On Jan. 14, the Joshua ISD Loflin Middle School Robotics Engineers participated in their first competition with the Texas Computer Education Association.
The team, which has been together since the 2010-11 school year, spent its first year learning the ropes of robotics engineering and fine-tuning its skills.
Competing students participated at the intermediate level, comprising of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from around Regions 10 and 11 of Dallas and Fort Worth.
“We sent four groups, and there were 19 in our division,” said Pamela Alenik, technology education teacher. Two of the LMS groups are headed to the TCEA state competition on April 14 in Irving, after earning first and second place at the regional level. The other two teams earned fourth and fifth place.
The regional and state events focus on the theme “Hot Rods,” in which students guide a robot using computer-based code they have written over the last several months.
The scenario involves the clean up of a nuclear reaction meltdown, inspired by the March Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant meltdown in Japan, considered the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 1986.
The idea behind the robotic clean up is to keep humans away from nuclear waste exposure.
Each student group built a Lego robot, with a computerized “brain” that understands code that the students feed it.
Students write code telling the robot to “move forward x-inches,” or to “turn after 6 centimeters,” Alenik said. “It’s a lot of trial and error. We know a little bit more about the competition now.”
Team member Jordan Wilson said it can sometimes take more than 10 trials to get one small thing right.
“It’s very challenging,” he said. “You have to be a very patient person.”
Before the competition, participants were sent a packet of rules they had to abide by, such as certain height and width restrictions of the robot.
“A lot of people didn’t read the rules and would show up and be disqualified,” Alenik said. “We had to figure out a plan; there’s not set way in how to accomplish the tasks.”
Robots must maneuver around a mat with a “nuclear disaster” set up. Red and black poker chips, designated as depleted fuel rods and active fuel rods, respectively, are placed so that the robot moves all the black chips to a waste disposal area, and takes the red chips back in place of them so that the plant may be operational again.
Each team is made up of at least one eighth-grader and the rest of the students are chosen by Alenik and science teacher Debra Millican, who also teaches the LRE.
“Robotics is a way to be smart and have fun at the same time,” said LRE member Micah Jones. “It will help me in life a lot.”
The first-place team, the Gear Heads, consists of Katherine Sullins, Calvin Awtrey, Kaden Smith and Gisela Varela.
The second-place team, the Owl Bots, consists of Joshua Mason, Reilly Cannedy, Mackenzie Russell and Jordan Wilson.
The fourth-place team, the Radiators, consists of Shane Sullins, Micah Jones, Lauren Whitley and Spencer Booker.
The fifth-place team, Wall:E, consists of Jeremy Frederick, Stevyn Dress, Andriah Bush and Elizabeth Palmer.
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Related Photos
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Members of the Loflin Robotics Engineers participated in their first competition recently and two groups are headed to state. Front row, from left, are Stevyn Dress, Calvin Awtrey, Joshua Mason, Elizabeth Palmer, Lauren Whitley and Mackenzie Russell. Back row, from left, are Pamela Alenik, Micah Jones, Shane Sullins, Jordan Wilson, Reilly Cannedy, Katherine Sullins, Gisela Varela, Andriah Bush, Kaden Smith, Jeremy Frederick, Spencer Booker and Debra Millican. Courtesy photo
Discussion
Loflin Middle School robotics club headed to state
Two teams to compete for top honor
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May/June 2012 Community Life magazine
The May/June 2012 edition of Community Life magazine is available for online viewing. Click here to view.
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