Mission
Intentional Innovation Foundation is committed to creating an environment in Hampton Roads, Virginia where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics thrives in our young people. Our programs inspire students to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based projects that build skills, inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. We graduate students who are deeply engaged in STEM and are well prepared to be strong contributors to the emerging Hampton Roads knowledge economy.
About
Intentional Innovation Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Founded in Newport News, Virginia in 2015, the organization operates and sponsors youth STEM education programs and events in greater Hampton Roads.
Our STEM programs
FIRST Robotics Competition teams
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an effective mentor-based program in which young people discover and develop a passion for science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM).
Triple Helix Robotics is based at Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia and is considered a NASA Langley Research Center “house team.” Since its inaugural season in 2008, Triple Helix has competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition as Team 2363. The team’s additional sponsors include DoD STEM, Naval Information Warfare Centers (NIWC) Atlantic, TE Connectivity, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Newport News Public Schools.
The NASA Knights are based at New Horizons Regional Education Center in Hampton, Virginia and are considered a NASA Langley Research Center “house team.” One of Virginia’s longest-running FIRST Robotics Competition teams, the NASA Knights compete as FRC Team 122.
Blackwater Robotics is located in Franklin, Virginia, and has competed as FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1610 since 2005. Major sponsors of the team include Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation, the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation, BAE Systems, and the International Paper Foundation.
Our other STEM outreach initiatives
The Rumble in the Roads is an annual offseason developmental FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) tournament which features as many as 32 high school robotics teams from Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia in one day of intense and fun competition. Free for spectators and open to the public, the event is an effective tool for strengthening and growing existing teams by providing them an experience that simulates a regular-season competition. With this opportunity to practice, these teams are more competitive in the next build and competition season because they better understand the mechanics of a tournament. Participating students win recognition, gain self-confidence, develop people and life skills, make new friends, and perhaps discover an unforeseen career path.
In addition, some Rumble competitors are pre-rookie teams– those who plan to register a brand-new rookie team for the first time in the upcoming season. To help these teams acclimate to competition, our event managers pair them alongside veteran competitors who share knowledge, experience, and resources like drive teams, pit crew members, and drivetrains.
The Peninsula STEM Gym is a community practice facility for youth STEM competition teams. Located in central Newport News, the Peninsula STEM Gym offers local student robotics teams a 2,500 sqft practice area for testing robot functionality and improving their game. Since its establishment in 2018, the facility has enabled teams to gain driving practice, discover ways to iterate and improve their robot designs, and better prepare to compete against other top Virginia teams as well as on the world stage. As a place for student robotics teams to develop competition robots and have real-world engineering experiences that will inspire a lifelong interest in science and math, the STEM Gym provides an indispensable service for the students of the Peninsula.
By providing our STEM athletes with a playing field for practicing their high-tech sport, we increase the likelihood that they can turn pro upon graduation!
Our STEM programs
FIRST Robotics Competition teams
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an effective mentor-based program in which young people discover and develop a passion for science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM).
Triple Helix Robotics is based at Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia and is considered a NASA Langley Research Center “house team.” Since its inaugural season in 2008, Triple Helix has competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition as Team 2363. The team’s additional sponsors include DoD STEM, Naval Information Warfare Centers (NIWC) Atlantic, TE Connectivity, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Newport News Public Schools.
The NASA Knights are based at New Horizons Regional Education Center in Hampton, Virginia and are considered a NASA Langley Research Center “house team.” One of Virginia’s longest-running FIRST Robotics Competition teams, the NASA Knights compete as FRC Team 122.
Blackwater Robotics is located in Franklin, Virginia, and has competed as FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1610 since 2005. Major sponsors of the team include Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation, the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation, BAE Systems, and the International Paper Foundation.
The Rumble in the Roads is an annual offseason developmental FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) tournament which features as many as 32 high school robotics teams from Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia in one day of intense and fun competition. Free for spectators and open to the public, the event is an effective tool for strengthening and growing existing teams by providing them an experience that simulates a regular-season competition. With this opportunity to practice, these teams are more competitive in the next build and competition season because they better understand the mechanics of a tournament. Participating students win recognition, gain self-confidence, develop people and life skills, make new friends, and perhaps discover an unforeseen career path.
In addition, some Rumble competitors are pre-rookie teams– those who plan to register a brand-new rookie team for the first time in the upcoming season. To help these teams acclimate to competition, our event managers pair them alongside veteran competitors who share knowledge, experience, and resources like drive teams, pit crew members, and drivetrains.
The Peninsula STEM Gym is a community practice facility for youth STEM competition teams. Located in central Newport News, the Peninsula STEM Gym offers local student robotics teams a 2,500 sqft practice area for testing robot functionality and improving their game. Since its establishment in 2018, the facility has enabled teams to gain driving practice, discover ways to iterate and improve their robot designs, and better prepare to compete against other top Virginia teams as well as on the world stage. As a place for student robotics teams to develop competition robots and have real-world engineering experiences that will inspire a lifelong interest in science and math, the STEM Gym provides an indispensable service for the students of the Peninsula.
By providing our STEM athletes with a playing field for practicing their high-tech sport, we increase the likelihood that they can turn pro upon graduation!
Get involved
Intentional Innovation Foundation believes that developing the leaders of the future technology workforce requires a culture shift that makes engineering “cool” again. We find that the most powerful way to engage K-12 students in STEM is to provide an environment that allows them to experience science and math as a thrilling, challenging competition.
Become a partner
Intentional Innovation Foundation seeks to form strategic alliances with major partners to together bolster our mutual efforts to develop the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technologists. Please contact us to learn how to become a partner to Intentional Innovation Foundation.
Donate
We appreciate your tax-deductible donation, which will improve our ability to deliver high-quality introductory experiences in STEM to students across our Hampton Roads region.
Join our team
Intentional Innovation Foundation seeks enthusiastic individuals to join our team.