Workshops

AI-Driven Human-Robot Interaction: From Smart Sensing to Large Language Models 

1:00 – 1:45 pm | Room 419
Cynthia Zhang, PhD. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

Dr. Zhang will discuss how data-driven and AI technologies enable robots to perceive and respond to complex human behaviors, with applications in manufacturing. Dr. Zhang will also showcase how large language models are opening new frontiers for natural communication and context-aware assistance. Throughout the presentation, she will highlight how these AI technologies are applied to create safer, more efficient, and more intuitive collaborative systems. 

Elevate Your Team Judging Experience

1:00 – 1:45 pm | Room 420
Kelli Van Antwerp & Elise Cronin-Hurley

Experienced Judge Advisors, Kelli Van Antwerp and Elise Cronin-Hurley will share strategies to prepare your team for judging in the next season and even some tips to help your team in the pits this week. This workshop is ideal for those teams wishing to increase their knowledge of FRC judging and how best to communicate their team’s excellence.

STEMCOMM: The Importance of Communication in STEM

2:00 – 2:45 pm | Room 420
Team 5472 The Wyld Stallyns

STEMCOMM is a program created by team 5472 to help STEM students develop communication skills so they can become successful future leaders in engineering and other technical fields. In collaboration with our school’s award-winning speech and debate program, we created an informative, creative, and energetic public speaking course curriculum, specifically for FIRST students. This presentation will explore why effective communication is important in STEM; how team members can improve their communication skills with some fun, simple activities; and how this curriculum can equip students with the tools they need to succeed as STEM leaders in FIRST and beyond. This workshop has previously been hosted at the 2025 Tallahassee Regional, 2025 Orlando Regional, and 2025 FIRST World Championship.

Best Practices When Applying for NASA Internships

3:00 – 3:45 pm | Room 420
233 The PINK Team

Presented by NASA Engineer Katie Mortensen: Overview and best practices for applying to a NASA Internships: Going over the differences between OSTEM and Pathways Internships. The application portal and what mentors like to see on resumes.

Many Bots, One Mind: Intro to Swarm Robotics

4:00 – 5:00 pm | Room 419
Prof. Marcos Müller Vasconcelos and PhD student Zhewei Wang

Prof. Marcos Müller Vasconcelos and PhD student Zhewei Wang Swarm robotics has exciting real-world applications, from search and rescue missions and environmental monitoring to warehouse automation and space exploration. In this workshop, we will introduce the notion of a robotic swarm. We will cover the essentials of mathematical modeling for such systems using a technique known as consensus. We will then demonstrate how this technique can be implemented on a Pololu 3pi robotic platform.