Not one, but two robotics teams from Brookfield represented Wisconsin at the FIRST World Championships in Houston. The FIRST Championships took place from April 16 to 19, in which teams came from countries including Romania, Italy, China, and Mexico to compete. The competition included multiple divisions and various events. The teams were 16460 GEarheads and 13201 Team Hazmat.
At State, 16460 GEarheads qualified for worlds through their gameplay. Gameplay is when the robot has to hook blocks, called “samples,” onto a structure and climb up. The robot must function autonomously by code before the drivers can control it. Senior Matthew Nustad is a driver for 16460 GEarheads, as well as the Mechanical Team Lead. The Mechanical Team is responsible for building the robot; they must decide on factors such as the weight, functions, and materials of the robot. Nustad explained more about his role: “A lot of what I do early in the season is plan out tasks, owners for those tasks, and completion dates. More recently, I have focused a lot on developing the CNC and CAD skills of our younger team members so they are prepared to lead the team when we graduate. Additionally, I have been a part of the drive team for 5 years now.” Prior to Worlds 2025, his final competition, he shared what he was most looking forward to: “I am really excited to share my last few days as a GEarhead with the same people I’ve been competing with for so long. Lots of us have been on the team since 5th or 6th grade, so it will be one last send off for us.” Additionally, he said that robotics was a huge factor in figuring out his next steps after graduating: “Mainly, the colleges I was interested in were STEM-driven schools with a large focus on hands-on learning. This is because I have seen how much more impactful “doing” robotics is, rather than just sitting in a science or math class. Adding on to that, I have developed a deep passion for materials through robotics, especially custom machining and fabrication. Ultimately, this led me to pick Rose-Hulman as my home for the next 4 years to study Chemical Engineering.” Finally, Nustad’s advice for anyone interested in joining robotics is: “ Robotics is more than just building and coding a robot. Even if you don’t think of yourself as an engineer or scientist, there will always be a role for you. I have become so comfortable in public speaking, handling stress, and becoming a leader in all aspects of my life just by going through the FTC program. Finally, being “smart” isn’t a requirement, and often it doesn’t matter. The success of FTC teams and how much fun students have correlates directly to how motivated they are, not their GPAs.”
Another member of GEarheads is Sophomore Rhea Maheshwari, a Mechanical Team member and Hospital Outreach Team Co-Leader. She runs an outreach initiative to bring STEM to children undergoing long-term hospitalization in the form of fun science projects. She says, “I am responsible for coordinating our bimonthly sessions with the staff at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, as well as planning and preparing resources with others in the Hospital Outreach team. We have done a lot of fun projects such as paper circuits, catapults, pneumatic machines, car launchers, and more!” On the mechanical side, she has been developing her fabrication skills, learning more about 3D printing, and making parts for the robot and replications of certain subsystems. She says, “It’s been especially cool getting to learn up close from senior team members and our mechanical coach, Mr. Nustad, on how the mechanical and electrical aspects work together with the software to make the robot we see on the competition field.” Maheshwari agrees strongly with Nustad that robotics greatly impacted her future plans, as she said: “Before doing robotics, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I’ve always been interested in STEM, but there are a huge number of careers in that field. It wasn’t until I was in 4th grade when I was exposed to First Lego League (a version of FTC for younger students) that I found something specific that interested me, which was space exploration. Upon transitioning to First Tech Challenge, I was able to meet with people in the engineering field, make new connections, and learn about what it is that aerospace engineers really do. I have a much clearer picture of what I want to do after high school, and I owe much of that to robotics!” Although she enjoys the engineering aspect, Maheshwari says her favorite part of robotics is the community: “I love how there’s a place for everyone in robotics. No matter how much experience, as long as you’re willing to learn and put in effort, you will always be welcome. Something that the organization of FIRST says is that ‘robotics is a sport that anyone can go pro in,’ and I feel like that’s true. Especially when you get to bigger competitions such as Worlds; it’s amazing how supportive and passionate everyone is, and I think that can be attributed to the culture and community that the FIRST organization promotes.”
On 13201 Team Hazmant, Sophomore Noothana Kosuri described her role as a member of the Business Team: “On the business side of things, my job is to manage the budget, initiate outreach events, organize company visits, and support team events.” Similar to what Nustad and Maheshwari have said, there is much more to robotics than building the robot. Kosuri explained how much knowledge she gained by being a member of Hazmat: “I learned communication skills, how to present myself in a professional way, and learned skills for the careers that I am interested in.” Before leaving for Houston, she said, “I am most looking forward to meeting the other teams at Worlds. I hope to learn about their business strategies and figure out how we can implement them.” Kosuri advises students curious about robotics to “give it a chance. If you join for about 2 weeks, you can get a feel for the team. Then, explore the sub-teams.” Another interesting aspect of the robotics teams at BC is their dedication to the future of the robotics program. In addition to holding various workshops for rookie teams, Hazmat had multiple “shadow members” join them on the trip to Worlds. Shadow members are not yet in high school and do not compete at Worlds, but get to tag along with the team. Noothana’s younger brother Thanishq Kosuri, a student at Wisconsin Hills Middle School, attended Worlds this year as a shadow member. He shared how robotics has already influenced his future: “Robotics has given me experience in a field I might like to pursue. Being a shadow member this year gave me insight into different activities I can do on the team.” Kosuri says he intends to continue being involved in Robotics at BC next year: “I’ll definitely continue robotics next year because it prepares me for my future, develops important skills, and is fun to be a part of.”
Both teams represented BC excellently at the FTC World Championship. 13201 Team Hazmat won the Inspire 2 Award in the Edison Division, and 16460 GEarheads brought home the Connect Award in the Jemison Division. Beyond the trophies, both teams demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship, commitment to developing the robotics program, and leadership both on and off the field. Whether you are interested in coding, engineering, or business, there is a place for you in robotics.
