extra credit” if they could build a lance that was capable of lowering itself. 

Split into groups of two or three, campers were paired with high school mentors who were impressed after hearing the unique ideas each camper had for building their robot. When third grader Gabby suggested placing the lance at an angle so that their robot could be “stronger,” Anushka, a sophomore on the build team, was left in awe; this was an idea that hadn’t even crossed her mind. When it was put to the test, the idea proved to be successful. Although their robot didn’t seem too stable to begin with, it demolished several competitors. Additionally, the young campers also exhibited an inspiring amount of perseverance. Instead of getting frustrated when their robot lost a challenge or when the code for the NXT robots didn’t work as intended, they simply laughed it off and agreed to try something else. In fact, second grade Anoushka happily claimed that her favorite part of Discovery Day was breaking the robot. 

Aside from testing gears and different Lego designs, campers also improved their teamwork skills. Paired with two boys who barely knew each other, Ritika Bhatnagar, a sophomore, noted, “By the end of Discovery Day, Arin and Lucas became fast friends. It was hard getting them to talk to each other and cooperate in the beginning, but competition is an incredible motivator and aided them in opening up to each other.”

However, there is a lot more to Discovery Day than jousting robots, campers are also encouraged to participate in engaging activities such as driving Gaia (Nemesis 2590’s competition robot) as well as FTC’s robot. These opportunities also sparked interest in STEM by demonstrating the different ways to work with competition robots. 
Overall, this year’s Discovery Day had a definite impact on both the campers and their high school mentors. Guaranteed with a 100% return rate, Nemesis 2590 and Nemesis Prime look forward to hosting this event again next year and help campers accomplish other missions that lie ahead.

Nemesis would like to extend a special thanks to its sponsors: Navair, Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Inc., Coldwell Banker, and the family and friends of Nemesis.

There wasn’t a single moment when adrenaline levels weren’t through the roof in the stands and on the field at Brunswick Eruption hosted by North Brunswick High School on November 9th. Despite having to relocate to Linwood Middle School last minute, Brunswick Eruption was yet another successful off-season event that allowed different teams to come together in a creative space. The matches got intense, rockets and cargo ships were filled, and alliances were made. The energy created by everyone in attendance made it difficult to look away; the spirit that is always at FIRST competitions was shown through all the teams who came from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The drive team and everyone in the stands was exhilarated to cheer on Nemesis. 

Brunswick Eruption was the final goodbye to the 2019 game challenge, Destination Deep Space. Each robot would have to pick up hatches or cargo balls and place them in rockets and cargo ships. Every match with this challenge is always a surprise; there are endless possibilities with what can happen on the field. Whether it be the grueling defense or strategic placing of the hatches and cargo, this game challenge always kept everyone on their feet.

After the first couple of qualification matches, Nemesis proudly ranked number two out of the 38 teams at the competition; closely behind the hosts of the event, FRC team 25, Raider Robotix. Tensions in the stands were high--anything could happen any minute. Carefully observing the robots, the scouts were meticulously taking notes to aid in picking our alliance later on.

Just like that, 2590 took the lead. Gaia didn’t hesitate; moving fast and gracefully, it always managed to get a reaction from the crowds everytime it smoothly placed a hatch or cargo. The drive team was working hard in and out of the pit, always on their toes for whatever was coming next. Of course, with competition comes challenges. One of the shafts broke off from the robot that caused difficulty driving and steering the robot. However, the driver, Griffin David, and the rest of the drive team still managed to work around the challenges and won the matches. 

Winning all qualification matches, Nemesis enthusiastically progressed into quarterfinals and semifinals. When the time came to choose alliances, Nemesis chose team 225 (ranked 2nd) and team 303 (ranked 31st). Both teams gracefully accepted the alliance. As a part of the red alliance, Nemesis powered through quarterfinals and semifinals, winning all four matches. Prior to the nail-biting finals match, members of the Nemesis team were sure to show spirit and support their robot.

Everyone was on their feet for the final match, making sure not to miss a beat. Cheers erupted from the audience everytime Nemesis skillfully scored points; everyone in the stands and on the field was focused, watching with anticipation. The two final matches were suspenseful; when Nemesis won them 73-65 and 68-60, celebrations commenced and it was final; Nemesis won Brunswick Eruption 2019!

It was many members’ first FIRST competition, and they all left the competition satisfied and astonished. Build Chief Technical Officer, Gurveer Grewal explained, “Watching the stands erupt after the last match filled my heart with gratitude. Regardless of whether we won or not, it was a great feeling to work with my teammates and do what I love.”

As the Nemesis representatives went onto the field and accepted their trophy, all mentors and members of the team felt extremely proud of all of their work and payoff. Brunswick Eruption was an extraordinary event and created yet another opportunity for FRC 2590 to spread its wings in competition. Nemesis looks forward to upcoming events, like Discovery Day and the forthcoming season.

Nemesis 2590 would like to extend its gratitude towards the wonderful sponsors who made this season possible: Navair, Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Inc., Coldwell Banker, and the family and friends of Nemesis.

As newspapers flew around the technology lab, students combined forces to solve an engineering challenge to build the tallest tower that could support a soccer ball.. Four years in the making, Nemesis Engineering Day was nothing ordinary; it was a session filled with craziness, excitement, and anticipation. Spanning two days, Engineering Day fostered and created opportunities for students to explore S.T.E.M by presenting an engineering based challenge to 5th-8th graders.

Students entered their sessions with optimism and eagerness to learn. Nemesis student mentors presented the engineering challenge: Following the presentation, the mentors joined with the campers to form teams of two. 

The challenge- seemingly daunting and complex- required teamwork, aptitude, and determination in order to succeed. With only masking tape and newspapers, students had to put their engineering and design skills to work. Not only did the restriction of materials serve as a constraint, there were additional rules that prohibited students from taping the ball to the newspaper and the entire structure to the ground.

Despite such barriers, all students worked productively with their teammates and mentors to implement their intricate and unique designs. After working for some time, students finally began testing their towers. Although, concepts varied, all the models were able to successfully hold the soccer balls at breathtaking heights. Some were even above eight feet!

Students also had the opportunity to explore the NAO Robot, an AI robot that can solve algebraic math problems, drive the 2019 award-winning competition robot Gaia, and play the First Tech Challenge (FTC) game. 

Last, but not least, students enjoyed a pizza lunch while telling tales of their success. All in all, students experience a life-changing moment as they were exposed to STEM .They also developed other critical skills such as communication, team work, and resilience.  The student mentors also gained valuable skills as they worked with the campers and realized the joy of bringing engineering to the next generation..

Thank you to all who attended! We hope to see you next year!

Nemesis would like to thank their sponsors: Navair, Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Coldwell Bankers, and the family and friends of Nemesis.