The Bonny Eagle Robotics Team competed against 51 other teams at the Granite State Regional Robotics competition in Manchester, NH from March 3 to 5. The team had a Semi-Final finish at the end of the three days of very intense competition.
Our robotics program is affiliated with the national organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). The goal of FIRST is to encourage and inspire young people’s interest and participation in science, technology, engineering and math. This goal is achieved by creating a game each year in which teams of students, parents, engineers and mentors have six weeks to design and build a robot. The robot must meet specific guidelines in order to compete. FIRST is a great way to launch tomorrow’s brightest scientists, engineers and leaders.
Rob Martin, a senior, used his animation skills along with help from other members of the team to win the Autodesk Visualization Award. This award recognizes excellence in student animation that clearly and creatively illustrates the spirit of the FIRST robotics competition.
The team also won the General Motors Industrial Design Award celebrating form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively achieves the game challenge.
Congratulations to student team members Kaitlyn DiRenzo, Ben Roy, Shane Roma, Rob Martin, Kelly Johnson, Kelly Martin, Amanda Roberge, Ian Delisle, Silas Jordan, Julian Butler, Jon Simpson, and Josiah Plummer for an outstanding robotics season.
A special thank you goes out to our main sponsor, Eagle Industries of Hollis, for their continued and outstanding support of this program. Others to be thanked include Parents, Co-Advisors Mike Matthews and John DiRenzo, Mentors Ron and Connie Garland, Rick and Elaine Lovejoy, Dave and Suanne Johnson, Wayne Roberge, Joyce Matthews and Terri DiRenzo.
Other teams from Maine that competed at this regional event were Team 58 of South Portland High School, Riot Crew, sponsored by Fairchild Semiconductor of South Portland; Team 172 of Gorham and Falmouth High Schools, sponsored by IDEXX of Westbrook; and Team 1276 of Midcoast School of Technology in Rockland, Haizen Blitz, are the three other teams offering their students this educational opportunity.
For more information, the FIRST robotics site can be found at www.usfirst.org.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
