FIRST Team 5985, Project Bucephalus, is an Australian team that competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
Create Opportunity; Transform the Community!
What is 5985?
OPENFRC Team 5985 is an independent, community team based in the city of Wollongong, NSW. The team is open to all students from any school, and also includes a sizeable contingent of home-schooled students. The team first came together to play FIRST Stronghold in 2016, with 17 students and 7 mentors gathering for their rookie year. By 2024, the team has grown to 44 students from 19 High Schools and 17 mentors.
DIVERSE5985 welcomes all, and the open nature of the team is reflected in its makeup:
ACHIEVEMENTFrom a background of shoestring budgets, hand-tools and recycled parts 5985 has risen to become an award-winning team in both Australian and International competition. Reflecting that FRC is “more than robots” many of these awards are built on the team’s work in education and outreach. The team takes great pride in:
A full list of 5985 achievements (including our Chairman’s Videos) can be found in our Team History, or by visiting the 5985 history on The Blue Alliance.
TEACHING5985 is a team of teachers, with students providing STEM education to children and adults around the world. Our Teaching Program is extensive – every day of the school week, at least one 5985-taught class is in session! This program has reached nearly 8,000 students since 2015. The Teaching program includes special programs to fill gaps in STEM opportunity. These include:
OUTREACHFrom beaches to the bush and pre-schools to nursing homes, 5985 creates STEM opportunity and education. The team has run hundreds of hours of displays and demonstrations across NSW. Contact Us if you have an idea of an event where we could appear!
RESULTS5985 has adopted the ethos of Dean Kamen (founder of FIRST) “It’s not about the robots. We’re not using kids to build robots—we’re using robots to build kids.” When joining 5985, students are welcomed into a group of their peers with a goal of encouragement and improvement. To many, the workshop becomes the place where they feel safe and happy – and are then free to achieve great things. In this team, the ultimate success is judged by the positive effect on the students as we build capabilities and careers. 100% of 5985 alumni have gone on to tertiary education, taking up STEM degrees at University or TAFE or starting Engineering cadetships. Many of these students would never have considered STEM as a career before joining the team. |
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