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.
Join West Coast Products for a behind-the-scenes look at the tools, design philosophies, and innovations that have helped shape competitive robotics across the FIRST landscape. Whether you’re a mechanical mentor, a strategy geek, or just curious about what makes certain systems and components stand out, this session will give you practical insight and inspiration straight from one of the most respected names in the game.
You don’t need to be a pro to bring CAD into your team workflow. In this beginner-friendly session, Sebastien Sviatyi walks you through how to introduce CAD to students (and mentors), pick the right tools, and avoid common pitfalls.
Learn how CAD can support iterative design, reduce build mistakes, and help your team plan with precision—without overwhelming your students or your schedule.
Looking for more control, flexibility, and fun with your FLL programming? In this hands-on technical session, Marcus and Boyd show how to replace SPIKE Prime’s standard coding environment with PyBricks—a Python-based alternative that unlocks new capabilities for LEGO robots.
Learn why and how teams are making the switch, what to watch out for, and how this tool can help curious students level up their coding skills in a more open-ended environment.
