MCCTC hosts robotics competition

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Robotics team members from Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Trumbull Career and Technical Center and Mahoning County Career and Technical Center competed in the VEX Regional Robotics Competition at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Poland Seminary High School Robotics team members Diego Calderon, Mum Masaki, Margaret Faur, Marik Rogenski, Sammy Dwyer and Charisma Ojeda worked on their robots during a break on the competition at the VEX Regional Robotics Competition on Feb. 3.

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Robotics team members form South Range Local Schools, Revere Local Schools and Perry High School competed in the VEX Regional Robotics Competition at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center on Feb. 3.

By ABBY SLANKER

neighbors@vindy.com

The Mahoning County Career and Technical Center hosted more than 50 high school robotics teams from 18 different schools during the VEX regional robotics competition on Feb. 3.

Highs schools competing in the competition included Pickerington High School Central, Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, Perry High School, Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Firestone Engineering Club, Bio-Med Science Academy STEM School, NIHF STEM High School, South Range Local Schools, Lowellville School, Shaker Heights High School, Valley Stem+me2 Academy, Austintown Fitch High School, Revere Local Schools, Choffin Career and Technical Center, Laurel School, Litchfield CLC- Akron Public Schools, Trumbull Career and Technical Center and Poland Seminary High School Robotics.

The competition robots were designed, built, programmed and operated solely by the students. Teams were randomly paired and competed two-on-two to stack cones and move mobile goals into one of several scoring zones.

At the end of the qualification matches, the top eight teams chose two partners to go into the elimination round to compete, round robin style, in a best out of three competition.

The teams then advanced to the semi-finals and eventually into the final round. The top two alliances as well as the excellence, design and skills winners all advanced to the state competition in March.

Two teams from Poland Seminary High School Robotics participated in the competition.

“In the VEX competitions, there is a new game, or task, every year. The students use the same parts to build a robot to be able to complete the different tasks each year. The students start building their robot as early as the beginning of the new school year. We receive the task at the end of the previous school year, so the teams end up working on their robot months in advance. Our team qualified to go to state last year. This year, for the first time, we have two teams competing. We have more students involved in the program this year, which is great,” said team advisor Beth Queen.

Queen also said her students participate in many competitions throughout the year to prepare for this state qualifier.

“We go to many competitions throughout the year, which gives the students the opportunity to test out their robots and they can make adjustments and change their design to make it better,” Queen said.

The VEX competition is the biggest local qualifier and Queen likes the VEX style of competition.

“I really like the VEX style of competition. Each team is paired with an alliance team when they get here. We do not know in advance who our alliance team will be. There are four matches and we get a new partner for each match. This promotes collaboration between teams and maximizes each of their strengths. It is also very much how engineering and robotics work in a professional setting, which is nice for the students to experience,” Queen said.

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