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.
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.
What happens after your team leaves the judging room? In this behind-the-scenes session, Senior Judge Advisor Jessi Brown will demystify the FRC judging process, sharing how judges evaluate teams, deliberate on awards, and what truly makes a team stand out. You'll get insight into how awards are determined, tips for helping students feel confident and prepared, and a better understanding of how gracious professionalism and storytelling impact success. Whether you're new to FRC or looking to fine-tune your team’s award approach, this session offers valuable advice straight from the judging table.
Hosting a FIRST event isn’t just about tables and tape—it’s about shaping the culture and visibility of robotics in your region. Join veteran hosts Anne and Farish for a practical and visionary session on what it takes to successfully host FTC and FRC events, especially as we look ahead to opportunities for the 2026–2027 season.
Whether you're curious about what's involved, ready to take the plunge, or just looking to level up your existing event, this session will break it all down: logistics, funding, volunteer coordination, community engagement, and the “why” behind it all.
A winning season starts with a smart strategy. In this technical session, Steve Shade will guide you through the process of analyzing a new FRC game, developing an effective game model, and building a strategy that maximizes your team’s competitive potential.
Using real-world data from previous seasons, you’ll explore how initial kickoff estimates hold up over time—and how to refine your team’s early-game thinking into a season-long advantage. This session will expand on techniques introduced during Back-to-Build sessions, offering mentors and technical leads a deeper understanding of how to approach a new challenge with confidence and precision.
What separates a good robot from a great one? Often, it’s not just the build—it’s the thinking behind it. In this deep dive, Joey Kerns shares accessible strategies for applying engineering design principles to your team’s approach from kickoff to competition.
Explore how to frame decisions around constraints, goals, and iteration; how to encourage critical reflection; and how to guide students through real-world tradeoffs. Whether your team is rookie or elite, this session equips mentors with the language and tools to embed strategy into every bolt and bracket.
Ever leave a conference wishing you could’ve had a real conversation about the exact challenge your team is facing? This is your chance.
The FRC Unconference flips the script—there’s no formal presentation, no slide deck, and no passive listening. Instead, we’ll co-create the agenda on the spot, based on what you want to talk about. Led by seasoned facilitator Anne, this interactive session invites mentors to share, ask, listen, and collaborate around topics that matter most in real time.
What’s an unconference? It’s a participant-driven session format that’s informal, flexible, and focused on peer-to-peer exchange. Whether it’s team culture, robot strategy, off-season training, or that one persistent problem you haven’t cracked, come with a topic, a question, or just curiosity. You’ll leave with fresh perspectives and practical ideas you didn’t see coming.
