By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor
Building LEGOs as a child jump-started East Kentwood junior Eva Mei into the world of robotics.
“I became interested in robotics and these competitions because I was really into building LEGOs as a kid, and when FIRST LEGO League started at my elementary school I was really interested,” said Mei, a Project Lead on Red Storm Robotics 3875 team. “That eventually led me to joining FIRST Tech Challenge (middle school) and FIRST Robotics Competition (high school).
“I have learned how to cooperate as a team and be really communicative with others, as well as learn how to go through the engineering process of brainstorming, prototyping, setting priorities, and building a robot. I find it really cool to belong in a team that I could find a community in.”
Mei will compete with her team this weekend at East Kentwood’s eighth FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics qualifying tournament on Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30 at the high school (6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Kentwood). The competition is free and open to the public.
“We expect 40 teams from across Michigan to compete, and 2,000 people to come to this fun, free, open to the public event,” said Wendy Ljungren, event coordinator of FIRST Robotics Competition and founder of Red Storm Robotics in 2010. “This year’s competition theme is CrescendoSM. Two alliances of three teams each compete against each other to shoot foam rings into an overhead bin or a smaller slot earning the alliance points. At the end of each match, the robots climb onto the stage chain to earn additional points.”
Opening ceremonies for Day 1 begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 29 and on Day 2 at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 30 at East Kentwood High School. The complete agenda and more details on the competition can be found here.
Back in 2015, Ljungren volunteered to start and lead the competition with a game called Recycle Rush. She has been the Red Storm coach from Day 1 up until last year, when Trista Vandervoord took over.
Now a team mentor for Red Storm, Ljungren has been in the aviation business for 40 years, working in high profile roles in engineering for GE Aviation and AiRXOS. After funding was cut at GE, she formed a company called Anzen Unmanned in 2021 with three others.
“Get more girls passionate about engineering”
“I got involved in robotics as the leader of GE women in technology group,” Ljungren said. “We wanted to get more girls passionate about engineering, so adopted the FIRST robotics program for not just Kentwood, but all schools in the area. Red Storm has grown to two high school FIRST Robotics Competition teams, eight middle school FIRST Tech Challenge, and 32 elementary FIRST Lego League teams.
“It is very satisfying to see the difference we have made in student’s lives.”
Similar to playing on a sports team?
“FIRST was started to encourage students, and parents, to be as excited about STEM as they are about sports,” Ljungren explained. “Unlike sports, most FIRST students can go professional.”
New head coach and longtime mentor Trista Vandervoord said the robotics model of FIRST directly emulates a sports model, with district competitions, regional championships and a world championship event celebrating the best of the best.
“Under the guidance of volunteer professional mentors, students create a robot from nothing in a short span of two to three months. Students practice skills in design, manufacturing, assembly, programming, marketing and teamwork to get the job done.”
The FIRST Robotics website states, “Combining the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. We call FIRST Robotics Competition the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High school student participants call it ‘the hardest fun you’ll ever have.’”
Vandervoord began as a volunteer mentor
Unlike Ljungren, Vandervoord had a career non-related to robotics.
“My education was in statistics and psychology, and I worked doing statistical reporting for an insurance company directly out of college until my children were born and I became a full-time at-home parent,” Vandervoord explained. “I started my involvement with Red Storm Robotics eight years ago as a volunteer mentor with my son’s middle school robotics team. I enjoyed it so much that when he moved on to the high school robotics team, I stayed with the middle school program volunteering as mentor, then eventually became program coordinator for that level.
“Two years ago, it became a mission of Red Storm Robotics and Kentwood Public Schools to grow the program across the district, and I proposed the position of Red Storm Robotics Program Coordinator K-12 (the role she’s currently in).
There are over 600 FIRST Robotics Competition
high school teams in Michigan this year
From 75 to 350 members in just two years at EK
When Vandervoord began two years ago, there were 75 students involved across the district. This year, some 350 Kentwood Public School kids participated on a robotics team.
