MARS, FRC Team 1523: Work hard, think harder.

Quick Bio.

A glossary of every aspect of our team can be found here. MARS Robotics Team 1523 is a FIRST robotics team that is based in Jupiter, Florida. We hold meetings at William T. Dwyer High School (map). Team members have included public, private and home schooled students living in the local area and parents, volunteers & mentors from local businesses.

Our History

The Start: Our Team was established in the 2004-2005 school year, with major support from GE Healthcare located also in Jupiter. Team 179: "Children of the Swamp" was a helpful and informative mentor guiding us through the hurdles of our Rookie season. MARS flourished due to great teamwork and fantastic support from Jupiter High's Engineering Academy Instructor Mr. Zachariah, mentors, sponsors,and involved parents. With the majority of the Team composed that year of Freshmen students, the team benefits from members who plan to remain involved for a full 4 years.

Team Identity: Our M.A.R.S. identity was created to reflect our desire to create "Mega Awesome Robotic Systems" (The name also compliments the name of our hometown, Jupiter). The team boldly explores challenges, applying principals of mathematics, science and engineering. Team members' strengths and interests are built upon, allowing students to explore areas of interest through specified subteam involvement (i.e. website development, hardware build, design, programming, marketing, writing, etc.). Team 1523 is grateful to FIRST for the experience and knowledge it is gaining, while enjoying the excitement and fun of the competition.

MARS Logo Design

The very distinctive MARS logo was created in 2005 by student Tim Arnold and has changed very slightly over the course of time. To see the full history and download different versions of the team logo, visit the logo page.

What Makes Us Unique?

Rapid Growth with Many Small Sponsors: Many factors make MARS Team unique from other FIRST competitors. We’re a rapidly growing group from Jupiter and Dwyer high schools. Our mentors include volunteers from a variety of companies in the area and we benefit from strong parental support. In addition to generous support from our major corporate sponsors Lockheed Martin & Sikorsky, donations in the $20 to $500 range fuel our team. Car washes, raffles and scrounging "freebies" supplement our resources. "Dumpster diving" following hurricanes for aluminum screen enclosure materials or discarded plywood is something with which we’re familiar.

Creative Problem Solving: MARS prides itself on finding creative solutions on a shoestring budget. The intelligence and ingenuity of the old TV show MacGyver combined with a junk-yard dog’s practicality and competitive spirit inspires us. With limited machine shop resources, the team generally fabricates robot frames from aluminum tube connected by hand cut sheet metal gussets and pop rivets. Custom designed wheels in the past have included foam core, fiberglass covered wheels with rubberized conveyer belt tread.

Efficient Scheduling & Safety Practices: Another team driving force is wise time management. Our mentors have full time jobs and our students perform team tasks outside of school hours. Jupiter High School provides work space, but security and user restrictions prevent our meeting and work hours from extending beyond 9:00 p.m. The value of safety rules/ guidelines are recognized; not only for obvious reasons but also in recognition of how accidents waste time. It is amazing what is accomplished during the 6 week build on such a limited work schedule. This web-site plays a huge role in organizing our efforts and includes hidden "Team Member Only" areas for secure planning.

Active Community Outreach: Ongoing and off-season team efforts include raising community awareness about us, the FIRST competition, and the impact of new technology in general. Public relations are promoted through local newspapers, school announcements, team service projects and display of our old robot at events. Prior to Kick-off, students provide workshops to other high school students and MARS Team "newbies" in areas including use of Inventor, use of VEX kits, and fundamentals of web design. We’re expanding our resources and entered the animation competition for the first time in 2007.

Pursuit of Increased FIRST Relationships: MARS maintains relationships and friendships with other FIRST Teams. The exchange of ideas is promoted through web links. We’ve found Chief Delphi’s site a valuable resource, enjoy sharing pictures and videos there and exchanging comments or participating in forums with others in the FIRST community. Our commitment to First’s philosophy of "gracious professionalism" has grown and matured along with our team.

Team 1523's Vision

Our mission is to develop a cohesive, inspired team that uses wit, ingenuity, expertise and applied science to reach for MARS (Mega Awesome Robotic Systems). We plan to interest as many people as possible in going along for the ride!

Team Motto

"Work hard, think harder!"

Team Goals

• Design and build competitive robots
• Inspire interest in math, science and technology through use of theories
• Promote problem-solving, creativity, analytical thinking and wise time management
• Gain hands-on engineering and machining experience
• Promote gracious professionalism, leadership and community service

What the Team Needs to Achieve Its Goals: