Student involvement remains strong in YSU robot competition

By HAROLD GWIN

gwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

“Sometimes weird things happen,” said Karen Simon, Niles Middle School teacher and adviser to the school’s eighth-grade robotics team, as she explained how the team’s robot did an unprogrammed about-face during a robotics competition Wednesday.

The programming hiccup didn’t hurt the team’s performance too badly. It finished second overall in the Richard T. Rupe Middle School Competition portion of the annual Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program event at Youngstown State University.

“This was our first year,” Simon said, adding, “They’re really getting a taste of where our world is going right now.”

The program is important on numerous levels, teaching the students teamwork, focus and concentration, Simon said.

Arlene Floyd, director of associate-degree and tech-prep programs at YSU, said 22 teams from a dozen middle and high schools participated in the contest’s 12th event.

Although the number of teams in this year’s competition was smaller than usual, student involvement in the program remains strong, she said.

“It’s a way to bring interest and introduction to students to STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] interests,” Floyd said.

The United States is falling behind other countries in STEM fields, she said, explaining that robotics is one way to get students interested.

Howland Team 4 took the overall championship in the high-school division.

“This is our first year,” said Shaun Hardin, captain of the nine-member team. “Only the seniors do it,” he explained.

Their robot, named Jeffrey by the team, “exceeded our expectations,” he said. It followed its programming perfectly in practice, and things went smoothly during the competition as well, he said.

Participating high schools included Canfield High School, Howland High School, Lakeland Tech Prep in Kirtland, Lakeshore Compact of Kirtland, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center, Mentor High School, Six District Compact Engineering Academy at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent and Trumbull Career and Technical Center. Participating middle schools were Boardman Center Middle School, Niles Middle School, Poland Middle School and Rayen Early College Middle School.

ROBOTICS

Top competitors

A total of 22 high school and middle school teams competed in the 2010 Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program Wednesday at Youngstown State University. The top overall competitor were:

High School

1st place: Howland High School Team 4.

2nd place: Canfield High School Team 1.

3rd place: Howland High School Team 2.

Middle School

1st place: Boardman Center Middle School.

2nd place: Niles Middle School.

3rd place: Poland Middle School.

Northeast Ohio Robotics Education Program