Latest news with #ForInspirationandRecognitionofScienceandTechnology
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
School notes: Maryland School for the Deaf student wins national literacy competition
A student at the Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) was named a grand prize winner of the 10th annual National Literacy Competition hosted by Gallaudet Youth Programs. Oluwatobiloba "Tobi" Awe, a junior at MSD, is one of two national grand prize winners for his entry "Haunted House." He also earned first place in the High School ABC/Number Story category. "Haunted House" is an American Sign Language (ASL) number story using numbers 1 through 20. A number story uses ASL signs for numbers to tell a narrative. Awe won a $500 gift certificate, a $1,000 scholarship to attend Gallaudet, a Gallaudet sweatshirt and a free trip to the university for a summer program. "I felt really good when I found out I won. I was so surprised!" Awe said in a press release. "I learned a lot through the signing process, especially how valuable feedback can be when developing a story." In total, 11 students from MSD's Frederick campus were recognized in the competition. ASL literature teacher Sara Lee Herzig said Awe has always been "an expressive storyteller." "This year, he dedicated significant time and effort to developing his story," she said in the press release. "He challenged himself to take risks and push past his comfort zone, and the result was something truly special." Higher education 2025 commencement speakers Hood College and Mount St. Mary's University announced commencement speakers for their 2025 graduation ceremonies. Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs, associate professor of political science at Hood, will speak at the college's undergraduate ceremony on May 17. Cheryl Dyson, superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools, will speak at the graduate ceremony. Mount St. Mary's alumna Gracelyn McDermott, who serves as the vice president for marketing, sales and business development at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, will speak at the university's commencement on May 10. She will also be honored with a doctorate of humane letters. FCPS students compete in national robotics competition Students from FCPS competed in a national For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition in Houston, Texas, from April 16 to 19. Team 686 Bovine Intervention, which has spent 25 seasons competing in FIRST Robotics, is a community-based high school-level robotics team from Frederick. The team is composed of students from FCPS in addition to other schools and counties. The team members who traveled to Houston to compete and their schools are: * Ben Harbaugh, Catoctin High * Shanmuakha Pothukuchi, Oakdale High * Siddhartha Pothukuchi, Oakdale Middle * Lucas Errett, Brunswick High * Ethan Hively, Walkersville High * Issac Hassett, Walkersville High * David Ofori, Catoctin High * Jaxon Witherspoon, Maryland International School in Howard County * Laedon Wolgemuth, South Western High in York County, Penn. The team members who did not travel to Houston are: * Donald Brooks, Catoctin High * Brady Perkins, Linganore High * Praneel Pothula, Linganore High * Aidan Somerville, home school The competition's theme this year was Reefscape, and game pieces and elements were given names to reflect the ocean theme. The team designed and built a 115-pound robot with the ability to run tasks using sensors and autonomous programming. Team 686 Bovine Intervention is one of 112 teams registered to the Chesapeake District. In March of this year, the team competed in two district competitions and earned a spot at the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship earlier this month. The team members' combined performance at the competitions helped Team 686 Bovine Intervention get to the championship. At the championship, the team earned the title of Johnson Division finalist. Team 686 Bovine Intervention is planning a 25th anniversary celebration on June 5 at Mount St. Mary's University's Frederick campus. FCPS all-county fifth grade chorus For the 38th year, FCPS on Wednesday is hosting the All-County Fifth Grade Honors Chorus Concert. The concert is scheduled to take place at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick starting at 7 p.m. The chorus is composed of 125 elementary school students from across the county. Alaina Swartz, the director of education and community engagement for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, is scheduled to be the guest conductor. Fifth grade students were selected through an audition process, and will meet and rehearse for one day before the concert. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students. Attendees who are 60- years old or older, 4 years old or younger, or who are FCPS staff members and bring their badges can attend for free. Send school-related news to Esther Frances at efrances@
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Robot rumble: Inside Houston's international robotics competition
