{"id":2707,"date":"2017-04-07T15:03:07","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T19:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/"},"modified":"2017-04-07T15:03:07","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T19:03:07","slug":"building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/","title":{"rendered":"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \n\t\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n \n

At first, it was “Oh robots, cool! I want to help kids build that,” said Zhiquan (who goes by ZQ) Yeo, Bloomberg Engineer and mentor for FIRST\u00ae Robotics Team 354 from George Westinghouse High School. But it soon evolved into “Wow, these kids have so much potential, I really want to help them grow and shape their future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with the FIRST\u00ae Robotics Competition (FRC) since 2004. Engineers at Bloomberg, like ZQ, were especially interested in contributing their technical skills to local communities in a meaningful way. Many soon realize that the most rewarding experience is witnessing the students\u2019 character development and growing excitement for solving problems with technology.<\/p>\n

Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, a strong supporter of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education and providing students access to pursue STEAM careers \u2013 Bloomberg sponsored 18 FIRST\u00ae Robotics teams this year for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities in New York City, Trenton (New Jersey), San Francisco and London.<\/p>\n

Over 60 Bloomberg employees from engineering and other departments volunteer their time and talents to mentor these teams. They provide guidance on real-world engineering and teamwork skills throughout the six week competition as the student teams each build an industrial-size robot for field battles against other robots.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bloomberg mentors teach basic programming techniques, often to high school students with no prior programming experience, to come up with algorithms and run the robot in autonomous mode. In addition, these volunteer mentors are working with students in designing and constructing their robot, serving as a sounding board for students to discuss their ideas and feasibility.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZQ recalls, \u201cThe coolest thing is not the robot, but actually watching all the kids team up to build the robot and come up with their own ideas.\u201d Bloomberg employees become not just a mentor in robotics but also an advocate, offering the students encouragement and advice in life and career paths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bloomberg Engineer and mentor for Team 2895 from Queens Information Research and Technology High School, Joseph Pokorny mentions, \u201cThe students’ contributions and creative problem solving skills mature rapidly as their dependency on you dwindles. And you can really see this new self-confidence emerge from the quiet and shy person they once were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it is truly a partnership between Bloomberg, our employee volunteers and the school. Joel Bianchi, Coach of Team 1660 Harlem Knights from Frederick Douglass Academy comments, \u201cIt\u2019s really transformed our team since Bloomberg has come on as a mentor; it took our team to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our involvement in FRC not only supports the teams we sponsor and mentor, but also making opportunities available to students. Over the past 3 years, we\u2019ve had 6 FIRST\u00ae Robotics student competitors as high school summer interns at Bloomberg. Four are returning to intern with us this summer. Another former intern and FIRST\u00ae competitor, Stephon Lawrence, is now working part-time at Bloomberg in Engineering while attending Brooklyn College. Additionally, he mentors Bloomberg sponsored FRC Team 369 from William Grady and Rachel Carson High Schools.<\/p>\n

This season, five of our sponsored FRC teams so far have won qualifying regional competitions advancing to the 2017 FRC World Championship in St. Louis, MO held in late April. Our largest group ever! This coming weekend, ten Bloomberg sponsored FRC teams will be competing at the NYC FIRST\u00ae Regionals<\/a> on April 9 to win an invitation to the World Championship.<\/p>\n

For more details about our past FRC involvement, check out our 2015 FIRST\u00ae Robotics season summary, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

FIRST\u00ae Robotics is a part of Bloomberg Startup, our global education engagement and mentoring program, leveraging Bloomberg\u2019s history as a startup and unique expertise as a technology and data company to support academic achievement and career skills for high school and college students. This signature program combines mentoring programs with a workshop curriculum to create a one of a kind experience and provide access to opportunity and technical skills for our network of students and nonprofit partners.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":2648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philanthropy"],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bloomberg L.P.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomberglp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"efrattinimag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bloomberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bloomberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"efrattinimag\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/\",\"name\":\"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#\/schema\/person\/1af8662a32061d7e72d96902e2c731ab\"},\"description\":\"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":\"1\",\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":\"2\",\"name\":\"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/\",\"name\":\"Bloomberg L.P.\",\"description\":\"Bloomberg L.P. is the leader in global business and financial information, enabling customers to make smarter, faster, more informed business decisions.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#\/schema\/person\/1af8662a32061d7e72d96902e2c731ab\",\"name\":\"Bloomberg L.P.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP","description":"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP","og_description":"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/","og_site_name":"Bloomberg L.P.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bloomberglp\/","article_published_time":"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1333,"url":"https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"efrattinimag","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg","twitter_creator":"@bloomberg","twitter_site":"@bloomberg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"efrattinimag","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/","name":"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics | Bloomberg LP","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-07T19:03:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#\/schema\/person\/1af8662a32061d7e72d96902e2c731ab"},"description":"Bloomberg has increasingly been involved with FIRST\u00ae Robotics since 2004. This year, we are sponsoring 18 teams for more than 500 high school students from high-need communities which are mentored by over 60 employee volunteers from across our company.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/stories\/building-robots-build-character-stem-talent-first-robotics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":"1","name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":"2","name":"Building robots to build character and STEM talent with FIRST\u00ae Robotics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/","name":"Bloomberg L.P.","description":"Bloomberg L.P. is the leader in global business and financial information, enabling customers to make smarter, faster, more informed business decisions.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/#\/schema\/person\/1af8662a32061d7e72d96902e2c731ab","name":"Bloomberg L.P.","url":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company"}]}},"featured_image_rendered":"<img srcset='https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg 280w, https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg 300w, https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg 768w, https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg 2000w' src='https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/image\/v1\/resize?width=auto&type=webp&url=https:\/\/assets.bbhub.io\/company\/sites\/51\/2019\/08\/2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg' alt='2017.03.25-FIRST-270_rev.jpg' \/>","category_info":{"name":"Philanthropy","blog_landing_name":"Philanthropy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/company\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}