Last year, Oncor employees participated in and sponsored the Dallas Regional F.I.R.S.T. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. 

During the event, employee volunteers met with more than 1,500 students and parents and shared highlights from their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. Interested students ranging from high school to college juniors and seniors were eager to learn about the company’s innovative technologies and speak with employees about engineering career paths at Oncor. 

As part of Oncor’s participation, Senior Engineer Justin Loth served as a competition judge and Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Angela Guillory provided opening competition remarks on teamwork and pursuing a STEM career. 

“It was really great to see the amazing robots made by high schoolers in the region,” said Guillory. “The competitors’ pride was palpable and infectious. I am so glad to have been a part of this event!” 

Oncor donated $25,000 to support the Dallas regional event, which hosted more than 60 student teams from around the Dallas/Fort Worth area. 

“It is amazing to see what these young students can accomplish in such a short time,” said Loth. “In just six weeks, they are able turn a pile of wires and metal into a sophisticated piece of machinery that is both fully autonomous and remote controlled.” 

For the competition matches, students created robots that were designed to quickly gather and place milk crates on switches and scales, as well as have the 150 pound robot climb up a five foot rope. During a six-week build season, teams created their robots out of batteries, circuit boards, cameras, metal, plastic, motors, and gears weighing around 150 pounds. In addition, robots had to function autonomously, but also be controlled by students for certain amounts of time. 

Oncor employees were able to attend the competition, meet students and cheer teams on during the event’s matches. 

“Oncor’s presence was very impactful at this event,” said Project Planning Analyst and Secondary Education Outreach Program Lead Tiffany Richmond. “We look forward to continuing this outreach in the coming years. Thank you to Oncor leadership for giving us the opportunity to support the community in this way and thank you to all the volunteers for this event.”