HOUSTON (NewsNation) — Thousands of high school students from around the world are competing at the FIRST Championship, a four-day robotics competition in Houston. From Armenia to Australia, more than 15,000 students representing 17 countries are participating in the competition, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. They design, code and build complex robots from scratch to compete in intense challenges. 'We have to travel a long way to get here, which means we have to pack our robot all up in, like, a crate and send it multiple weeks before the actual competition,' said Ashley Nestlerode, driver for Australia's Thunder Down Under robotics team. Smartphones may boost kids' mental health: Study Major companies such as NASA and Boeing also attend, scouting for the next generation of engineers. The competition kicked off Thursday morning and will run through the weekend. 'The technology that's used in building the robots is just so far beyond what it was,' said Collin Fultz, senior director of FIRST Championship, reflecting on how far the event has come since he competed more than 20 years ago. This year's challenge involves cleaning imaginary algae, represented by dodgeballs, scoring them into nets, and placing PVC pipe 'coral' on a simulated reef. 'A Castle of your own': White Castle selling new bounce house 'It'll be three on the blue alliance against three robots on the red alliance,' Fultz explained. 'At the end of the match, they climb and get their 150-pound robots hanging from this cage.' When teams aren't competing, they're in the pits, tweaking and perfecting their robots for the next round. For many students, the experience is about more than just competition. 'Having that robotics initiative and bringing the mission of FIRST to the reservation is why we're on the Hall of Fame team right now,' said Elena Klopfenstein, of Coconino High School's CocoNuts Robotics team in Flagstaff, Arizona. Last year, the CocoNuts were inducted into the FIRST Hall of Fame after receiving the program's highest honor, the FIRST World Championship Impact Award. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Riverside RoboTigers ready for robot Hurricane Nessie to face big competition. And they're learning more than STEM
In a former Catholic church, Riverside University High School's robotics team, the Riverside RoboTigers, were making final tweaks and test runs on their robot, Hurricane Nessie, at the team's headquarters inside the Milwaukee Robotics Academy. A few team members gave up their last few days of spring break to tighten bolts, run wire and program their 140-pound and 42-inch-tall custom-built bot. The RoboTigers are preparing to do battle in the FIRST Wisconsin Regional robotics competition Saturday at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. FIRST stands for 'For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.' The team looks a little different from previous iterations of the Riverside RoboTigers. More than half of the 17 team members are girls, many of them freshmen. 'When you go to these competitions, it is common to see mostly or all boys on a lot of these teams,' Erik Orlowski, a RoboTigers team mentor, said. 'We do stand out by the number of girls we have on our team, and a number of them are in high-profile leadership roles. That is something we are really proud about.' The program's objective is to expose youth to STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math. But many of the girls joined out of curiosity, while many of the returning participants stay because of the rush of competing in high-stakes robotics tourneys. 'I just like the adrenaline,' said Aniyah Flagg, 18, a Marshall High School senior. She transferred to the RoboTigers team this school year but has been part of the Milwaukee Robotics Team since a freshman. Olivia Mayeshiba, 18, couldn't agree more about the thrill factor. 'Seeing the unexpectedness of how the matches go is a big adrenaline rush,' said Mayeshiba, a Riverside senior who has been with the club since her freshman year. There's always a level of unpredictability to the competitions. 'If somebody tips (the robot) over. Somebody gets stuck on a game piece. Somebody's bumper comes off or if something breaks mid-match, then how do you change your strategy to keep playing, to keep scoring points?' she said. It forces students to think on their feet to brainstorm quick fixes to make it to the next round, Mayeshiba said. 'It is really exciting to get to see the robot that you spent so much time building go into a competition and do well against other robots,' she said. Mayeshiba serves as the 'drive coach' for the team and helps identify scoring opportunities. Flagg is the 'driver,' controlling where the robot goes on the course. Sierrah Coleman, 17, feeds off the energy she feels before each match. 'I like being nervous. It's weird,' the Riverside senior said. While the rush comes from the anticipation of the robot completing a task as commanded, the most challenging part, she said, is when something goes wrong. 'Having something break and you knowing you can't fix it — it's like a stab in the heart,' Coleman said. The RoboTigers have been preparing all year for regionals. And the stakes are high. Nearly 50 teams will compete Saturday for a berth at the global 2025 FIRST Championship event in Houston later in April, with nearly 20,000 students from 60 countries. Each year, the students are tasked with designing, building and programming a robot to take on a themed competition challenge. This year's theme is called 'Reefscape,' which replicate cleaning up ocean reefs. Each team must manipulate its robot to do a specific function, like simulating planting carol reefs or removing algae. Each match measures the robot's effectiveness, student collaboration and determination. 'It's physically demanding like sports in a sense, not just because the adrenaline is going,' said Rochelle Weidensee, a Riverside teacher and robotics program mentor. The one thing the students need is creativity. Students design their robot using a kit or flesh out their robots with parts they make from a 3-D printer or a Computer Numerical Control, or CNBC, machine to give it the functionality it needs. 