How to Prepare for Level Up as a First-Year Team
A practical six-week plan for brand-new VEX IQ teams and for existing programs with new students. Register, build the Hero Bot, start the notebook, and put a low-pressure first event on the calendar.
Featured Posts
The Notebook Rubric Changed. Here's How to Be Ready.
A student's guide to judging changes for the 2026-27 season, including the three new summaries teams submit, what is new in the notebook rubric, and what your team can start doing at your very next meeting.
The 2026-27 VEX IQ Season Is Here
Level Up is underway. Register your teams, learn the game, and start with a low-pressure Skills Only event on Sunday, October 25 where your robot does not need to be finished.
Practice Level Up Anywhere with VEX Virtual Skills
VEX IQ Virtual Skills is live for the 2026-27 Level Up season — free virtual autonomous coding and driving practice in VEXcode VR for any registered team, no field required.
Getting Ready for the 2026-27 Season
Summer resources to prep your VEX IQ team for Level Up — the Hero Bot "Flop," the game manual and competition videos, registration details, and the new Global Robotics & Science Foundation library.
All Posts
How to Prepare for Level Up as a First-Year Team
A practical six-week plan for brand-new VEX IQ teams and for existing programs with new students. Register, build the Hero Bot, start the notebook, and put a low-pressure first event on the calendar.
Twenty Minutes in the GRiT Tent
gainingSTEAM spent an afternoon in the GRiT tent at a Nebraska NICA mountain bike race, building robots with girls between their races. What we found there says more about the robotics pipeline than we expected.
The Notebook Rubric Changed. Here's How to Be Ready.
A student's guide to judging changes for the 2026-27 season, including the three new summaries teams submit, what is new in the notebook rubric, and what your team can start doing at your very next meeting.
The 2026-27 VEX IQ Season Is Here
Level Up is underway. Register your teams, learn the game, and start with a low-pressure Skills Only event on Sunday, October 25 where your robot does not need to be finished.
Practice Level Up Anywhere with VEX Virtual Skills
VEX IQ Virtual Skills is live for the 2026-27 Level Up season — free virtual autonomous coding and driving practice in VEXcode VR for any registered team, no field required.
Getting Ready for the 2026-27 Season
Summer resources to prep your VEX IQ team for Level Up — the Hero Bot "Flop," the game manual and competition videos, registration details, and the new Global Robotics & Science Foundation library.
Clarity for the 2026-27 Nebraska VEX IQ Season
For 2026-27, gainingSTEAM will sanction Nebraska's VEX IQ State Championship through VEX and the Global Robotics & Science Foundation. Here's the decision and what it means for your team.
2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship - Event Day Details
Event day schedule, concessions, volunteer needs, Star Wars costume contest, and museum activities for the 2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship.
2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship - Judging & Engineering Notebooks
Details on digital engineering notebook submission, team interviews, the Innovate Award, and volunteer opportunities for the 2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship.
2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship
Everything you need to know about the 2026 Nebraska VEX IQ State Championship on February 27–28, including qualification, registration, judging, and digital notebook submission details.
Tara Petersen Awarded AFCEA STEM Teaching Tool Grant
gainingSTEAM board member Tara Petersen receives the STEM Teaching Tool Grant from the Greater Omaha Chapter of AFCEA, supporting STEM education initiatives in Nebraska classrooms.
What to Expect at the Omaha Area VEX IQ League Championship
Everything you need to know for the 2025-26 Omaha Area VEX IQ League Championship on December 15th at Mary Our Queen School, including the schedule, rankings, awards, and concessions information.