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BCMS robotics team earns state berth |
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December 14, 2016 |
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| Photos by
Debbie Marciniak |
| Team Omega
14910, coaches and Alpha Plus mentors.
In front in the squid hat, Tyrell
Wortley. Front row (left to right):
Kaylee Mccabe, Alisa Hannaman, Regina
Claphan, Ally Martin, Kira Carla-Hull,
Blake Garcia, Tia Carla , Jacob Garrison
and Logan Cuthbertson. Middle row: Alex
Stella, Grace Hopkins, Morgan Moon,
Hunter Rounsville, Corey Clairmont,
George Balk, Alanzo Wortley, Nathan
Johnson, Levi Bonnell, Cassidy Sams and
Stacey Sams. Back row: Nathan Olsen,
Jaak Sanders, Neil Martin and Dan
Claphan. Not pictured: Liliana Brinkman,
Jerry Dalton. |
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Boundary County Middle School robotics team
Omega 14910 is gearing up for a trip to state
competition in Moscow January 14 after an
impressive performance on their home turf
Saturday, where they won awards for best robot
design and for programming.
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Team Omega
14910 members in deep concentration as
they prepare their bots for competition
Saturday. |
BCMS robotics, associated with the global First
Lego League (FLL), was established to promote
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
through hands on learning. The program is
designed to help students develop technology
skills and prepare for the high school Alpha
plus team. We are associated with First Lego
League which is a global organization. Each team
had three months to design, build, and program a
robot capable of performing a series of
challenges designed by FLL.
This years FLL theme is Animal Allies, or how
can animals and humans help each other.
"Based on the buzz of the Zika virus in news,
and the reports of millions of honeybees being
killed by the spray used to kill the mosquitos,
our team decided to focus on the issue of
bio-friendly mosquito control," said coach Jacob
Garrison. "Our team's idea was to innovate an
existing idea. Through research we discovered
that bats are an excellent mosquito consumer. We
designed large bat houses that could also be
used as billboards in parks, or other public
areas. These billboard bat houses would increase
the bat population in those areas, control the
mosquito populations, and provide a self
sustaining method of upkeep from the money the
advertising space could generate. As a community
service project, our team built several smaller
bat houses and presented them to local
beekeepers to help control the mosquitoes near
their bee hives so that spray would not be
needed."
This was the first year BCMS teams have been
able to compete, and to ensure they could, they
decided to host the tournament, inviting teams
from around the region.
"Because of foul weather issues in the past
which kept us from being able to compete, we
decided to host a regional competition this
year," Garrison said. "This was a huge
undertaking, and it was planned, organized and
operated by Jaak and Cynthia Sanders. We hosted
10 teams in this tournament, most of them from
Post Falls. This competition was held Saturday,
December 10 and extremely successful. It was run
by BCMS students, Alpha plus members, BCMS and
BFHS staff, as well as community volunteers."
Teams were judged on their projects, robot
design and core values, along with the robot
game game challenge. Team Omega 14910 did
extremely well at this regional tournament.
"We won an award for best robot design, which
encompasses the physical design and operation of
the bot, as well as the programming," Garrison
said. "Our overall performance earned us an
invitation to the state level tournament in
Moscow on January 14. We are currently focused
on perfecting our presentation and gameplay as
well as fund raising to help get our team to the
competition."
Those interested in supporting team Omega 14910
can contact Mr. Garrison, who teaches eighth
grade science, at (208) 267-5852 or by email at
jacob.garrison@mail.bcsd101.com. |
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