Every team requires a leader with the ability to contribute to any situation with a positive attitude. Corey Brown is one of the most influential mentors for Team 1710. He helps guide team members to take initiative and encourages critical thinking. With his attitude and immense knowledge in engineering and strategy, Corey has propelled Team 1710 further than ever before while greatly contributing to the FRC community.
Corey was a member of Team 1710 for 3 years and served as the Chief Information Officer during his senior year. As a student at Iowa State University, he used his experience to aid in the founding of FRC Team 3928, Team Neutrino, in 2012. The team was immediately successful, winning the Rookie All-Star award and making it to the FIRST Championship that year. A fellow founding mentor of Team Neutrino, Aren Hill, stated, “Corey has a genuine interest in helping inspire more people, students and otherwise to better themselves.” One instance of this is when he convinced his parents and Team 1710 to house the entirety of Team Neutrino, enabling them to compete at the Greater Kansas City Regional. Corey developed into a fantastic mentor through his dedication to helping students.
In 2013, after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, he returned to Team 1710 to become a mentor. Since then, he has improved the team by consistently encouraging strategic thought and emphasizing the process of rigorous design. This allows the team to troubleshoot robot issues prior to construction, resulting in better performance on the field. Corey also helped revolutionize Team 1710’s match strategy during the 2016 season. He encouraged the students to look at games more analytically. At the Smoky Mountain Regional, he pushed a Team 1710 student to lead the scouting and alliance selection process. When he was unsure of his ability to select proficiently, Corey reminded the student he had scouted the most matches and could perform the best in alliance selection.
In addition to Corey’s deep knowledge of engineering and FRC strategy, he has a level-headed personality. Many team members have described him as having a balanced sense of humor, which allows him to lighten up even the most stressful situations. Along with his optimism and positivity, he empowers students, pushing them to find answers. In the heat of the 2016 build season, the team was struggling to create a functional intake. Sensing that the students were overly frustrated, he began asking questions, guiding them to an answer. His student-first mentality allows for the students to create what they see fit.
Corey has mentored Team 1710 for 5 years, improving the team’s efficiency, strategy, design, and manufacturing process by guiding students to their own incredible solutions. Through his dedicated mentorship, Team 1710 has achieved high levels of success. He is an outstanding FIRST mentor. Team 1710 proudly nominates Corey Brown for the Woodie Flowers Award.
