INNOVATE Albion’s N.E.R.D Spark Team Awarded Robotics Impact Award

Members of N.E.R.D Spark.  Courtesy photo.

(April 19, 2024 10:51 AM ET) N.E.R.D Spark, a second-year robotics team from the nonprofit Innovate Albion was awarded the prestigious Impact Award, the highest honor awarded in the FIRST Robotics community.

The Impact Award recognizes a team that not only serves as a model for others but also actively and effectively embodies FIRST’s mission to “provide life-changing robotics programs that give young people the skills, confidence, and resilience to build a better world.”

“Our team has worked incredibly hard this season — not just on the technical challenges of constructing and programming a competitive robot, but also on outreach and exemplifying the spirit of FIRST,” said Caroline Hurteau, executive director of Innovate Albion, the largest STEM training nonprofit for kids grades K-12 in southwest Michigan. “The Impact Award is a testament to our students’ commitment to inspiring and leading in the realm of science and technology.”

N.E.R.D (Nuclear Exploding Rubber Ducks) Spark was honored during the FIRST in Michigan Macomb District Qualifier Event held March 28–30. During the competition, team N.E.R.D Spark, among 40 competing teams, secured a sixth place in the qualifying matches. The 32-member team played a critical role as a key member of the 3rd Alliance, a group of teams that collaborate and share resources and ideas.

“Though their competition ended in the semifinals, the lessons learned and the camaraderie built will resonate far beyond the event,” Hurteau said. 

In 2023, N.E.R.D Spark clinched first place in its division at FIRST Championship, an international robotics competition in Houston with more than 18,000 students from 59 countries. N.E.R.D Spark defeated 77 teams in its inaugural trip to the elite robotics world competition. Apart from the first-place honors, the team received the Rookie All-Star Award and the Rookie High Seed Award for its division.

This year, N.E.R.D Spark is one of seven teams fielded by INNOVATE Albion during the 2023–2024 FIRST Robotics season. INNOVATE Albion provides mentor and financial support to three FIRST Lego League Challenge Teams for fourth and fifth graders and is a sponsor of the FIRST Robotics Competition Team for ninth to 12th graders within Marshall Public Schools. Through these teams, the organization cultivates young minds to become the next generation of innovators and leaders.

 For the second year in a row Team 9312, N.E.R.D Spark has qualified for FIRST Championships as one of 86 teams representing Michigan. FIRST Championships being held this weekend in Houston, Texas.  

Since its inception in 2019, Innovate Albion has become a hub for students interested in coding, engineering and robotics. Located in a refurbished three-story, 100-year-old masonic temple, the tech education center features a machine shop, classrooms and a regulation-size high school robotics field.  To learn more about Innovate Albion programs, visit InnovateAlbion.org.

Innovate Albion provided the following photos from competition: