Team Information
Team Expectations
Attendance
If you’re unable to make it to a meeting for any reason, please notify a team captain or whoever is leading the meeting. GSSM is a very rigorous school, so we are very lenient with absences, just let us know! If you repeatedly can’t make it or clearly are avoiding putting effort we may consider suspending you from the team. We want you to do other activities outside of class, but if you are on 772 it should be your primary extracurricular focus. All we ask is that you communicate.
If, after a suspension, you continue to not complete your responsibilities even with reminders and assistance, you may be removed from 772.
Every minute you are late to a meeting = one push up. The juniors get a one month grace period before we enforce this onto them.
Organization
Compared to many other FTC teams, our workspace is very small. We have an approximately 10’ x 10’ space in the robotics lab, which is very small for a team of 12 people. This means that it’s very important to keep our space organized and easy to move around. Avoid leaving things out on the tables unless it’s actively work in progress. Any parts that aren’t for a GD specific project should be put away in the all-team storage for everyone to use as needed. Tools should be kept in the packouts and tables should be mostly clear. If you have any questions about where things should be stored, please ask the bookkeeper, team captain, or Dr. Parshall.
Communication
Our team uses Discord to communicate. We expect every team member to actively engage and pay attention to the server. as it is where we announce team meetings, events, outreach, and many other important things relating to the team. We also occasionally use Outlook groups for more official communication concerning events or other more formal circumstances.
Safety Procedures
When building robots, we use many different tools ranging from screwdrivers to bandsaws. This requires some safety precautions to be taken. I’ve split the different machines we have access to into three categories, A, B, and C, with A being the least dangerous and C being the most dangerous. The chart below outlines the necessary safety procedure for each machine we have access to. It should go without saying, but do not use any Category B or C machines until you are trained on them by someone who already has experience with them.
| Category | Tools | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| A | Screwdriver, Hammer, 3D Printers, Hacksaw | Requires no extra protection |
| B | Cordless Drill, Bandsaw | Requires attention whenever the machine is powered on, goggles, and another person in the room |
| C | Laser/Plasma Cutter, CNC Mill | Requires safety glasses, long pants, close-toed shoes and an adult in the room. |
Make sure not to use gloves or dangling items around rotating machines like the Drill Press.
Team Representation
Everywhere you go, you are a representative of both 772 and GSSM. At events, it is expected that you remain courteous and helpful to all teams. Judges, mentors, referees and others who you interact with. It’s easy to dislike a team who is performing well that you don’t know, so introduce yourself to other teams! Show them that we want to help. Remember, our goal is to make all of SC FTC a better learning environment and better competitor on the world stage.
Being a part of FIRST also includes following ideals such as Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. All 772 members are expected to exemplify these ideals in the robotics lab, at competitions, and in their everyday life. It is easy for tensions to run high with 4 sister teams or with competitors, especially if the others around you are not maintaining FIRST ideals. However, remember to take a deep breath and KEEP IT GP!
Any egregious, unkind actions such as bullying, use of slurs, or creating an extremely hostile environment will result in removal from 772. While we try to be understanding of mistakes, we have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying or discrimination of any kind.
Team Positions
Team Captain(s)
The responsibility of the Team Captain(s) is to act as the showrunner. Their job is to oversee the entire team and keep things running as smoothly as possible. While the subteam captains need to look at the team from a technical and short term perspective, it is their job to see the team from a long term and less technical perspective. They have a product to deliver, and they need to make sure your team is doing the right things to get that product in a usable state on time. It is the Team Captain’s responsibility to schedule meetings, manage documentation and keep up with the progress of the subteam captains.
For the 2026-2027 BIOBUZZ season, all of our seniors are co-captains. This is not a typical structure but it is what worked for us this year.
Subteam Captains
The responsibility of the Subteam Captain is to direct the other members of their subteam while acting as an expert for other team members and FIRST students. This position varies greatly based on specialty. Below is a quick overview of their individual responsibilities:
-
Mechanical/Electrical Responsible for directing overall design, hardware, manufacturing parts, and construction of the robot.
2026-2027 Season: Shreeji Patel and Marie Alvarez -
Software: Responsible for overseeing creation and development of robot software, websites, and other projects as well as writing the Control Award submission.
2026-2027 Season: Victor Zhang -
Outreach/Portfolio: Responsible for directing the writing of the portfolio, organization of outreach events, managing social media presence, and contacting other teams.
2026-2027 Season: Shree Patel -
Scouting: Responsible for running the overarching scouting operations at events, determining alliance selections, gathering data from other alliances, and maintaining the scouting database.
2026-2027 Season: Marie Alvarez, Divya Rustgi, and Shree Patel
DragonScouter Help: Shreeji Patel -
Drive: Responsible for running practice matches, on-field repairs, coordinating with other alliances for matches, and serving as the primary driver.
2026-2027 Season: Victor Zhang
Promotion Procedures
Future subteam and team captains are decided during the last few subteam captain meetings. The subteam captains and the team captain will work together to choose their successors. It is preferred that a single person is not the captain of more than one subteam, although this can happen in scenarios where it is best for the team as decided by leadership.
Team Structure
Recruiting
GSSM is a two year school. This makes recruiting extremely important, especially for team longevity. We generally recruit our members through prior connections and the robotics interest meeting, although exceptions may be made for mid-season recruiting. While technical skill is always good, we want team members who are passionate about whatever speciality of robotics that they work in. There isn’t a set procedure, and it is mostly up to the Team Captain(s) and Outreach Subteam Captain to decide the method of recruitment for a given season.
Subteam Descriptions
Mechanical Team
The mechanical team is responsible for facilitating the design and fabrication of the robot, virtually and physically. Mechanical is also responsible for creating robot renders for the portfolio and assisting with the mechanical section of the portfolio.
Software Team
The software team is responsible for both creating programs that control the robot and providing explanations and documentation that explains their sometimes seemingly insane or irrational decisions to team members and judges.
Outreach Team
The outreach team is responsible for attending cross team outreach events, volunteering, mentoring, social media, and facilitating contact between other teams. Outreach is also responsible for the creation and iteration of the portfolio as well as the merchandise items that we hand out at events.
Electrical Team
The electrical team is responsible for making sure that everything related to wiring on the robot is tidy and workable. Electrical is also responsible for soldering cables, on-field repairs, wire splicing, and anything to do with items that interact with the control and expansion hubs.
Scouting Team
The scouting team is responsible for gathering, analyzing and understanding the data behind what makes a good Alliance partner and picking accordingly. Scouting is also responsible for development and maintenance of the scouting database as well as understanding the statistical principles that it runs on.
Drive Team
The drive team is responsible for driving the robot during matches, practicing, setting up autonomous, and occasional on-field repairs. They are also responsible for running practice matches and maintaining the robot for them.