Elementary, Middle School Students Compete in 2011 CSM Robotics Challenge
The Hollywood Elementary Loco Legos dominated much of the competition May 7 at the 2011 College of Southern Maryland Robotics Challenge Junior Division at the La Plata Campus, earning an average score of 390 during the qualification round. Three of their matches came with perfect scores of 400.
They ended the day of competition with the team members arms loaded with trophies for Robot Performance, First Place and the prestigious Excellence Award.
The kids spent hundreds of hours working on the robot, programming and the project, said returning coach Ramon Tuazon who is retired from the Navy. “With these results, I truly feel that volunteering is well worth the time and effort.”
With a mechanical engineering degree, Tuazon said that he had a duplicate of the four-by-six-foot competition board on his dining room table for five months. My wife will be happy to have her table back, he said.
Co-coach, Stephanie Bahr, added that it is good for the students to see that there is a direct correlation between the time they spend after school and on weekends, and their scores. With a computer science degree, Bahr joked that although it would appear that her background would be an asset to the team, she said, We didnt learn any of this [kind of computer programming] in school. Instead, the fifth-graders who participated in robotics last year taught the incoming fourth-graders. Those fourth-graders will, in turn, pass along their prowess to next years incoming teammates. It was as much kid-led as possible, Bahr said.
For information on CSMs robotics competitions, visit http://www.csmd.edu/roboticschallenge/.
St. Marys County Teams
Esperanza Middle School
Purple Plumin Pirates
Unjammers
Robomaniacs
Hollywood Elementary
Loco Legos
Leonardtown Elementary
Team 1
Team 2
Lexington Park Elementary
Mechanicsville Elementary
Piney Point Elementary
RoboCruisers
X-Terminators
Chucky Bears
De-pollutionators
Charles County Teams
Benjamin Stoddert Middle
RoboStallions
Berry Elementary
Berry JAGBots
Craik Elementary
Team 1
Team 2
Dr. Samuel Mudd Elementary
Green Dragons
Robo Dragons
Gale-Bailey Elementary
Rockin Solar Robots
Helmet Heads
Travelers
Hanson Middle
N.E.R.D.S
Henson Middle
Robochiz
Blue Swag
Super Seniors
J.C. Parks Elementary
ParkFlybotics
Mary B. Neal Elementary
Neal X-BOTS
Mattawoman Middle
RoboWarriors
Mt. Hope/Nanejemoy Elementary
Robo Knights
Piccowaxen Middle
The Ligers
Somers Middle
RoboHawks1
RoboHawks 2
T.C. Martin Elementary
Motion Control
Theodore G. Davis Middle
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Team 5
William A. Diggs Elementary
DiggsRobo Hawks
Diggs Orange Pixie Horses
Note: Calvert County teams competed earlier this spring.