There are 56 Red Storm Robotics East Kentwood high school students participating in the East Kentwood Competition this weekend broken down into team teams:
Red Storm Robotics 3875: 10th through 12th grade students who specialize in an aspect of robotics which began 14 years ago. Led by Team Captain Nate, who manages the day-to-day aspects of the project and motivates the team to do its best under the guidance of Coach Alyssa Luna. Project Leads Eva, Ethan and Kailey are all experienced mechanical students who lead the design and building of different functions of the robot (intake, hopper, shooter, climber). Programming Captain Lindsay works with the programming subteam to make sure all programming tasks are completed. Marketing Captains Emma and Zander make sure their subteams complete all award submissions, prepare a presentation for judging, manage all branding and maintain the team’s relationship with their sponsors.
Red Storm Rookies 9566: A new team of 8th and 9th grade students who have just graduated from the middle school robotics program in the fall. They learn all aspects of robotics: design, prototype, build, wire, program and compete. Team Captain Leah works closely with Coach Nick Baribeau to organize the students and manage the workflow of the project.
Leah Bernstein, team captain of Red Storm Rookies
“I became interested after receiving an email from our school in seventh grade that brought many people to introduce our community to our robotics program,” said Leah Bernstein, East Kentwood ninth-grader. “I stayed in robotics through the years because I loved the community, everything I learned from robotics and the amazing experiences and opportunities I got through robotics.”
“I have learned many things through Red Storm Robotics like basic programming and building, how to be a part of a team, how to communicate with adults and ask for help better, as team captain I also learned how to lead the team.”
Red Storm generally top 25% in the state
Vandervoord said Red Storm generally finds itself in the top 25% statewide.
“Red Storm students traditionally design, build and program robots that are well-equipped to play the season’s game,” she explained. “We are especially proud of our growing number of female participants; currently 44% of the participants on our high school teams are women.”
Vandervoord said Robotics is an excellent application of STEM skills, and attracts students with an interest in evaluating a problem, proposing solutions, trying the solutions and creating a final product to solve the problem.
“Our well-rounded students are involved in many extra-curriculars, including STEM-related clubs, but we are often delighted by the creative solutions that our artistic/musical students offer.”
College scholarships available as well
As far as college scholarships go, Vandervoord said they are definitely available in Michigan.
“Red Storm alumni have received scholarships to Kettering University, Grand Valley State University and scholarships through FIRST sponsors,” she explained.
East Kentwood senior Nate Moxey, team captain for Red Storm 3875
“I became interested in robotics at one of Red Storm Robotics’ many demos at a club showcase,” Moxey said. “They had a robot much larger than I expected driving around quickly, so it was exciting to watch. Joining the team became very enticing to me, so I signed up shortly after.”
“By being on the Red Storm Robotics team, I have learned effective communication and cooperation skills, while also improving my time management. RSR imitates the industry in many key areas, so I feel more than ready to succeed in college and beyond. It is genuinely awesome to belong to Red Storm Robotics because it feels like its own family.”
Vandervoord talked about the growth of the students.
“I love to see the personal growth in each student as they develop STEM skills such as manufacturing, building and programming as well as interpersonal skills like leadership and teamwork,” Vandervoord explained. “I’ve seen students decide a career path because of their involvement with Red Storm Robotics. It is truly a blessing to do something I love.”
Next Round: State Championship at SVSU
Every team’s goal is to advance to the FIRST in Michigan State Championship on April 4-6 at Saginaw Valley State University. From there, the best teams move on to the World Championship from April 17-20 in Houston.
The Red Storm Robotics teams are sponsored locally by Dematic, GE Aerospace, Anzen Unmanned, Trane Technologies, Argosy, DTE Foundation, Members First Mortgage, NDIA Michigan STEM Sponsorship, Savant Automation, and Cascade Engineering.
For more information on Red Storm Robotics and FIRST Robotics Competition:
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FIRST Robotics Competition
