Bay View’s S.M.A.R.T. 2.0 wins state robotics competition, will compete again in April at World Festival

WINNERS OF S.M.A.R.T. 2.0, a robotics team from St. Mary Academy Bay View, rejoice at the recent FIRST LEGO robotics tournament held at Roger Williams University in Bristol. From left, Isabella Heffernan, Lucy Bosch, Maeve Martineau, Ainsley Pattie, Eva Mattos, Ava Troino, Gabriella Osorio-Palo, Margaret Mahoney and Wren Hager, with Coach Linda Grasso. / COURTESY BAY VIEW
WINNERS OF S.M.A.R.T. 2.0, a robotics team from St. Mary Academy Bay View, rejoice at the recent FIRST LEGO robotics tournament held at Roger Williams University in Bristol. From left, Isabella Heffernan, Lucy Bosch, Maeve Martineau, Ainsley Pattie, Eva Mattos, Ava Troino, Gabriella Osorio-Palo, Margaret Mahoney and Wren Hager, with Coach Linda Grasso. / COURTESY BAY VIEW

BRISTOL – S.M.A.R.T. 2.0, a robotics team from St. Mary Academy Bay View, took first place at the FIRST LEGO robotics tournament held recently at Roger Williams University for its project that focused on helping the blind who use guide dogs.

The team from East Providence now will go on to compete in the international FIRST Lego League World Festival April 26-29 in St. Louis, Mo.

The 10 students on S.M.A.R.T 2.0 also won individual $20,000 scholarships to Roger Williams University, for placing first in the state competition, which was held Jan. 14.
“Offering scholarships and support to the Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League provides a renewable investment that benefits our greater community,” RWU President Donald J. Farish said in a statement.

FIRST Lego League sets a theme for the competition each year, and this year it was “Animal Allies,” focusing on improving the relationship between animals and humans.
The competition featured three parts: the Robot Game, Project and Core Values. In the Robot Game, students write code in order to prompt an autonomous robot to accomplish a specific set of tasks. For the Project, students identify a problem, then research it and present a solution to judges. Throughout the Robot Game and the Project presentation, teams are judged based on their alignment with the league’s Core Values, which include teamwork and honoring the spirit of friendly competition.

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S.M.A.R.T. 2.0’s Project enhanced GPS for blind users by outfitting guide dogs with a vest equipped with three sensors that tells them which direction to turn. Sensors on the dog’s left, right and tail vibrate when it’s time to turn, or in the case of the back sensor, move forward. S.M.A.R.T. 2.0’s Project presentation included a book they created, “Once Upon a Tail,” in which a blind princess is granted a dog trained with one of these vests.

S.M.A.R.T. started as an after-school program at the academy, with only one team of a maximum 10 students, according to the school. Because interest outgrew the team limit of 10, this year Bay View offered S.M.A.R.T. 2.0. Robotics also was offered as part of the middle school elective curriculum. Both S.M.A.R.T. and S.M.A.R.T 2.0 qualified in November to compete at the Jan. 14 championship.

The team looks forward to competing at the World Festival, and is fundraising to cover the cost of airfare and hotel. Those interested in contributing may do so at gofundme.com/bayviewrobotics. The FIRST World Festival brings together teams from 80 countries to compete.

Bay View is expanding its robotics offerings, due to student interest. Bee S.M.A.R.T. Jr., a third-grade after-school robotics program, began this fall as part of FIRST Lego League Jr. In the Upper School, two new advanced-placement computer science classes are being added to the course offerings.

The following students competed as S.M.A.R.T. 2.0 and were invited to the World Festival, under the direction of their coach, Linda Grasso:

  • Lucy Bosch, Providence
  • Wren Hager, Bristol
  • Isabella Heffernan, Warwick
  • Margaret Mahoney, East Providence
  • Maeve Martineau, Warwick
  • Eva Matos, Providence
  • Gabriella Osorio-Palo, Cranston
  • Ainsley Pattie, Warren
  • Daria Smuk, Smithfield
  • Ava Troino, East Providence

RWU hosted nearly 500 elementary and middle school students from across Rhode Island for the LEGO robotics tournament. Teams, comprised of up to 10 students ages 9-14, competed in two-and-a-half-minute matches to earn as many points as possible on the playing field, which was made entirely of LEGO elements. In morning judging sessions, each team presented their Animal Allies research project and innovative solution to professionals from the community.

Said Farish, “Roger Williams University is dedicated to building the university the world needs now. The world now needs sharp young minds focused on areas such as robotics and engineering, and this FIRST LEGO League event engages students in those areas in a fun and fascinating way.”

The list of category winners can be found HERE.

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