Four area high schools participate in FIRST Robotics program

By anne culver sun focus

High school students from across the state, including three area teams, brought robots they built this year to the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena last weekend to compete in the Minnesota Regional FIRST Robotics competition.

FIRST Robotics is a national program that engages students to apply their skills and creativity in science, technology, engineering and math to solve a common problem by building a robot from scratch, according to a Medtronic Foundation representative. Medtronic sponsored eight high schools in the regional competitions, including students from Fridley, St. Anthony Village, Blaine and Irondale. The corporation also provided mentors for the students, giving them an opportunity to learn from professionals.

To begin the competition, each team received a kit of parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system and a mix of automation components. Teams and their mentors were given six weeks to construct their robots. This year's objective was to build a robot that could race around a track, knocking down 10-pound inflatable balls, while competing against two other robots.

Fridley High School

"We [built] a fast and accurate machine," said Michelle Stefanacci, Fridley team adviser. The team of 13 "incredibly creative problem-solvers" placed 10th in their second year at the FIRST Robotics competition, she said. Fifty-four Minnesota teams competed in the regional event this year (up from 16 in 2007).

St. Anthony Village HS

St. Anthony Village High School sent a team to the Wisconsin regional FIRST Robotics competition March 13-15, where they placed sixth out of 60 teams.

Although competing for the first time, the St. Anthony team made an impact, winning the "highest-seeded rookie" trophy. "Our students were sought out by other teams looking for help," said Paul Lulai, St. Anthony team adviser.

A unique characteristic the St. Anthony students gave their "RoboHuskie" was blue lighting that flashed more rapidly as the robot accelerated, Lulai said.

He added that the 26 St. Anthony students were divided into a programming team, a business team and a design and building team.

"We [had] students from just about every niche of the student population."

Blaine High School

The Blaine High School team, made up of about 20 members, participated in the FIRST Robotics program for the second time. Their robot, "Stormin' Norman," was named after the school's principal, according to Blaine team adviser Tim Nestrud. In addition to knocking down the inflatable balls, "Stormin' Norman" was designed to set them up and hurdle them around the track.

The team experienced some difficulty during the regional competition, Nestrud said, as every time "Stormin' Norman" would get bumped by another robot, its gears would disengage. "It got hit pretty hard one time," Nestrud said; that collision caused the robot to get stuck in one place.

Like the St. Anthony team, Nestrud said his team was comprised of students with a variety of interests working on different aspects of the project. "The whole group works on the robot," he said, noting they build off each other's ideas. "They get to see it from concept to final product."

Irondale High School

In an attempt to form an engineering club at Irondale two years ago, students found themselves competing in FIRST Robotics. The small team of 6-10 students doing the majority of the work placed 38th at this year's regional competition.

"We [had] students from just about every niche of the student population."

Blaine High School

The Blaine High School team, made up of about 20 members, participated in the FIRST Robotics program for the second time. Their robot, "Stormin' Norman," was named after the school's principal, according to Blaine team adviser Tim Nestrud. In addition to knocking down the inflatable balls, "Stormin' Norman" was designed to set them up and hurdle them around the track.

The team experienced some difficulty during the regional competition, Nestrud said, as every time "Stormin' Norman" would get bumped by another robot, its gears would disengage. "It got hit pretty hard one time," Nestrud said; that collision caused the robot to get stuck in one place.

Like the St. Anthony team, Nestrud said his team was comprised of students with a variety of interests working on different aspects of the project. "The whole group works on the robot," he said, noting they build off each other's ideas. "They get to see it from concept to final product."

Irondale High School

In an attempt to form an engineering club at Irondale two years ago, students found themselves competing in FIRST Robotics. The small team of 6-10 students doing the majority of the work placed 38th at this year's regional competition.