'They have incredible creativity because they haven't been told they can't do something,' Weidensee said. The heat is on for this competition. The team struggled during the Seven Rivers Regional competition two weeks ago in La Crosse. Hurricane Nessie didn't live up to the team's expectations. The RoboTigers encountered software issues and the difference between the competition field and the students' home practice field made the robot perform not as expected. 'It's hard when you know your robots can do well, but there are just issues throughout,' Mayeshiba said. 'Like March Madness, we were the seventh-seeded alliance, and we ended off finishing third at the event,' Orlowski said. The competitions aside, the RoboTigers get hands-on experience in electrical and mechanical skills, learn programming language like JavaScript and learn 3D-printing and computer-aided design, or CAD, skills. 'That really is the power of the program," Orlowski said of the 17-year-old program's success. "And the competition is really just something to give them the excitement to keep coming,' This program is needed, said Coleman, who at first had no interest in robotics until she saw a demonstration in her sophomore year. Few kids in urban areas are exposed to STEM or robotics, or have limited knowledge of it, she said. This program opens students to other possibilities outside of sports or arts and crafts. It wasn't just the thrill of competition or the challenge of building a robot that kept Coleman in the program. It's the ancillary skills she's learned — writing and public speaking. 'With robotics, there is a lot of professional writing and presenting as well,' Coleman said. 'That is what I wanted to grow on, especially with public speaking, because I have trouble with that.' Coleman went from being shy in school to helping the team win the 2023 Impact Award at the Wisconsin Regionals that same year — and a berth in the FIRST Championship. Orlowski said the Impact Award is the most prestigious award. It recognizes a program's outreach effort to underserved students to make STEM accessible by hosting Lego competitions and going to the state capitol to advocate for more funding for robotics programs. 'There are a lot of things these kids do outside of just building a robot,' Orlowski said. La Risa Lynch is a community affairs reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Email her at llynch@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Riverside RoboTigers ready for robot Hurricane Nessie's big test
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
FIRST Robotics Competitions brings crowds to Alerus Center despite the weather
Mar. 15—GRAND FORKS — Robotics teams and their fans came out in force to the Alerus Center for the FIRST Robotics Competition's eighth Great Northern Regional Saturday, despite chilly temperatures and inclement weather. The competition was held March 12-15 in Grand Forks with 53 registered teams from Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa competing. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has several regional competitions across the region. Friends, family and teammates filled the Alerus Center with their presence, cheering for their teams as points were scored. Minus the event director and two organizers, the event is run by 153 volunteers. "Everyone who's here is a volunteer, which is amazing. Our army shows up to run this event," FIRST Regional Director Nicole Schossow said. The schedule of the event had been adjusted due to the prospect of snow, ice and difficult travel conditions. Despite that, crowds, teams and mentors still were in attendance, showing support for the competition. High school student teams compete; those who win the competition and or win awards are eligible to go to the World Competition in Houston later this year. The students build robots from scratch, including machining their own parts, programming and designing. Not including competition costs, the robots can have $10,000 to $30,000 of work and material put into them. "You learn so many skills," Mady Arnesen, an event student ambassador and member of Team FRED (FIRST Robotics Engineering and Design), also known as Team 2883, from Warroad, Minnesota. "There's programming, (robot) design, graphic designing, 3D printing and even workshop skills." This year's competition game was named "REEFSCAPE," which is ocean-themed and encouraged teams to think about advancing aquatic life and undersea exploration. Two alliances of three teams competed to put coral, akin to PVC pipe, on the reef structure and collect algae, which are balls, to place on a barge structure in the center. Each round lasted around two and a half minutes. The alliance that scored the most points won. "The higher up on the reef, the more points it's worth," Arensen said. Because of the many points able to be scored by placing coral, many of the robots focused on a coral point strategy, she said. Collecting algae was worth more per algae placed in the barge. It also took longer than the coral. The teams first competed in qualification rounds for ranking. Once ranking occurred, teams selected alliances for playoff matches. Before competing, the robots are inspected to make sure they meet requirements for safety, weight and systems. A common issue is a battery disconnecting during the rigors of a match. "The main thing we want is we want (teams to be able to compete)," Tom Beadle, a mentor and competition inspector, said. "You don't want to break down, so we go through all the stuff and then check and sign off." This isn't the last regional competition. There are several occurring throughout the next several weeks as well as the next one at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, March 26-29.
