08Dec07 Teams

FIRST LEGO League Public Event at Morrow Library
Teams

RoboPirates

Irish Engineers

RoboGeek Squad
Thundering Bots
Techno-Tigers
Milton Alchemists
Southside Cardinals

LEGO Links of Linda Hamilton hamilton@marshall.edu

Webpages and pictures on http://www.marshall.edu/LEGO

Web camera on http://legocamera.marshall.edu

Teleoperate LEGO CITY at http://lego.marshall.edu

NASA site of Remote Sensing on http://SENSORSCITY.marshall.edu

Robotics competition develops students' skills
Dec 08, 2007 @ 10:28 PM
By CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- After months of computer programing, building and strategizing, 10 teams of area students put their robotics skills to the test Saturday at Marshall University's James Morrow Library.

The groups of middle school children have spent months building and programming robots that can accomplish specific energy-related tasks on a small course, according to Linda Hamilton, event organizer and Marshall University math professor. The competition is part of the FIRST LEGO League program, an international effort to promote interest in science and technology.

During the two and a half minutes on the course, the teams scored points when their preprogrammed robots accomplished the tasks that varied from moving power lines and wave turbines to replacing a gas-powered car with a hydrogen-powered car.

The more tasks completed, the higher the points. Each task also had a different point-scale based on difficulty. Different attachments were used during the competition to complete each task.

"They're not just a bunch of egg-heads doing robotic programming, they are doing research, working as a team and giving presentations," Hamilton said. "They are the future. They will be responsible for fixing the problems we've created."

In addition to building and programming the robots, each team gave presentations on energy sources, their effect on the environment, their usefulness and what applications are best for a specific task.

Carter Sutton, 11, and his brother Aaron, 14, are members of the Milton Middle School robot building team, The Alchemists. The event, and other similar ones, allow the boys to apply their interest in math, science and engineering outside of the classroom, said their mother Jean Sutton. Both are interested in exploring their robotic interests in the future.

"It would be a cool job when I grow up to try and find new answers for problems," Carter Sutton said.

While balancing school work and other after school activities, Jean Sutton said her sons have been very dedicated to the competition. Aside from researching technology and energy, Jean Sutton said the kids have learned more about teamwork and protecting the environment.

"They're learning skills they don't learn in school," she said. "The competition teaches them a lot of useful aspects like giving presentations, accomplishing tasks and working together on a team."

herald-dispatch.com
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