Local teams recognized at robotics competition

THE GONGOLIERS,  a robotics team from Ponaganset High School in the Foster Glocester school district, is seen during this past weekend’s FIRST Robotics competition in Providence. Team members are on the left. / COURTESY JOHN EDWARD CORBETT
THE GONGOLIERS, a robotics team from Ponaganset High School in the Foster Glocester school district, is seen during this past weekend’s FIRST Robotics competition in Providence. Team members are on the left. / COURTESY JOHN EDWARD CORBETT

PROVIDENCE – Robotics teams from Dartmouth and the Foster Glocester school district were recognized during the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Rhode Island District Event on March 25 and 26.
The Southcoast Cosairs from Dartmouth High School was named a district finalist and recipient of the rookie inspiration award, and The Gongoliers, from Ponaganset High School in the Foster Glocester school district, received the judges award.
Air Strike’s Kim Lesieur, from Newport, received the volunteer of the year award. However, the Newport team did not compete.
“It was a really good event. We had a very successful, great turnout … The teams had fun,” Joe Menassa, a planning committee member for the Rhode Island district event, said Tuesday.
Menassa said the students learn teamwork by participating in the competition.
One of the purposes of the competition is to interest students in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math.
“We hope they get inspired and want to go to college,” Menassa said.
The competition, attended by approximately 1,500 students and their families, as well as educators and industry leaders, was held at the Providence Career and Technical Academy.
Thirty-six high school student teams from all six New England states competed to earn points toward a spot at the New England FIRST Robotics Competition District Championship, to be held April 14 through 16, in Hartford, Conn.
The top award – the district chairman’s award – went to NUTRONS from Boston. That team will be the only one to compete in Hartford, so far.
Because there will be four more competitions leading up to the Hartford event, it is uncertain at this point which 60 teams will participate, Menassa said.
In addition to the Ponaganset team, two other Rhode Island teams competed this past weekend, The Rambots from La Salle Academy and Blue Wave Robotics from Hope High School and 360 High School, in Providence.
Menassa said Newport’s Air Strike is already third in the rankings based on 181 teams and 11 events this season.
At the Providence competition, high school student teams worked with professional mentors to design and build a robot over a six-week period that solved a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules.
During the competition, the teams played a game in which two alliances of three robots each were formed. The goal of the game was to breach their opponents’ fortifications, weaken their tower with boulders and capture the opposing tower. Robots also could surround and scale the opposing tower to capture it.
Students participating in FIRST are eligible to apply for over $20 million dollars in scholarships. Scholarship announcements are made at the FIRST championship in St. Louis April 27 to 30.

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