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Roseburg-sponsored FTC robotics team advances to World Championship

Roseburg is a proud sponsor of “Team Aries,” FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) robotics team from Roseburg High School. The team is advancing to the World’s Robotics Championship in Houston, Texas, where they will showcase the robot they’ve worked on creating, in competition with 192 top FTC teams from around the world. The competition will be attended by around 7,000 people and take place from April 19-22, 2023.

Hosted by FIRST®(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), this championship is a culminating, international event for youth robotics, and an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for our community that prepares young people for the future.

Team Aries is composed of eight talented high school students who have worked tirelessly to design, build, and program a robot that can perform complex tasks. Their robot, named “Presumably,” features an innovative design that allows it to maneuver through challenging obstacles and complete various tasks with speed and precision, while competing with and against other teams on the field. It is equipped with a variety of sensors, motors, and controllers that enable it to perform tasks such as moving objects, stacking, and detecting and avoiding obstacles. The robot’s unique design incorporates a telescoping arm that can extend and retract to reach targets at different heights, making it a versatile and effective machine.

Learn more about the team’s project via their social pages: InstagramYouTube, and Twitch.

As a sponsor, Roseburg has helped provide Team Aries with access to state-of-the-art tools, materials, and expertise from experienced engineers and scientists. The company has also supported the team’s participation in workshops, seminars, and competitions, encouraging their passion for robotics and STEM fields.

The team recently visited Roseburg’s Western Regional Office to showcase their latest prototype to our engineering team, who gave feedback and praise to the students on their work.​​​​​​​

Josiah Van Hattem, Mechanical Engineer at Roseburg, has mentored team Aries for 400+ hours, sharing with them principles and processes of engineering and design. The hands-on practice the team has experienced under his guidance has allowed them to apply the theories they’ve learned to real-life situations, deepening their understanding of important concepts and situations they will encounter in their academic studies and in their future careers.

Josiah himself is a former FTC World Champion and was on the same high school team as Isaac Salchenberg, son of Roseburg’s Director of Engineering, Jim Salchenberg. Jim noticed how few companies were paying attention to the World’s Robotics Championship and decided it would be beneficial for Roseburg to invest in this new avenue to attract and retain future engineering talent. In response, Jim spearheaded efforts to increase the robotics sector of Roseburg’s internship program, providing a more robust opportunity to inspire and support the next generation of innovators.

Both Josiah and Isaac were originally brought onto the Roseburg team as interns, which eventually lead to Josiah’s current full-time position. Another previous Roseburg intern, Kohlton Kuzler, was also on Josiah and Isaac’s high school team, and he was just hired to be full-time starting April 1. Their success stories demonstrate Roseburg’s commitment to providing the opportunity for young professionals to grow and thrive in their field and with our company.

Roseburg is committed to investing in future leaders and innovators in the STEM fields. We wish Team Aries the best of luck at the World Championship, and look forward to their future success.