Overwhelming Number of Teams Produces Pre-Event Qualifier
With more than twice as many competitors than in 2009, this years College of Southern Maryland Robotics Challenge included a pre-event qualifier to accommodate the deluge of teams. When CSM Professor and Chair of Business and Technology Division Jeff Tjiputra challenged greater participation among Southern Maryland schools for the 2010 competition, he didnt anticipate the outpouring of interest and enthusiasmnor the sheer number of teams who entered the competition.
On April 10 at CSMs La Plata Campus teams representing predominantly Southern Maryland elementary, middle and high schools competed in two robotics games appropriate for age and skill levels.
We grew so large–with 130 teams from more than 70 schoolsthat we had to have a qualifying system in the Junior Division, said Tjiputra, organizer of this CSMs robotics challenge as well as the Maryland regional FIRST Tech competition. We have been overwhelmed by the response from schools wanting to participate in this years competition, Tjiputra said, adding, The purpose of the competition is to get Southern Maryland involved in robotics competitions and we want all Southern Maryland schools to participate.
The tournaments champions in the senior division, Leonardtown High Raider Robotics 2, Calvert High School and Carroll County 4-H Super Sonic Sparks C, quailed for spots at the VEX Championship in Dallas. Tournament finalists included Westlake High School teams 1 and 3, and SPEAR Academy SPEAR-it 2. The highest awards at junior and senior division, sponsored by Naval Systems Weapons Command-Indian Head Division and BAE Systems, respectively, went to J.C. Parks Elementary Erosion Destroyers, Plum Point Middle Robotechs and Leonardtown High Raider Robotics 2.
When Jennifer Gilman, principal of Hollywood Elementary, sat in the bleachers watching her kids maneuver around the court she welled up with pride and hope. “This could be the spark that will lead to a successful career and a great future,” she said. She believes that exciting competitions such as this one give students a better understanding of how the work they do in the classroom relates to real-world careers, she said.
The court that Gilmans students are playing on is competitive but the hours and hard work that students put into perfecting their craft make successand lifelong career successattainable. Compared to the bleak statistics of kids who play basketball in high school making it to college or professional ball, the success rate for kids pursuing a science, technology, engineering or mathematics career is high.
The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) calculated that of todays nearly 553,000 mens and 450,000 womens high school student basketball players across the country, only 44 males and 32 females are estimated will make it to the professional ranks. In other words, three in 10,000 or approximately .03 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic basketball and .02 percent of high school senior girls will go on to make professional basketball a career.
On the other hand, said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried, this years middle school students competing on the robotics court are looking at national employment projections [from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics] of 1.7 million engineering jobs by the time they graduate college in 2018. Now thats a probability to go to school on, he said.
CSMs Southern Maryland Robotics Challenge began back in September 2009, when the names and rules of the games were announced, and schools around the region began putting together teams of students interested in engineering. Some of the high school teams are made up of students enrolled in engineering classes where this competition is part of their curriculum. Other high school teams and elementary and middle school teams formed as extracurricular clubs that met before or after school or on weekends.
The robot kits are different for the elementary/middle school division and the high school division, but each robot needs to be constructed and programmed to perform tasks either through manipulation with a controller or autonomously. The kits can be pricy so teams look for funding from schools, their own fundraising efforts or business sponsorships.
The 2010 competition junior division platinum sponsors were NAVSEA Warfare Center, Indian Head, and National Defense Education Program; the senior division platinum sponsor was BAE Systems; gold sponsors included Energetics Technology Center, TIME and CSM; silver sponsors included Dominion and PNC; and bronze sponsors included The Patuxent Partnership, Charles County Technology Council, Charles County Government and Wyle.
For information on CSMs robotics competitions, visit http://www.csmd.edu/roboticschallenge/.
SIDEBAR:
Southern Maryland Schools Participating In the 2010 CSM Robotics Challenge
Calvert County
Appeal Elementary
Barstow Elementary
Beach Elementary
Calvert Career Center
Calvert Elementary
Calvert High
Calvert Middle
Calverton School
Dowell Elementary
Huntingtown Elementary
Huntingtown High
Mill Creek Middle
Mount Harmony Elementary
Mutual Elementary
Northern High
Northern Middle
Our Lady Star of the Sea School
Plum Point Middle
Southern Middle
Sunderland Elementary
Windy Hill Elementary
Windy Hill Middle
Charles County
Barnhart Elementary
Berry Elementary
Charles County 4-H Club
Davis Middle
Diggs Elementary
Gale Bailey Elementary
Indian Head 4-H Program
J.C. Parks Elementary
James Craik Elementary
John Hanson Middle
Lackey High
Matthew Henson Middle
Mattawoman Middle
McDonough High
Mudd Elementary
North Point High
Piccowaxen Middle
Smallwood Middle
Somers Middle
St. Peters School
Stoddert Middle
T.C. Martin Elementary
Thomas Stone High
Wade Elementary
Westlake High
St. Marys County
Banneker Elementary
Dynard Elementary
Esperanza Middle
Evergreen Elementary
Forrest Career and Technology Center
Father Andrew White School
Great Mills High
Hollywood Elementary
Home Schoolers of Southern Maryland
Kings Christian Academy
Leonardtown Elementary
Leonardtown High
Leonardtown Middle
Margaret Brent Middle
Mother Catherine Spaulding
Piney Point Elementary
St. Marys Ryken High
SPEAR Academy
Spring Ridge Middle
SSI Robotics
St. Michaels School
Out of Area
Bishop McNamara High, Prince Georges County
Carroll County 4-H Program, Carroll County
Mt. Calvary School, Prince Georges County
Potomac Middle, Prince William County
2010 CSM Robotics Challenge Award Winners
Tournament Champion Awards-Senior Division Sponsored by CSM Foundation
Leonardtown High Raider Robotics 2
Calvert High School
Carroll County 4-H Program Super Sonic Sparks C
The Tournament Champions qualify for spots at the VEX World Championship in Dallas later in April.
Tournament Finalist Awards-Senior Division
Westlake High School Westlake 3
SPEAR Academy SPEAR-it 2
Westlake High School Westlake 1
The Finalist Alliance is the runner-up to the VEX Robotics Competition
Excellence Award-Senior Division Sponsored by BAE Systems
Leonardtown High Raider Robotics 2
The Excellence Award is given to the overall top team. It is the highest honor given out in VEX Robotics Competition. The recipient of this award exemplified overall excellence and was a strong contender in multiple award categories. Their robot was elegant, yet simple, and was able to win matches even when outnumbered according to judges.
Excellence Award-Junior Division/Middle School Sponsored by NSWC-IHD
Plum Point Middle Robotechs
According to judges, this team excelled in all categories of competition. As