History

1678 was founded in 2004 by Steve Harvey, a math teacher at Da Vinci Charter Academy, in Davis, CA. Originally named EnGen Robotics (later changed to Citrus Circuits) the team started with 15 students. 1678 now consists of nearly 100 students in grades 9-12, from Davis Senior High School, Da Vinci Charter Academy, Holmes, Harper, and Emerson junior high schools. 1678 is mentored by teachers, team alumni, parents of team members, local college students, and other community members.

2022

Returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, we got back on track by winning three regional competitions: Hueneme Port, Sacramento, and Silicon Valley! And for the first time in our team's history, we received the Engineering Inspiration Award. At the World Championship, we won the Hopper division and progressed to the semi-finals on Einstein for the eighth year in a row, placing fifth worldwide.

2021

With in-person competitions still suspended, during the 2021 season we participated in the virtual FRC At Home Challenges, including the Game Design Challenge, the Skills Challenges, and the Innovation Challenge. During the COVID-adjusted season, we were the Skills Challenge Winners of the Hydrogen Group with some of the fastest overall times in FRC, were selected as one of three Game Design Winners for our game Storm Surge, and received the Greater Central Valley Region Chairman’s Award.

2020

After winning our first competition of 2020 at the LA North Regional, the season ended abruptly due to COVID-19 while the team was waiting to start matches at our second competition in St. Louis. Despite having our season cut short, we continued our regular team meetings on Zoom and began virtual training early for new members. We also received the Chairman’s Award at the St. Louis Regional, even though the competition itself was canceled.

2019

In 2018, for the first time, we won the Chairman's and Entrepreneurship awards at the Sacramento Regional and went on to compete at World Championships in Houston. Along with the awards, we seeded first and won the Sacramento, Central Valley, and Utah regionals. Concluding 2018, we progressed to semi-finals in Einstein for the sixth year in a row and placed third worldwide after winning the Newton Subdivision. ​

2018

As we celebrated our 15th anniversary as a team, became the first team ever to make it onto the Einstein field for seven years in a row. To get there, we won at the Central Valley Regional, Sacramento Regional, Aerospace Valley Regional, and the Carver division at World Championships. For the first time, we received the Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield, & Byers at the World Championships and won the Chairman's award for the second year in a row at the Central Valley Regional. ​By the end of the World Championships, we placed third worldwide.​

2017

In 2017, we founded the non-profit Davis Robotics Foundation to support local STEM programs and FRC teams. The team reached 100 students for the first time, won three regionals and the Newton Subdivision at Champs, and finished as World Champion Finalists, extending our Einstein streak to five years.

2016

To accommodate a growing team, the school gave us a second classroom in 2016. We formalized our Davis Youth Robotics League and Summer Camp programs, attracting over one hundred local students in the first year. The team won three regionals this year and the Hopper Subdivision at Championships, advancing to the semi-finals on Einstein.

2015

In 2015, our school district became a major sponsor, giving us a large room to work in and supporting three high school robotics classes for the first time. We bought five more machines, won three regional competitions, and went on to win the World Championship with our alliance team of 118 Robonauts, 1671 Buchanan Bird Brains, and 5012 Gryffingear.

2014

The team continued to build on its success in 2014, winning two regional competitions and the Newton division at Championship, advancing to the finals and losing only in the last seconds of the final match of the season on Einstein.

2013

In 2013, a larger budget provided new shop machinery including a CNC mill, more opportunities for students to receive hands-on training, and support for a formal community outreach program. 1678 won the Central Valley Regional and then won the Curie division, advancing to the Championship semi-finals. ​

2012

In 2012, UC Davis began sponsoring the team and we started our first outreach program - a booth at our local Farmer's Market. This same year, the team attended two regionals for the first time, won the Sacramento Regional for the second year in a row, and once again advanced to the Curie quarterfinals .

2011

With a team of 20 students, we won our first regional in 2011, and advanced to the Curie quarterfinals at the FIRST Championship event. This helped lead to an increase in mentors and sponsorship in the following years. ​

2004   -   2010

For our first four years, 1678 was located in a single classroom with one adult mentor. In 2008, we bought a 20-foot shipping container to use as a workspace. From 2005 to 2010, 1678 only ever attended the Sacramento Regional during the regular season and never made it past the quarterfinals, despite being an alliance captain several times.