Meet Team 1923 – The MidKnight Inventors

Team History

The MidKnight Inventors’ rookie year was 2006. The Team, originally established representing WW-P High School North, received “rookie funding” of $7,000 a year from NASA for the first two years. As a rookie team, we received valuable mentoring from engineering students from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. In subsequent years, we were funded by donations from parents and team fundraisers and our team grew with the addition of students from High School South.

FIRST TEAM 1923 had limited funding and no sponsors until 2009.   In that year, the MidKnight Inventors submitted a grant application to the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation, Inc, and received our first grant of $1,000. Through the continuing efforts of the Foundation, our corporate sponsors have grown to now include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, MIM Software, and the Integra Foundation among others.  Please click on the <<SPONSORS>> tab to see a complete list of our sponsors.

Accomplishments

For the 2009 and 2010 FRC competitions, the MidKnight Inventors built our robot in a student’s garage and transported it in another student’s truck.  Despite these formidable challenges, our 2009 robot was so well designed and built that the Team won the 2009 FIRST New Jersey Regional Competition where we had the best scoring robot at the competition. The efforts and enthusiasm of the team were recognized by FIRST as Team 1923 received the 2009 Judges’ Award for “Excellence on a Low Budget.”

Our 2009 journey didn’t stop there. Team 1923 then competed at the FIRST Philadelphia Regional where we won another Judges’ Award and placed in the quarterfinals. As a New Jersey Regional Winner, we were qualified to compete in the 2009 FIRST World Championship event in  Atlanta. Nearly 30,000 students gathered from around the world to compete. The MidKnight Inventors placed in the quarterfinals in the Galileo Division, completing our amazing season.

At the 2010 Boston Regional, we received the prestigious Engineering Inspiration Award.  This highly sought award celebrates a team’s outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school and their community.

In 2011, the Team won the Connecticut FIRST Robotics Regional Competition, entering the elimination matches as the number one seed.  In addition, the MidKnight Inventors won two of the most prestigious awards – the Gracious Professionalism^TM Award that acknowledges outstanding sportsmanship and continuous “Gracious Professionalism” in the heat of competition, both on and off the playing field, and the Coopertition^TM Award celebrating the team that best demonstrates their desire and ability to help their opponents compete throughout the entire competition.

Over the years, the MidKnight Inventors have been successful in local competitions as well.  Team 1923 won the 2007 Brunswick Eruption 6 and 2009 Brunswick Eruption 8.  In addition, we were finalists in the 2009 Bridgewater-Raritan Battle Royale, 2008 Ramp Riot, 2009 Monty Madness (Montgomery), and 2008 Brunswick Eruption 7.

Community Outreach and Education

Team 1923 members serve as mentors to the WW-P Community Middle School‘s FIRST Lego League team, Dutch Neck Elementary School’s FIRST Junior Lego League team and the West Windsor Girl Scout Lego League Team 11297.  We also participate in a number of local elementary schools’ PTA Science Days and have sponsored Lego Mindstorm® Robotics classes for younger students. Please see our Community Outreach Brochure for more information on our efforts to promote science and technology in the West Windsor and Plainsboro communities.

Recent Awards

2011 Connecticut Regional

Competition winners!

Gracious Professionalism Award

Coopertition Award

2010 Boston Regional

Engineering Inspiration Award

2009 New Jersey Regional

Competition winners!

Best Scoring Robot

Judges’ Award for:
“Excellence on a Low Budget”

2009 Philadelphia Regional

Quarter-finalists

Judges’ Award