A VISION FOR THE AGES
FIRST THINGS FIRST FIRST Robotics is a not-for-profit inter- national organization that partners with local and regional school districts to prepare young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs. Team Aperture 3142 is aligned (and Fabric8 will be aligned) with FIRST Robotics, now in its 32nd year of competition.
Through FIRST Robotics programs (grades pre-K through 12, ages 4-18), teams from across the globe enter FIRST Robotics Competitions each season during a six-week period to build remote-control
robots capable of competing with other robots. More than 3,300 FIRST Robotics Competition teams competed during the 2023 season, with 619 teams advancing to the international FIRST Championship in Houston scheduled in April 2024.
Picatinny Arsenal supports FIRST Robotics teams and played a key role as the founding sponsor of Team Aper- ture 3142—underscoring the arsenal’s commitment to promoting STEM educa- tion and fostering global competitiveness. Hofmann’s newly formed nonprofit, Fabric8, will also operate within the FIRST Robotics team framework and develop a community makerspace for young engineering hopefuls in grades five through 12.
Te difference with Fabric8, Hofmann said, is that it has potential for a wider community reach than Team Aper- ture 3142, which is currently limited to Newton, Green Township and Andover, New Jersey, schools. Te newly proposed Fabric8 will open the door for all Sussex County schools and beyond to partici- pate—building an expanded network that he believes will boost Picatinny Arsenal’s STEM office reach.
IN GOOD HANDS
James Hofmann handing the ball— used by robots to shoot hoops into baskets—off to his replacement, Ciana Roman, at the New Jersey State Fair, held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, New Jersey, Aug. 4-12, 2023. Roman will be teaching technology at Newton High School and coaching Team Aperture 3142 for the 2023-2024 season. (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Bailey, mentor and 2018 team captain, Team Aperture 3142)
“FIRST [Robotics] teams offer students the opportunity to solve problems, collab- orate, design, broadcast, make change, engage legislators and offer commu- nity service,” Hofmann said. “It teaches students the career paths possible and also prepares them for the ones not yet innovated.” It’s as close to real-world engi- neering as a student can get, he said.
Dominic Estanislao, a former FIRST Robotics team member and an engineer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM AC), said he initially had joined the robotics team to take
76 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2024
pictures and videos, but shortly thereaf- ter began making parts for robots and supporting the remote-control drive team. It became clear which direction his career was heading, so he joined the Armaments Center as an intern, while he pursued his degree at the New Jersey Institute of Tech- nology. After graduation, Estanislao was hired as a full-time mechanical engineer at DEVCOM Armament Center’s Analy- sis, Materials and Prototyping Directorate and continues to mentor his alma mater, Team 3314 Mechanical Mustangs, which he has been a part of for a decade.
“FIRST Robotics is a unique opportu- nity that can inspire students that are not sure what they want to do in life to pursue STEM. Picatinny STEM has been a sponsor of [FIRST Robotics Competi- tion] Team 3314 since the early days of the team’s existence and an integral part of the program’s development to what it is today,” he said.
Being part of a FIRST Robotics Compe- tition team has been “a great experience,” Estanislao said. As a high school student, he was able to work alongside engineers to design, build and field a robot in a short amount of time. As a mentor, he said, robotics provides opportunities to use different manufacturing tools than he usually uses for his job, so it not only benefits the students but the mentors, too.
“As an alumni and current mentor, I could not be prouder of my team’s achieve- ments,” he said. “Being on my team now as an engineer I have realized that as a student you build robots, but as a mentor you build people.”
SHARED VISION Hofmann’s commitment to igniting inspi- ration among young minds within the realm of STEM subjects resonates with Picatinny Arsenal’s mission of fostering
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