To inspire and foster students’ natural curiosities and ingenuity on a technical challenge within real-life constraints that promotes the development of leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, technical, creative, software, and communication skills. We wish to be a prominent and visible force within our community that encourages Gracious Professionalism, cooperation, volunteerism, and hands-on STEM-based learning.
Robot Casserole, FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1736, is a community-based team in Peoria, Illinois. High school students of any year from any school in the surrounding area are eligible to apply to the team. The team has students from Richwoods High School, Brimfield High School, Illinois Valley Central Schools, and Peoria-area homeschools. Our mentors include men and women employed at Caterpillar, Ameren, the Peoria Police Department, OSF, other local businesses, and college students.
The team meets year-round. From September to early December, students meet with mentors twice a week to learn skills in preparation for the upcoming FIRST Robotics Competition season. January through April includes a six-week robot build season (5 days per week) and competitions. From May through August, we prepare for the upcoming school year and run local STEM outreach events such as RoboRumble and RoboMania. Our team also works year-round promoting STEM education and FIRST programs through a wide variety of activities. You can learn more about those on our History page.
The team was founded in 2006 by Caterpillar, Inc. as a part of its STEM outreach program. In 2014, the team began the transition to a multi-sponsor team. Learn more about our sponsors and the benefits of sponsorship on our Sponsors page.