Albany High School Robotics
Falcons Team 1493
Falcons Robotics Team 1493
Team 1493, the Falcon Robotics team, is Albany High School’s student-led robotics program (Go Falcons!). Every year, Team 1493 brings together a diverse group of Albany High School students to design, build, and program a competitive robot to take part in regional and national FIRST Robotics events.
Through this hands-on experience, team members build skills in science, technology, engineering, and math, along with critical thinking, teamwork, and project management, preparing them for future college and career paths.
Our Students
Team 1493 draws students from across Albany High School, with a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and experience levels. Some join already fluent in code or CAD, and others have never touched a power tool. Everyone finds a role, whether that’s building, programming, design, or outreach, and everyone learns from each other.
Since our first season, we’ve made sure every student can take part, and cost has never been a barrier to joining the team
Our Story
Team 1493 began meeting in October 2003, started by Albany High School technology teacher Richard Kissane with help from Albany City School District, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) students, local families, and sponsors including National Grid. In our rookie year, we won the Rookie All-Star Award at the 2004 UTC New England Regional, one of the highest honors a first-year team can earn. It came with an invitation to the FIRST World Championship in Atlanta, and thanks to a funding commitment from the school district, our students made the trip and competed on one of the largest stages in robotics.
Over more than 20 seasons, the team has won the 2018 New York Tech Valley Regional and returned to the World Championship in 2018 (Detroit) and 2022 (Houston). In 2025, we qualified again, but the qualification came in the final week of qualifying events, and we didn’t have the funding or time to make plans to attend.
That’s why community support matters. With resources in place early in the season, our students have a real shot at competing on the world stage.
Our Founding Partners
Team 1493 was founded through a partnership between Albany High School and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led by technology teacher Rich Kissane and supported by RPI students, local families, and National Grid. We’re grateful to everyone who believed in this team from the very beginning.