GEARED UP Mentor Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to the GEARED UP: Mentor Conference, where innovation meets inspiration!

Join us on May 17, 2025, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Kossiakoff Center, for a day filled with knowledge-sharing, networking, and empowerment.

We want to hear from you! What topics are most important and critical for you? What topics can you share with the community? Help us program and plan the 2025 conference to be the most impactful yet.

This conference is proudly presented by Aramco America and aims to equip mentors with the tools and insights needed to effectively guide an increasingly diverse generation of students.

10:00am EDT

XRP in the Classroom: Bringing Robotics to Life During the School Day

Saturday May 17, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT

11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Looking for an affordable, flexible robotics tool you can actually use in class? Meet XRP—a cross-curricular robotics platform built for accessibility, engagement, and real-world skills.

In this session, Lori and Kate show how XRP fits into school-day instruction, aligns with standards, and sparks student creativity. Whether you're an FLL/FTC mentor who's also a teacher, or a district looking to embed more hands-on STEM, you'll walk away with ideas, lesson flow, and implementation tips.

Speakers

Lori Birch

Sr Specialist Education and Workforce Development, FIRST Inspires

Kate Sample

Education Specialist, FIRST Inspires

Content, curriculum, and resource development for the implementation of all FIRST programs.

Saturday May 17, 2025 10:00am - 10:45am EDT
Curriculum Room 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Panel, Curriculum

Host Organization FIRST Chesapeake

11:00am EDT

Integrating FIRST-Style Learning in a Formal Curriculum with Learning Pathways

Saturday May 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT

11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

How can the excitement and creativity of FIRST robotics translate into structured classroom learning? In this session, Lori Birch shares how to integrate FIRST-style project-based learning into formal education settings using clear, scalable learning pathways.

Explore how hands-on challenges, iterative design thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem solving can align with academic standards while keeping the spirit of discovery alive. Whether you're a teacher, administrator, or mentor supporting a school partnership, you'll leave with concrete ideas to build meaningful STEM learning experiences that connect the classroom to the competition field—and beyond.

Speakers

Lori Birch

Sr Specialist Education and Workforce Development, FIRST Inspires

Kate Sample

Education Specialist, FIRST Inspires

Content, curriculum, and resource development for the implementation of all FIRST programs.

Saturday May 17, 2025 11:00am - 11:45am EDT
Curriculum Room 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Panel

Host Organization FIRST Chesapeake

1:00pm EDT

GEARED UP + STEM Hubs in Your Neck of the Woods

Saturday May 17, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT

11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Ready to expand your program’s reach and resilience? Learn how to tap into FIRST Chesapeake’s GEARED UP educator initiative and regional STEM hubs to bring curriculum support, training, and technical tools to your school or community.

Shelly Stoddard walks you through models that have worked in rural, urban, and under-resourced contexts—so you can adapt them to your own backyard. If you’re ready to grow STEM access beyond your team, this is where to start.

Speakers

Shelly Stoddard

Associate Director, FIRST Chesapeake

Saturday May 17, 2025 1:00pm - 1:45pm EDT
Curriculum Room 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Presentation

Host Organization FIRST Chesapeake

2:00pm EDT

XRP in Summer Camps: STEM Skills Beyond the School Year

Saturday May 17, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm EDT

11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA

Summer is prime time for STEM exploration—and XRP makes it easy to launch robotics camps that are fun, accessible, and aligned with real-world learning. Lori and Kate share how they’ve used XRP to create engaging summer experiences for all skill levels.

Get practical guidance on planning, pacing, supplies, staffing, and how to use XRP to attract new students, retain interest, and even build bridges to FIRST programs in the fall.

Speakers