Who We Are

The South Eugene Robotics Team (SERT) was founded in 2007 by Leighton Barnes (SEHS Class of 2009), and is the only FRC team in the Eugene/Springfield area. Over the years, we’ve offered hundreds of students the wonderful opportunity to learn STEM skills to take forward into an increasingly technology-oriented future. Most high schools don’t offer shop, mechanics, or engineering classes, so SERT is one of the few places for students to learn these hands-on skills. In a world where technology is everywhere, the skills we acquire through the robotics team are invaluable. We’ve worked hard to create a team that is inclusive and welcoming to people with identities underrepresented in STEM, specifically girls and LGBTQ+ youth.

We also develop recruitment materials, fundraising presentations, and business plans, and create videos and social media posts to share our activities and creations! These aspects of SERT help us gain skills in graphic design, financial planning, community outreach, and interpersonal “Gracious Professionalism” - a FIRST value.

Competitions & Events

  • The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an annual competition that brings together robotics teams from all around the world to compete with and against each other. For every season, a challenge is set forth and each team is given six weeks to construct a functional robot in order to fulfill the challenge requirements. Dubbed as the “hardest fun you’ll ever have,” FRC is a challenging and exciting opportunity for high school students that not only teaches them the fundamental elements of technology but the experience of working in a microcosm of a small tech company.

  • Girls Generation is an off-season special event that is focused on the integration of girls and new team members into the world of FRC, and we have participated for several years.

  • This is a chance for students to try something they haven't done before. Only team members who are trying something new are allowed to touch the robot. It's the perfect opportunity for students to step outside their comfort zone.

  • BunnyBots is an off-season event with a unique game challenge each year. Teams build FRC-style robots in double the time of a regular build season, reducing the time constraint and stress. Through hands-on learning, team members gain a variety of skills that they carry through to build season.

Outreach

  • Inspired by the Go Baby Go initiative, SERT modified toy ride-on trucks to be used as alternative transportation for children with limited mobility. SERT developed a design for modifying the trucks that allows them to be controlled with a joystick (smooth acceleration and zero turn radius) instead of a button press (no movement to immediate full power). The joystick trucks provide fun therapy, practice with a joystick that can help kids qualify for an electric wheelchair, and allow children to “run” around with their friends. SERT’s instructions for the joystick modifications have been downloaded worldwide. You can find links to these instructions and more information here.

  • Unified Robotics is a team-based experience where neurodiverse students work together to build and program a LEGO robot. It is modeled after competitive high school robotics, with a fixed season where teams have several weeks to imagine and build a robot, culminating in a championship tournament and celebration.

  • SERT has been adapting toys for use by kids with mobility disorders since 2023. We change the electronics of the toys so they can be activated by pushing a specially-made button. This makes it easier for kids who don’t have a lot of use of their hands to play with them. The completed toys and buttons are donated to the Child Development & Rehabilitation Center. Every kid deserves to be able to play!

  • Since our team’s inception, SERT has not only supported women in STEM, but models this mission – more than 50% all captains/leads in team history have been women. Every year, our team selects projects aimed at inspiring women to explore STEM fields, and connecting with mentors and resources for young women pursuing careers in STEM.

    OPHELIA’S PLACE - A COMMUNITY FOR GIRLS

    For several years, we’ve taught an 8-week long class at Ophelia’s Place in CAD, an organization that supports girls in the community. During the summer, we taught one week of full-day programming and CAD classes. We’ve also donated four desktop computers to this organization for educational use, in addition to laptops for use in the course, and have run demos at their Girls Rule! and GirlCon events.

    SPICE CAMP - UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

    To encourage girls in our community to explore STEM and FIRST, we run demonstrations at SPICE camp, a girls’ science camp at the University of Oregon which is designed to engage young women in the sciences through hands on experimentation. You can learn more about SPICE here.

    NETWORKING EVENTS

    Our team also often attends networking events with female professionals, such as the Oregon State University Women in Engineering Dinner, and the Women In Science and Engineering Symposium.

  • Encouraging middle schoolers to explore the world of robotics is a great way to stimulate interest in STEM – and to a pipeline of skilled, interested team members ready to take on the exciting challenges of building bigger robots in high school team! SERT team members meet with local middle school FIRST Lego League teams to help them prepare for their upcoming competition season. SERT team members work with the younger students on a variety of tasks, including game design and robot construction. We have mentored in Spencer Butte Middle School and Cal Young Middle School.

  • SERT maintains its longstanding partnerships with the community by frequently participating in annual and one-time events that raise awareness of FIRST and STEM values. Throughout the year, we do robot demonstrations, offer young kids opportunities to drive our FRC and demo robots, talk about and teach robot design, and teach skills through fun hands on activities. Events we’ve participated in include:

    EUGENE SCIENCE CENTER - MINI MAKER FAIRE

    LANE COUNTY FAIR EXHIBITION

    OREGON STATE FAIR - DAVINCI DAYS

    UNIVERSITY OF OREGON - SPICE CAMP FALL OPEN HOUSE

    SECOND STAR FESTIVAL, FLORENCE OR

    BARNES & NOBLE MAKER FAIRE

  • A small two-wheeled robot the size of a small backpack, HeadBot balances itself using a series of rapid forward and backward motions. Find him rolling around at various events around town rocking a totally-not-creepy styrofoam head and wearing one of his many stylish costumes. Headbot is fun to drive for people of all ages and is a great way for us to get more people excited about STEM and robotics!

    Our code and a list of parts can be found here.

  • 2018 marked MRGR’s inaugural year. This gathering of Oregon robotics teams consisted of a full day of networking, education, technology, knowledge transfer and general robot fun. Presenters and teams from all over the state shared knowledge and techniques via workshops, robot demonstrations, and academic/technical posters. Free to the public, the event was hosted for several years at the UO Ford Alumni Center. The event’s aim was to share knowledge and skills with teams that don’t have access to resource-rich hubs, and to help connect students with industry professionals interested in finding and developing talent to fill next-gen jobs.

  • In 2018, SERT worked with Harmonic Laboratory, XS Media, the City of Eugene, and other groups to turn the streets of Eugene into a musical instrument. Called City Synth, collaborators used code written by our software team to transmit video of different streets in Eugene. The video was recorded via Raspberry Pis with attached cameras and streamed to a centralized computer where users mixed tracks into their own creation. Our electrical team also assisted by testing video streaming solutions. The project was funded by a Mozilla grant after Eugene was chosen as one of five Mozilla Gigabit cities in the U.S. It was featured as the first stop on Eugene’s monthly First Friday Artwalk and became an exhibit at the Eugene Science Center.

  • SERT has built many tools over the years to make various tasks faster and easier, all of which are open-source and shareable across FIRST. One example is Robot Scouter, a simple yet powerful Android scouting app with customizable scouting templates and advanced spreadsheet exporting for painless data analysis.

    To learn about and download SERT software tools, see our Downloads page.

Mentors & Volunteers

SERT is supported by a group of adult mentors and volunteers who offer their time and skills to the team. SERT is a student-led group, and mentors act as guides and sounding boards throughout projects to assist members with their skill development and growth in everything from manufacturing and electronics, to business and leadership. They also help with the many aspects of running a team: Transportation, food, travel planning, meeting supervision, and cheer squad duty!

If you are interested in volunteering, please get in touch!