26
Youth
April 16 - May 6, 2016
www.SanTanSun.com
Home-grown robotics team off to prestigious world competition BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Five boys from Chandler and Gilbert, who have been building a robot in their home garages for more than a year, are about to leave on an unforgettable trip. Connor Nail, 15, Davie Hayward, 16, and 17-year-olds Timothy Graunke, Nick Ruiz and Nathan Rossi will be in Louisville, Kentucky, from April 20 to April 23 to participate in the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship. The contest is the robotics equivalence of the Super Bowl. “They like to call it the Super Bowl of Smarts,” Timothy said. The teens, all whom are homeschooled except for Nick, who attends Campo Verde High School, together comprise Arizona’s best high school robotics team, if judged in the context of the VEX Robotics Competition. The “Phoenix Lights,” as they call themselves, won the state championship in March. Now, they are hoping that Chompy the Robot will score the most points and land them the title even amid the stiff competition provided by the best 850 teams drawn from 30 countries around the world. Each year, the VEX Robotics Competition, presented by Greenville, Texas-based Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, throws an engineering challenge in the form of a game. This year’s “Nothing but Net” game consists of a robot collecting and shooting balls into a net across a field to score in a 2.5-minute robotic basketball game. The game has two teams, and the
teens have to drive the game. “It’s challenging; you are not only trying to be able to score, but to be able to do it quickly and to get as many points as possible,” Nathan said. Meeting three times a week, the teens have worked on programming, design, prototyping, building, mechanics and electronics to create Chompy. “There are a lot of mechanisms,” Timothy said. “We try to make sure everything is close to perfect. We have a very high level of quality we want to get to, when you want to be the best, and it takes a lot of time and effort to get there.” The VEX Robotics Competition seeks to develop STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—subjects and also teach life skills to junior high and high school students. Among them is team building. The teens, who have worked together for more than a year, have assigned different tasks to each member and said that they trust each other’s judgment. Nick, who has good hand- and eyecoordination and performs well under pressure, drives the robot; Timothy handles mechanics and manipulates the many components; Connor mainly does the programming; while Nathan decides on the mechanical design, strategy and how the game is played. In addition, there’s the engineering notebook painstakingly kept up by the whole team to document each season’s work, ideas and strategies that together present the whole picture of how they got to this point.
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Fundraising is another aspect of the project that they had to tackle by themselves. Without the backing of a school or a sponsor, the teens washed more cars than they care to remember, and taught robotic skills camps to junior high students to raise the $3,000 they needed. They also recycled parts from previous year’s competitions. Becoming the best team in Arizona took hours of work, many sleepless nights and sacrifices, they said. However, they didn’t sacrifice their school work, the Boy Scouts meetings, swimming and the myriad other activities that highlight the typical teen years. “We’re not going to let our grades drop because we have a robotic program,” Nathan said. The boys alternate their meetings and
work sessions at each of their homes, and enjoy the support of their parents. Timothy’s mom, Kathryn Graunke, said that robotics has grown in the United States. “Most people don’t realize how much its grown in the United States, how many teams there are, how many kids are involved in this,” she said, noting that robotics is a varsity lettering sport in Arizona and that colleges actively recruit those who have engaged in it. More than anything else, it was keeping her son—and his friends— productively engrossed in a wholesome activity. “What else do I want my kids to do on Friday nights?” she asked. To contact the Phoenix Lights, write to davidjh@future-call.com.
Willis earns spot at robotics competition
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From left, Connor Nail, Nick Ruiz, Nathan Rossi and Timothy Graunke with Chompy the Robot. Together, they make up the Phoenix Lights team that will participate in the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, from April 20 to April 23. STSN photo by Srianthi Perera
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The Willis Junior High Robotics Team, the Firebots, has received a hard earned spot in the upcoming VEX Robotics World Competition. This event brings together the top robotics teams from around the world to celebrate their accomplishments and compete against one another. “I’m excited to go to Kentucky and meet teams from around the world,” said Cameron Braddock, president of the Willis Junior High Robotics Club. The competition takes place from April 20 through April 23 in Louisville, Kentucky. “Through robotics, students learn engineering design process, programming, leadership, problem solving and how to think flexibly,” said Jason Prichard, a Willis science teacher and the Firebots Robotics coach. The Firebots spent the year designing, building and programming robots to compete in tournaments against various Arizona teams and they’re the only middle school team from the Phoenix area attending the VEX Robotics World Competition. The Firebots will face teams from around the world, including Bahrain, Singapore, China, Paraguay and
South Korea. Willis is a Title I school that addresses the needs of one of Chandler’s oldest and most economically depressed communities. While traditionally the most successful robotics teams are from more affluent parts of the Valley, Willis is the most decorated middle school robotics team for the past two seasons. Willis Principal Jeff Delp knows that his students persevere through obstacles that other teams may not have to face. “I’m proud of these kids,” Delp said. “Willis serves the lowest socioeconomic area of Chandler and because of that, many have the impression that our students have less potential than other schools. That’s not true. Our kids have proven in many ways that they are bright, resilient, creative, and possess unlimited potential.” This is second season in a row that The Firebots have been invited to attend the VEX Robotics World Competition. The event provides an amazing opportunity for students to learn, travel, and interact with diverse peers.