ABOUT US

WHO WE ARE

Team 5419, otherwise known as Berkelium, is based at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. We’re open to anyone who wants to be involved in robotics!

Our mission is to give students the opportunity to explore STEM fields with no barriers, creating an inclusive space, diving into things like programming, design, engineering & more! Additionally, we also offer the chance to be involved in non-technical areas such as media and business. We encourage students to work on their leadership skills, teamwork, and ability to mentor others.

Subteams

Fabrication

Fabrication is the blood that powers Berkelium. They are the engineers who build our robot and turn our ideas into reality. This subteam is led by Angel R. If you are interested in building the robot in the most direct way possible consider joining Fabrication!

CAD

The CAD team is the glue of this Robotics team. CAD designs all blueprints and develops the rough draft for the robot. All rough makeup throughout the seasons are created by CAD. CAD is an extremely important subteam led by Nathan R. as they are the designers of the competing robot and are the first step towards the creation of one. If you are interested in designing the robot from start to finish, CAD is for you.

Public Relations

Business is focused on acquiring funding for the team through various ways such as reaching out to sponsors and businesses to collaborate with during the on and off season. Business is a group centered organization and values a dedicated subteam. Business led by Evan M. has grown to the team's funding and ability to participate in competitions around the world. If the knowledge of persuasive writing and budgeting skills is interesting to you, Business is a perfect fit. Through the Media team is how we reach the wider public. This subsection organizes outreach events,makes the team’s website and videos, and uploads on social media. When it comes to how our team presents itself, the Media team is the key to showing off our team to possible sponsors and/or other teams to get alliances. Media is led by Clio W. If you want to work on design, participate in outreach events, and be creative with a group of energetic people, media is for you.

Coding

The Coding subteam acts as our lifeline. Every year the team makes a new robot. This robot has to be re-coded and programmed. However without the Coding team working tirelessly every day our robot would not be able to compete at the high level it does. This subteam requires a focused and determined person that is very respected on the team. This subteam is led by Rebecca F. and requires no former knowledge of code to join. If problem solving, logical thinking, and organization sound fun to you, consider joining the coding team.

Electrical

Electrical is one the most steadfast focused parts of the team. Working on the wiring, battery usage and connecting sections of the robot together, electrical works very hard to keep the robot safe and operating. This sub team led by Jonathan L. who has a very strong work ethic and is dedicated to details. If you are interested in how the inner makings of robots work, electrical is the place for you.

team History

Team 5419 started in 2015 originally as the Natural Disasters, changing to Berkelium in 2020. Since 2019, Berkelium has grown exponentially where we formed our sister & JV team, 5499 in 2024 for newer members!

Mentors

Our team has a number of mentors who guide and facilitate all of our activities. If a member ever has a question or needs help, they can always reach out to these trustworthy mentors.

Dirk Wright

Lead Mentor

Joe Angelo

Design Mentor

Dayi Dong

Fabrication Mentor

Cyndia Cao

Mechanical Mentor

Sarah Ho

Fabrication Mentor

Stephan Brown

Coding Mentor

Ellie Buehler

Mechatronics Teacher

Alan Becker

Strategy Mentor

Our Team Leads

Here are the people who help our team function acting as our team leads!

Technical Captian

Zael J.

Executive Captian

Lenka S.

Media Lead

Clio W.

Fabrication Lead

Angel R.

Controls Lead

Rebecca F.

Scouting/Strategy Lead

Nathaniel B.

Business Lead

Evan M.

CAD Lead

Nathan R.

Electrical Lead

Jonathan L.

Coordinators

Grayson A.

Tech/Strat Coordinator

Shadhi E.

Logistics Coordinator

Isotopes

Our leaderships right hand workers.

Isotopes act as the right-hand side of the leadership's members. They help lead projects assigned by the leadership and mentors and are essential to our team.