Thursday, May 22, 2025
Hewlett High School’s 13-member, all-female robotics team, Bionica, has been selected to compete at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) International Premier Invitational in the Canadian Rockies.
This is the first time that any robotics team from Hewlett High has been selected to take part in the competition, which will take place at the Edmonton Expo Center in Edmonton, Alberta, July 25 to 27.
“Premier Events are capstone events specifically focused on celebrating FIRST Tech Challenge teams,” the competition’s website states. “Teams earn advancement to Premier Events the same way as they earn advancement to the FIRST championship, based on performance at their Regional Championship event.”
While Bionica did not have the regionals experience that they wanted, they still succeeded in advancing to another round of competition.
“It’s not quite the world championships, but this year they’re trying a model where several locations in the U.S and abroad offer the opportunity for students who stood out at regional competitions but didn’t quite make the world championships,” Daniel Duffey-Birkenstock, Bionica’s coach, said.
In previous competitions, Bionica had made it into the brackets and won numerous awards, but this time they didn’t make it to the brackets.
“They were a little anxious about the awards because even if you don’t make it to brackets you could still win an award and they won another Inspire Award making it four this season,” Birkenstock said.
Bionica will be able to showcase their robotics skills while having fun at KDays, one of the largest festivals in Alberta. They will experience fireworks, rides, shows and all that the fair grounds have to offer.
“It is expected that thousands of spectators will be watching the teams duke it out in the traditional Into the Deep game,” the website states.
For Into the Deep, teams use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Teams dive their robots into the ocean to explore the unknown and reveal its wonders.
“It’s going to be a cool experience, with part work and part fun,” Birkenstock said. “Everyone is disappointed when they don’t get to that final leg, but our girls were so excited when they found out they qualified for premiers.”
Junior Deniz Artan is currently the co-captain and lead builder of Bionica. She has been a member of the team since freshman year.
“As a member of the drive team, every competition brings a mix of high pressure and adrenaline,” Artan wrote in an email. “Despite the intensity, I always feel supported and motivated by my teammates cheering from the sidelines, it’s an incredibly rewarding experience.”
Artan said she was shocked when she found out they made it to the International Premier Invitational and is excited for the opportunity to travel and compete internationally.
“On the technical side, we’re planning to enhance our robot with new mechanisms to score more efficiently and are developing a more consistent autonomous program to maximize our point potential,” Artan wrote.
She mentioned that she is most excited for the team bonding that comes with traveling for competition.
“As someone whose been to FTC Worlds, I can confidently say that the memories made during those three days of intense collaboration and camaraderie will last a lifetime,” Artan wrote. “I am truly grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Senior Rachel Chen served as co-captain and head programmer for the past three years, and has been a member since freshman year.
“Regionals this year was definitely a bit nerve-racking for us, especially with a drastic change in our portfolio format and last-minute autonomous programming, but all the hard work that was put in by the team paid off,” Chen wrote in an email.
She wrote that she was overjoyed but no entirely surprised about making premiers. She trusted her team and knew that they were capable of anything they put their minds to.
“Having our season culminate in an international experience is just the icing on the cake compared to the bonds we’ve created and strengthened,” Chen wrote. “Our team is striving to attend more outreach events and expand our fundraising efforts.”
She is most looking forward to meeting other robotics teams, exploring the area and making some final memories with her team.
“Bionica’s mission is to prove that women can make it in STEM,” Chen wrote. “After embracing this identity as a hopeful future engineer myself, I can confidently say that our status as an all-girls team has never hindered us, nor has it given us any unfair advantage, rather the safe space we’ve found in one another empowers our members to grow into their potential, and I couldn’t be any prouder.”
