Mission
Basement Developers Inspires young people to be science and technology leaders through hands-on STEM activities, FIRST robotic competition, youth mentoring and community services.
Objectives
- To cultivate a passion for learning and provide hands-on educational opportunities where middle and high schoolers are empowered with the tools and skills needed to adapt and reimagine the technology driven world
- To provide a diverse and inclusive environment where passionate youth from different neighborhoods can come together and grow as leaders to create a positive impact
- To provide community volunteer service opportunities for our members to share their enthusiasm, knowledge and experiences in robotics and STEM with local communities
Overview
At Basement Developers, students have the opportunities to work on different STEM projects they are interested in including robotics, filming, and youth entrepreneur training. We provide a comprehensive curriculum from basic 3D design and printing, coding, mechanical and electrical engineering skills to building advanced AI-enabled autonomous driving robots. Youth-to-youth mentoring system is established to help active members explore scientific philosophies, engineering principles and techniques. Our organization also has mentoring networks composed of industrial professionals.
Founded in 2015, Basement Developers is a non-profit organization inspired by our years of volunteer work in the STEM community by FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Teams. We believe in the power of hands-on experience and learning through an iterative process.
We offer a large number of volunteering opportunities for youth including teaching free STEM classes, hosting summer camps and hackathons, supporting local schools, libraries and other non-profit organizations.
Impact
Over the years, we have impacted more than 5,500 people through more than 10,000 hours of community services in the STEM field. We are especially committed to providing free and easy-to-access resources to promote STEM education to the underprivileged communities.
Leaders
Mr. Haoning Fu is the founder of Basement Developers. Mr. Fu is a robotics enthusiast with 15 years of software engineering experience. Mr. Fu is also the Head Coach for FTC team Dry Ice. He not only coaches engineering techniques, principles and ethics, but also builds an inclusive culture at Basement Developers for growth of leadership and character. He is passionate about creating an environment and opportunities where science and technology are celebrated.
Derek Zhang has served as the Managing Director of Basement Developers since 2020. Derek is currently a senior at Carlmont High School and Captain of FTC robotic team. He manages all community service outreach events including overall strategy, fundraising, hosting events, coordinating with organizations and recruiting volunteers. He is passionate about leveraging technology to solve real life challenges and enabling data for social good. He has received the highest honor of President’s Volunteer Service Awards for the past three years to recognize his contribution to local communities.Â