Robotics teams building strong foundation

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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The "ACE Alumni" team includes youngsters who launched the after-school robotics program last year at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, as well as eighth-grader Ross Boggess from nearby Edythe J. Hayes Middle School. "There's no specific team captain even though they look up to me," he said.

The "ACE Alumni" team includes youngsters who launched the after-school robotics program last year at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, as well as eighth-grader Ross Boggess from nearby Edythe J. Hayes Middle School. "There's no specific team captain even though they look up to me," he said.

The "ACE Alumni" team includes youngsters who launched the after-school robotics program last year at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, as well as eighth-grader Ross Boggess from nearby Edythe J. Hayes Middle School. "There's no specific team captain even though they look up to me," he said.In the FIRST LEGO League competition, students learn how to program their robots to complete certain tasks and missions.In the Body Forward Challenge, teams have explored biomedical engineering. Their robot missions include such tasks as carrying a stent to a clogged artery or a pacemaker to the heart.The two teams at ACE practice after school about once a week, but more often when a contest is approaching. The FLL state tournament is Jan. 29 in Bowling Green.Dana Etter, an ACE parent and volunteer coach, said mentoring opportunities have flourished among the "Alumni" group. “On that team in particular, the older kids have taken the reins. It’s been a really good opportunity for them to almost be the supervisors,” she said.

Through legwork and teamwork, Athens-Chilesburg Elementary has blended technical skills, medical research and after-school fun through the FIRST LEGO League’s robotics competition.

“Austin (Booth) told me it was good last year, so I decided to join,” said fifth-grader Alexander Noal. “It’s fun watching the robots go.”

Newcomers are on the “Eaglets” team, and veterans like Austin make up the “ACE Alumni,” which also includes a 14-year-old student from Edythe J. Hayes Middle School.

“We switch up the groups at every practice so there’s always an older kid working with the younger ones,” said Dayna Lykins, coordinator of the Student Technology Leadership Program at ACE.

She and a pair of volunteer coaches have guided the two teams through the 2010 Body Forward Challenge, in which students across Fayette County Public Schools have delved into biomedical engineering to find innovative ways to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions and maximize the body’s potential.

“It’s an open-ended, challenging type of quest, and they’re up to it,” Lykins said.

Each FIRST LEGO League contest has two parts. In the project portion, teams explore an actual problem for today’s scientists and engineers, develop a creative solution and share their findings. The ACE Alumni looked at how orthotics can ease foot ailments, and the Eaglets studied sports-related brain injuries.

In the robot game, teams build and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to perform tasks and score points in 2½-minute matches on the themed playing mat.  

“It’s set up as a human body, and you have these missions you program, like to fix a cracked bone or put a stent in an artery,” said Ross Boggess, the eighth-grader at Hayes.

Recalling his early years in STLP, Ross steps up to mentor the youngsters, especially with the more advanced science material.

“It challenges them, so you have to find some medium for them to understand,” he said, for instance, describing a stent in the context of a grandfather’s surgery.

Despite their best efforts, Alexander noted how things don’t always go as planned with robots.

“If you don’t line it up right, it gets annoying,” he said. “And if you have to pick it up, you lose points.”

LAN/WAN technician Dana Etter helps organize and coach the teams along with her husband, who is a Lexmark engineer. She noted how each robot mission has many possible paths.

“You have to get to a certain point, and there are various ways to do it. They have to learn to deal with ambiguity,” she said. “It’s neat for them to see there’s not just one way to solve a problem.”

She praised Ross for his patience with the ACE students, saying, “It’s been a wonderful leadership role for him.”

Ross has welcomed the chance not only to pass along his knowledge of robotics but also to help the youngsters advance academically.

“We’re having to do math, calculating all the turns,” he noted. “Some eighth-graders are just now learning that, so (the ACE kids) are definitely way ahead.”

Etter said ultimately the students will remember the teamwork – what it takes to succeed and how to deal with various personalities.

“In the real world, you’ll have three, four, five people with different perspectives, and you have to meld that into a solution,” she said.

The competition:

The FIRST LEGO League coordinates the international competition for elementary and middle school students. Every September, the league releases a challenge based on a real-world scientific topic. Past themes have ranged from nanotechnology and climate to quality of life for people with disabilities.

  • The state tournament is set for Jan. 29 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
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