Each year, Boston University and Boston FIRST run a series of workshops for Boston area teams to come and learn about different aspects of running a FIRST Robotics team. These workshops generally consisted of presentations given by FIRST veterans willing to share their knowledge of how to do anything, on topics ranging from wiring an electrical system to fund raising. Unfortunately, these workshops were only available for teams who could travel to Boston to see them.

Until now.

Courtesy of Boston University and Boston FIRST, The Blue Alliance is proud to present two of these workshops available to be watched online! The first two videos we present focus on Programming and Fund Raising. These are two topics that are key to any team’s success, and fund raising is particularly important during the pre-season.

Thanks again to Boston University and Boston FIRST for providing us with their workshop videos! Stay tuned as more workshops occur and their videos get posted to The Blue Alliance!

Fundraising

This video provides a series of tips about fund raising. How to apply for grants, approach companies and corporations, brand your team, approach local businesses, and conduct smaller scale student fund raising. Check it out!

Programming

This video gives a basic introduction to controlling the robot with code and programming a simple autonomous mode. Learn some best practices!

Additional Resources

• NEMO’s collection of resources, including Fund Raising.
• Chief Delphi’s Programming Discussion Forum. Get your questions answered!