New England Mentor Conference | August 2-3, 2025
Registration is open for the 2nd annual New England FIRST Mentor Conference presented by OnShape, a PTC technology. This event will be held at WPI on August 2nd-3rd. The conference aims to encourage mentor growth, conversation, and connection across New England and beyond. Featuring mentor social activities, technical and team-focused presenters from all over the United States, and hands-on workshops; there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with others from teams of all sizes and experiences.
Who can attend?
Adult mentors (18+) from any FIRST team are welcome to attend! We strongly encourage mentors from all over to join. Registration is $45 per attendee and secures your attendance and meals for the event. Optional costs cover the Saturday social event ($10).
What topics will be covered?
Here are a few featured presentations; we’ll have 20+ opportunities for learning!
Presentations
- The Spark Stays: Guiding the Student Experience - @juju
- Staying “On” in the Off-Season: Short-Term Tasks and Long-Term Goals - @Michael_Corsetto
- Beyond the Coprocessor: Lessons in FRC Vision & Localization - @jonahb55
- Onshape: how to teach students and tips for documentation and collaboration - @Drew_B
- And more to come!
Small Group Round Tables
- Fun as a core value
- Chat FRC: Using AI in robotics
- Recruitment: Discussion on building your team
New this year: YOU are invited to present! Sunday will have a longer session featuring “mini presentations” where attendees can have ~5 minutes to share on a topic of their choice. If you have a project you’re working on or a great initiative your team is excited about, but don’t have a ton of details or time to build a full session, this is a great opportunity to share with others! Share your idea in this form; we’ll pick as many as we can fit in a bit less than 2 hours before August 3rd!
What’s the schedule?
For those who are in town Friday evening, we’ll all get together to meet & greet and share apps. Presentations will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday August 2nd, and last until 5:30 p.m. with a break for lunch in the middle. Saturday evening will be a mentor social, and we’ll return to WPI Sunday morning for sessions and hands-on workshops that will wrap up by 12:30 p.m. Sunday will end with a BBQ lunch before everyone travels home!
Where should we stay?
The Courtyard Worceseter and Hampton Inn & Suites are both walking distance from WPI.
We’re working with WPI on opening up some dorm rooms at a more affordable rate, but will post any details as they come. We recommend booking a hotel room with the option to cancel in the future.
Will there be recordings?
Yes, mostly. Recordings will be up to the presenters, and those who elect to can share their recordings through New England FIRST or directly through their own channels.
Where can I find out more?
Details can be found at https://www.nefirst.org/conference. Further information about dorm rooms, socials, and more will come in the next few weeks. Feel free to add any questions in this thread or email [email protected].
Any questions, feel free to ask, looking forward to seeing y’all there!
NE FIRST Mentor Conference Planning Committee
- Dave, Travis, and Sam
