About Us
Started as a single robotics team in September 2010, Queen City Robotics Alliance (QCRA) was registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2014. Today, QCRA serves over 300 students annually with more than 20 teams. We deliver interactive programs to hundreds of students, with public events reaching upwards of 5,000 annually.
Our teams use the FIRST® robotics program, where students build robots to compete in team events. This is a sport “where everyone can turn pro”. Each team runs like a business to inspire, equip, and prepare students way beyond robots.
Our Approach
QCRA promotes STEM learning through hands-on robotics competition, including participation in the global FIRST Robotics program. Students learn by doing - designing, building, coding, and competing in real-world, team-based challenges.
Every QCRA team operates like a real business. Students explore a variety of roles, from engineering and coding to marketing, logistics, and project management. This approach helps them discover their interests, develop their strengths, and understand how diverse skills work together to achieve a shared goal.
Core Program
QCRA’s core program centers on participation in the global FIRST Robotics program, an international STEM initiative serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade. FIRST engages students through hands-on, team-based robotics challenges that connect learning to real-world applications.
QCRA primarily focuses on students in grades 7–12 through FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. Participants design, build, code, test, and compete with robots in fast-paced challenges that emphasize problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience—mirroring real-world engineering environments.
To create a strong and supportive pathway into competition robotics, QCRA also supports FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams beginning in 4th grade, along with after-school and summer programs. These experiences build foundational skills, confidence, and readiness for FTC and FRC teams.
Together, these programs form a connected learning pathway that allows students to start early, grow with the program, and develop skills that extend well beyond robotics.
“Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. [Our] vision is to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”
-Dean Kamen, Founder
To find out more about FIRST® Robotics programs, which are available for kindergarten through high school, follow the links below.
