Who: STEAM On is tentatively accepting students aged (13-18) to join the STEAM On FTC team! However, This can't be done without your help! We need volunteers to help make this possible. Click here to see volunteer opportunities! STEAM On is honored to be a certifying organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award, which can be earned by people ages 5+, and is a great resume builder!  Is your child in the 6-10 age range? If so, please refer to the FLL Explore. page or is your child aged 9-14? If so, please refer to the FLL Challenge page!

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Cost: Requirements to participate on a STEAM On team include; a STEAM On membership ($120/yr) and team dues (per season) tentatively set at $250 through the League Championships, however if the team advances, supplemental donations may be requested. Travel costs and other expenses will have to be covered by the families.  All costs are dependent upon donations from sponsors to the team and fundraising success. We may also have scholarship options available, as finances should not be a barrier to a great experience. If you have questions about this, or want to become a Sponsor, please contact info@STEAMOn.net.

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What: The FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) is designed for students in grades 7–12 (Ages 13-18) to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The University of Iowa College of Engineering is the Affiliate Partner for the state of Iowa for FIRST® Tech Challenge. The robot kit is programmed using Java, the MIT App Inventor, or other Android programming systems. Teams of 15, with the guidance of coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on innovative, sound engineering principles. Awards are given for the competition as well as for community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments. STEAM On will extensively focus on outreach and event planning along side robot to help out the younger kids and the community. This will enable us to have a good shot at some of the awards while being attractive to potential sponsors and building business and marketing skills for the benefit of students futures. 

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Where: FTC Meeting locations will be in Cedar Rapids Metro area!  However, if you know of a location or anyone who might, please Contact Us!

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When: STEAM On wants to make FTC available to as many people as possible, which is why we are offering shop hours as often as possible (tentatively around 3-4 times per week). These time slots will be chosen by the coaches and mentors on the teams but also based on team member availability. When you apply, please indicate your availability so we can work with your schedule.

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Why: The primary goal of FTC and STEAM On is to provide an engaging experience for students and mentors to foster future engineers and other STEAM jobs. We want to provide a competitive robotics experience for all who are wanting to be part of a Robotics Competition. We aim to equip everyone involved with new tools that they will be able to use throughout their lifetimes.  For more information, please download this flyer from FIRST® about How FTC Works.