Raytheon / Valley Precision Products / Allergan Foundation / Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope / ATK Space / Enerpro, Inc. / Tecolote Research, Inc. / Lockheed Martin / FLIR Systems / AFAR Communications Inc. / The Neal Feay Company/ Montecito Bank and Trust / Venoco Inc. / Impulse Inc. / Lynda.com/ Santa Barbara County ROP & Dos Pueblos High School Engineering Academy/
Team 1717, D’Penguineers, were a FIRST Robotics team associated with the Dos Pueblos High School Engineering Academy (DPEA) in Goleta, California. D’Penguineers have won multiple awards at the regional and international levels of the FIRST Robotics Competition,[2] and participate regularly in outreach programs for junior high and elementary schools. The team was highlighted in the book The New Cool.[3]
History
Team 1717, consisting of the 32-student senior class of the DPEA, began their first season during the 2005-2006 school year, under the direction of DPEA founder and director, Amir Abo-Shaeer.[4] Since then, D’Penguineers have participated annually in the FIRST Robotics Competition, developing new techniques for student education, team communication, team collaboration, and build season preparation. Abo-Shaeer received a Macarthur Foundation award in 2010 for his work with the school and the team.[5] Team 1717 was disbanded after the 2015 season.
Pre-build season
Preparations for the robotics build season begin at the launch of the school year, where Team 1717 students take both an Advanced Engineering class and an ROP FIRST Robotics class. During the months leading up to the competition, students begin to specialize, in areas such as computer programming, CAD, electronics, and machining working with mentors from the surrounding community. Throughout the year, the students are exposed not only to this educational specialization, but they also learn to manage the business aspects of the team—they also make up presentation teams, apparel managers, travel planners, and account managers, among others. The process of the actual creation of a robot, from initial brainstorms to paper planning to physical building, is a concept foreign to most high school students, and the pre-build season is devoted to developing the skills and team unity necessary to have a successful build season.
Build season
The FIRST Robotics Competition begins in January, when the game is revealed, and continues for six weeks, until the completed robot is shipped. Team 1717 assembles to watch the game video, and the build season is off to a running start. Over the following six weeks, each student on Team 1717 will spend over 360 hours working to collectively design, build, and program their game robot, as well as strategize and organize to find the most effective way to play the game.
Competitions
Once the Team 1717's bot has been shipped, D’Penguineers attend regional FIRST Robotics Competitions and compete for their chance to go to the international FIRST Championship.[6] In past years, Team 1717 has attended regional competitions in San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Arizona, and has qualified for the FIRST Championship in Atlanta, Georgia for three consecutive years.[1]
