About the Firebirds!

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​We are the Firebirds, team 433, the longest running all female FIRST  team in the world!

Based out of Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown PA, the Firebirds are an FRC robotics program dedicated to making STEAM more approachable and accesible to everyone in our community. 
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Founded in 1999, our team first competed under the name M.I.N.T. (Mounties Interested in New Technologies.) However, after that initial bot was disqualified for catching fire, our team decided to rise from the ashes as the all-mighty Firebirds! And we’ve been flying our way to victory and innovation ever since! We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 25th anniversary in the 2024 competition season, and are excited to continue changing lives for 25 years more!
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Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @firebirds433

Statistics

The numbers don’t lie! The Firebirds have had a significant and measurable impact on all of its members throughout the years. Through our dedicated tool training, CAD workshops, design meetings, and hands-on learning approach, team 433 is creating the female STEM leaders of tomorrow!
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Since becoming Firebirds:
  • 81.7% of members feel they’ve gained mechanical experience
  • 49.2% feel they’ve gained programming experience
 
  • 64.3% feel more confident explaining their work to others
  • 82.1% feel more knowledgeable about STEM careers
  • 81.4% feel more confident in their STEM abilities
 
  • 89.3% feel they’ve become more adaptable
  • 82.1% feel they’ve developed problem solving skills
  • 77.86% feel they’ve developed their critical thinking skills
 
  • 75% are more interested in taking courses in engineering an/or computer science
  • 71.4% feel more likely to major in a STEM field

In addition to our 100% female membership, 33% of our current mentors are female and 22% of mentors are alumnae who’ve chosen to return to the program. 

40% of our members identify as people of color.

Team Structure

Our team is divided into 3 sub-teams: Mechanical, Software, and Administration. Each sub-team can be broken down into categories with a variety of unique roles*

Student leadership consists of Team Co-Presidents, and a Head of each sub-team.

Mechanical:
  • Build — Designing and assembling the robot
  • CAD — Creating 3D models for 3D printing, x-carving, and mechanical design

Software:
  • Programming — Using code to make the robot run
  • Electrical — Wiring the robot, the bridge between mechanical and software

Administration:
  • Awards — Composing essays, presentations, and short answers to compete for official FIRST awards
  • Outreach — Organizing a variety of community outreach events and initiatives
  • Business — Acquiring, contacting, and maintaining relationships with sponsors | the management of team finances
  • Imagery — Crafting graphic designs for team logos, shirts, banners, and other branding
  • Media — Maintaining the team’s public platform through social media

Competition Specific Sub-teams:
  • Drive Team — Operating of robot at competitions
  • Pit Crew — Fixing and maintaining robot during competition between matches
  • Scouting — Collecting information about other team’s bots in real time in order to create effective alliances and strategies
  • Strategy — Communicating with alliance partners about game strategies and meta


*Many members choose to take-on multiple roles all throughout the team!
​Our Team’s Mission: 
To create a world in which everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, orientation, or income has access to experiences that celebrate and encourage STEM so that the dreams of today may become the realities of tomorrow.
Contact us: [email protected]