BABBITT — When the foam balls started flying and robots scattered across the competition field at this year’s FIRST Robotics regional, something remarkable happened for a small school from the Iron Range.
Northeast Range’s Iron Mosquitos, a team of 16 students sometimes competing against teams that can field a hundred, walked away with the Impact Award, the highest honor in FIRST Robotics. The prize comes with a coveted invitation to the world championship in Houston. Now, the team needs the community to help them get there.
“It’s kind of fun for these kids from a small school to be out there doing a lot more than I did when I was 16,” said Ryan Lindsay, who founded the team in 2015 and has been coaching ever since. “It’s fun to watch them just be out in the world presenting.”
For those unfamiliar with competitive robotics, Lindsay describes FIRST as “a sport for the mind.” Each January, teams receive a new engineering challenge with a set of limitations. They have six to eight weeks to design, build, code, and assemble a fully functional robot, then compete against teams from across the state and the world.
This year’s game involves 600 foam balls scattered across the field. Teams race to vacuum them up and launch them through targets while defending against opposing robots. The result is cheerful chaos: balls in the air, robots careening across the field, and strategy with other teams.
The Iron Mosquitos’ robot this year is called Mojo BoltJo, a Powerpuff Girls reference dreamed up by the team’s build captains, who decked the machine out in pink and green. It is capable of firing a high volume of foam fuel in rapid succession, which helped the team reach the semifinals at their regional and knock out the second-ranked alliance along the way. They’re currently ranked 65th in the world.
But the Impact Award, not the robot’s firepower, is what really set the Mosquitos apart this year. That award recognizes teams for how they invest in their communities.
Several years ago, the team was invited to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society conference in Pasadena, Calif. They went with a mission. After consulting with tribal council leadership, they focused on finding better ways to connect with Native American youth who are underrepresented in STEM fields. What started in California grew into summer STEM camps at the Boys and Girls Club at Bois Forte and Net Lake, where the team runs hands-on activities rooted in both engineering and culture.
For one project, elementary-age students wire and code small jingle dress dancer dolls that respond to drum sounds by dancing. It’s a way of making the “I can make a robot move” moment feel connected to something familiar and meaningful.
“It’s basically the same thing we do,” Lindsay said. “We just have more wires and more motors on the robot.”
Last year, the students who developed that camp activity submitted it to the Congressional App Challenge and won for Minnesota’s 8th District. They traveled to Washington, D.C., met with Congressman Pete Stauber, and had their work displayed in the Southwest Capitol Building. This year, the same students presented at the AISES National Conference in Minneapolis.
The team also participates in the Minnesota Discovery STEM Festival, the Iron Range STEM Expo in Hibbing, and hosted a women-in-STEM event at the Discovery Center featuring career professionals in fields from welding to computer science.
“These kids have done a lot of outreach and encouraging for STEM,” Lindsay said.
This will be the Iron Mosquitos’ third trip to the World Championship in five years, a remarkable run for a school where the entire high school enrollment is smaller than some competing teams. Getting there requires raising approximately $25,000 to cover travel, housing, food, and competition costs.
The community response has already been strong, Lindsay said, with the team more than halfway to their goal. The local Lions Club donated, and businesses including Pulsar and Twin Metals have committed support. A “100 Club” fundraiser puts donor names or business logos on T-shirts. Team members are also selling 50/50 raffle tickets throughout the area.
Donations can be made by sending a check to Northeast Range School, attention: Robotics. The team’s website, 5653ironmosquitos.com, has contact information for those with questions about logos, business sponsorships, or other giving options. An online donation platform is also available through the school.