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By Bill Van Tassel
Staff Writer
LEWISTON — The Winthrop High School Robotics team’s participation in the April 1 FIRST New England Robotics Competition held at the Colisee, was only the final element in a program that included everything from fundraising and branding to team work and critical thinking skills.
This year’s competition was entitled Steamworks, and required the robot, built by the team and operated by a team member, to gather up large whiffle balls, then shoot them into a large steam boiler stack; to grab a large plastic gear from another team member and deposit it in a central area; finally, to hook up to a crane that lifted it off the playing area. These three tasks were to be accomplished in three minutes.
Teams also competed in the Alliances category, cooperating with teams from other parts of Maine and New England. Cooperation and sharing technical skills is a large part of the FIRST Robotics and Pine Tree District goals for the students, organizers said.
Preparation for the competition required many months of work in several areas, including finding sponsors and fundraising, building and programming the robot according to FIRST specifications, designing a logo, acquiring mentors, learning to work with others, plenty of practice and testing, and of course, problem solving.
Team members are Fantasia Perez, team captain; Joey Tierney, drive team captain; Emma Dwelle, safety captain; Phillip Easterbrooks, pilot; Ryley Lassor, human player/programmer/scout; and Adam King, human player/scout. A few of the team members have been on teams in the past, and have won recognition for their efforts.
Adult mentors were Robert, Linda and Teresa Easterbrooks; Tiffany Shaw; Rick Dorey; and Chelsea and Eric Drew. Sponsors were too many to mention, all who donated from a few dollars or paper cups to over a thousand dollars, including Maine National Guard, Winthrop School District and Robotics Institute of Maine.
FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The organization was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen. It has helped motivate more than 450,000 young people around the world to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math; also, helping them to build self-confidence and skills for working with others, according to the organization.
PHOTO CAPTION: Carrying their robot, Amelia’s Return, to the FIRST New England Robotics competition area at the Colisee April 1 are Ryley Lassor, Joey Tierney and Fantasia Perez. Winthrop’s robotics team was taking part in the New England FIRST Robotics Competition on April 1 in Lewiston. Other members of the team were: Emma Dwelle, Phillip Easterbrooks, and Adam King. (Photo by Bill Van Tassel)
