Our Story and Mission
In April 2015, an engineer from Analog Devices approached Dracut High School to explore the possibility of starting an FRC team as part of the school’s Robotics Club. Despite initial hopes and months of effort from many people, the school was, unfortunately, unable to support a FRC team.
Undeterred, 5 students and 4 mentors opened Team 5962 to anyone from the area, rather than only students at a single high school. We approached the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the College of Engineering graciously offered the use of its Makerspace.
We broadened our recruiting efforts, and by kickoff day our rookie season, our team included 33 students from 8 towns and 8 schools, 12 mentors, and more than 30 sponsors. Since then, we’ve competed at local district and off-season events, New England District Championships, and the FIRST Championship in Detroit.
Our mission is to foster a vibrant, fun, and collaborative environment that inspires students to explore STEM, solve problems, and develop 21st century skills. We’ve earned the Chairman’s Award at the district and regional level for our dedication to spreading FIRST in our communities.
With our parent organization, Merrimack Valley Robotics, we extend that mission to students K-12 in northeastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and beyond. For more information about our parent organization Merrimack valley Robotics please visit mvrobtics.net
Our Home
We meet at the UMass Lowell Makerspace (Falmouth 102) a few times a week. This space is graciously offered to us by the Francis College of Engineering. We have access to 3D printers, laser cutters, power tools, laptops, mills, and CNCs.
Our Students
We have students from many different towns and schools from the Merrimack valley and Southern New Hampshire. We have students in both high school and middle school. They are all trained in both technical and non-technical skills including CAD, electronics, programming and business skills.
Arohan P. '26
Co-Captain
Littleton High School
Krish B. '25
Westford Academy
Karthik B. '25
Westford Academy
Mihir P. '25
Westford Academy
Matthew S. '25
Tyngsboro High School
Scott J. '26
Dracut High School
Pat V. '24
Lowell High School
Pranav S. '28
Littleton Middle School
Dashiell H. '26
Lowell High School
Pranshu S. '27
Littleton High School
Jordan B. '26
Dracut High School
Alisha P. '28
Stony Brook Middle School
Ava J. '24
Homeschooled
Our Mentors
Team mentors work for businesses in the area, are parents of team members, and are students at UMass Lowell where the team meets. The mentors are all volunteers, offering hundreds of hours (or more) of service each year to help the team out.
Mike Johnston
Lead Mentor
UMass Lowell Alumnus
President of Merrimack Valley Robotics, Inc.
David LeMasurier
Alternate Lead Mentor
Software Mentor
UMass Lowell Alumnus
Alex Brunelle
Mechanical Mentor
FRC 166 Alumnus
Greg LeMasurier
Software Mentor
Student at UMass Lowell
FRC 5962 Alumnus
David Satterfield
Electrical Mentor
Vincent Keang
Software Mentor
Student at UMass Lowell
FRC 5962 Alumnus
Arpita Pathak
Mentor
Daniel Geoffroy
Electromechanical mentor
William Berard
Mechanical Mentor
Mark Hanania
Mechanical Mentor
Student at UMass Lowell
FRC 4761 Alumnus
Isabella Manago
Mechanical Mentor
UMass Lowell Alumnus