Robotics teams recognized during competition

THE FIRST Robotics Competition Rhode Island District Event held at Bryant University in Smithfield / COURTESY JOHN EDWARD CORBETT
THE FIRST Robotics Competition Rhode Island District Event held at Bryant University in Smithfield / COURTESY JOHN EDWARD CORBETT

(Updated 3:05 p.m.) SMITHFIELD – The Warriors battled and won the rookie inspiration award at this past weekend’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Rhode Island District Event.
The Warriors, from Central Falls High School, were one of two Rhode Island teams to be recognized with awards at the competition, held at the Bryant University Chace Athletic Center.
AIR Strike of Middletown, from the Aquidneck Island Robotics 4H Club, received the engineering inspiration award.
Winning the engineering inspiration award means the AIR Strike team will compete against nine other District Engineering Inspiration Award winners at the FIRST Robotics Competition New England Championship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, April 9-11.
“AIR Strike 78 would not be possible without the support of our friends and family and our generous sponsors. Sponsors provide funding, tools … and include the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, the National Defense Education Program, Raytheon, BAE Systems and KVH (Industries),” a press release from AIR Strike stated.

Central Falls High School physics teacher Alison J. Murray is the Warriors’ advisor. The team brought with them their 6-foot tall, 120-pound robot made out of aluminum, metal and steel that they had to construct in six weeks. She said the win was a nice way to end a busy weekend.
“We were just thrilled. It was unreal,” Murray said.
She said school officials had always wanted to start a robotics team, but it never got off the ground until this year. She said between 10 and 20 students attend the robotics club sessions, which are sometimes held more than once a week. Attendance can be affected by some students’ full-time jobs, or family obligations, such as taking care of younger siblings, she said.
Robotics has taught the students more than engineering and building, she said. Teamwork, and helping others, are also important aspects of robotics, she said.
Murray added that robotics is known for “gracious professionalism.”
“It’s really about respecting everybody you’re working with and the team you’re opposing and helping them out,” she said. “The teams help each other even though they’re competing against each other.”
Murray said this year was “big learning process” and her plan is to be better organized for next year. The team also had to fundraise, as the robot kit was $5,000, including competition fees. The team was assisted by four mentors, including herself and a representative from Chase Machine & Engineering.
Altogether, four Rhode Island teams were represented among the 39 New England high school teams, including one from Lasalle Academy in Providence and another from Ponaganset High School in Scituate.
“It was a very exciting event and the turnout was great. The teams had a lot of energy and showed a lot of teamwork. They definitely had a lot of fun,” Joseph Menassa, event planning committee member, said.
Approximately 1,500 fans, families, educators and industry leaders attended the event. The winning team – the Robo Squad from New Haven, Conn. – also will go on to compete next month at the New England FIRST Robotics Competition District Championship in Worcester. The Robo Squad won the chairman’s award, the most prestigious award of the competition.
The teams participated in “Recycle Rush,” in which teams had to form alliances to stack as many totes on their scoring platforms as possible. The alliances earned additional points for placing recycling containers on the stacked totes, with containers at greater heights earning more points.
Menassa said the Rhode Island competition was one of 10 robotics events held throughout New England over the past six weeks.
Inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

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