FLINT, MI -- Spare wires, robot pieces and mathematical equations doodled on white boards are scattered throughout Kettering University's FIRST Robotics Community Center.
High school students huddle at their work stations, pulling out the tools they need to complete their robots.
FIRST robotics teams are in full swing, getting their robots designed and operating. In fact, it's crunch time for the teams, as they have only two weeks left before competitions start.
But something is different this year. For the first year, five local high school teams are building and designing their bots in a collaborative environment in the community center located in the heart of Kettering's campus.
It's the first robotics center of its kind in the nation and it's already serving its purpose, said Bob Nichols, director of the FIRST center who started FIRST on campus in 1997.
"We have a pretty unbelievable machine shop that most schools don't have access to. They have access to our students and faculty that are here to help them and help them grow," Nichols said. "There's so much collaboration going on here. ... That's what it's all about."
The FIRST Robotics Community Center opened in September and five teams moved in by the first week of January.
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When full, the center can hold eight teams, but organizers wanted to start off slowly and welcomed only five teams the first year, Nichols said.
Now the teams -- Powers Catholic High School, Metal Muscle (Kettering's sponsored team), Flint F.I.R.E. (Flint Northwestern and Southwestern high schools and Mott Middle College), Atherton High School and Flint International Academy teams -- are working hard to finish their robots by the Feb. 17 deadline.
The purpose of the community center was to give high school students the opportunity collaborate with each other, learn from Kettering staff and students and have access to much-needed tools and resources.
It's about giving them the best opportunity to learn and succeed, Nichols said.
The five teams have a total of 84 students. Add in the advisers and Kettering students and there are 134 people using the center.
Some teams are there working six days a week.
"These teams will be very competitive at the competitions. That's part of the whole benefit of being at the center -- helping each other out," Nichols said. "The high school students are learning how to use machines they would never use. They are doing a lot of problem solving, design and learning programming in high school.
"They're going to be in high demand when they decide to go to college."
For the Powers team, being in the FIRST center is a step up from last year's practice and work space.
When Powers moved to its new building in Flint, there wasn't a room the eight-person team could use, so they were using space in an old, cramped house on the school's campus.
Having space in the FIRST center is a much better option for the team, said Jim Stratton, a Powers junior.
"I think it's great. Before, we didn't have a machine shop to go to," Stratton said. The team would have to order a part and wait a couple of days instead of just making it in one afternoon.
Their work space includes a tool box, plans drawn up for their robot and a space to store the robot between work times. It's only a short distance from the machine shop, which includes equipment such as drill presses, band saws, cold saws that cut steel and aluminum, and a welder.
It builds a whole new skillset, Nichols said.
"It really takes them a long way, those types of skillsets," Nichols said. "The idea is to make it fun and get them interested in a career in engineering and sciences. It literally transforms their lives in what they want to do with their careers."
Being around other teams is another huge benefit of the center, Stratton said. Being a veteran team, Powers robotic students are able to help the new teams, as well as bounce ideas off of all the teams.
"It helps us to be able to touch base on the things that we know," said Stratton, 17, of Flushing. "We can figure out things together."
For a new team, like International Academy, the new center brings even more expertise and advice.
Chandan Brown, a junior at International Academy, said he decided to join the FIRST Robotics team because he was interested in science and design, so it seemed like a good fit.
The best part about the community center is bouncing ideas off of the veteran teams, he said.
"They were actually willing to help us, which was great," said Brown, who hopes to go to college for video game design. "The experience (has been the biggest benefit). Just being around people who have the same interests as you do, have them them teach you new things and have them prepare you for the future."
Brown said he was glad his school's team had the opportunity to use the FIRST center space and he's happy that it will be there for future generations.
But being a part of FIRST Robotics goes so much beyond building robots. It prepares students for the future, it teaches them leadership, it grows an interest in engineering and science and it helps prepare them for college, Nichols said.
So, what's so special about FIRST Robotics?
Here are four reasons why FIRST Robotics should matter to students and their parents:
1. It's gaining attention and popularity across the state: Gov. Rick Snyder gave Kettering and its FIRST Robotics Community Center a shout-out during the State of the State address last month.
He also mentioned how much it's growing in the state.
"If you look at kids who do FIRST robotics, the likelihood they will go on to engineering or skilled trades goes up dramatically," he said during his State of the State Address. "We were No. 2 in the country several years ago. Over the last few years, we added teams. This last year, we added 77 teams, more than the other 49 states combined.
"We are up to 349 teams, 110 more than California, and we are hoping to be a leader in that."
Michigan invested $3 million in the FIRST Robotics program this year and the 2015 education budget includes another $2 million in district grants.
2. FIRST prepares for the future: Students that go through FIRST and robotics programs learn so many skills along the way, Nichols said.
"We got a kid who was just building a 3D printer at home. These kids will be designing cars. They will be designing cell phones in the future that are using professional graphics that we have here on campus," Nichols said. "These are our future designers and builders and programmers. And they're high school students."
3. FIRST prepares students for college and careers: High school students gain valuable experience that other high school students may not get, Nichols said.
"Our co-op employers will wait in line to interview a FIRST student coming out of high school," he said.
They get two-minute matches in competitions where they have to think quick on their feet.
"There's a lot of pressure on these kids to problem-solve," Nichols said, adding many more benefits. "It's all about leadership and giving back. That's one side of it. Teamwork skills that come out of a FIRST team are phenomenal. Somehow, they have to come together as a team."
Kettering has also started ACT preparation classes for FIRST students. There will also be summer campus and seminars in the future to help get students ready for college.
"We're just getting started here," Nichols said.
4. It's fun: Stratton said he got into FIRST Robotics because he wanted to pursue a career in engineering.
But throughout his years in FIRST, it was a fun way to get a lot of hands-on experience he wouldn't have gotten in high school otherwise. It helped him confirm that it's why he wanted to go to college, while teaching him mechanical skills, he said.
"I was looking to go into college for engineering so I figured the earlier I could get involved, the better," Stratton said. "I had a lot of fun."