4-H robotics club shines
Ten Butler County middle school students have earned the title of Western Pennsylvania Grand Champions at a robotics competition hosted by Carnegie Robotics in Lawrenceville.
Thomas and Ruth Askey, Paul Blair, Andrew Costel, Mark Edinboro, John Mack, Jeremy Morra, Anthony and Henry Scardina, and Rachel Wilson combined science and Legos in their project on windstorms.
The Megamindstormers, all members of Butler County 4-H Robotics Club, ranked 29th out of 48 teams at the annual Western Pennsylvania FIRST Lego League (FLL) Grand Championship on Feb. 22, according to Colleen Mack, a volunteer 4-H leader.
The team secured its spot in the FLL championship by qualifying second at the regional robotics competition in January at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy.
Mack said the robotics club, which formed last year, competed in the 2013 competition, but did not place. The group began planning in May for the 2014 championships, with students meeting once a month and some Saturdays to complete a research project based on the contest theme “Nature’s Fury.”
In addition to the research, the students used a kit to build a robot and board game that demonstrated how to combat a windstorm.
“You design your robot and they have a big board of different missions,” Mack said. “You’re judged on your research, your design of your robot, your software program for the robot games, and your overall performance.”
Mack said the Megamindstormers won for the research portion of the competition. With help from the Butler County 911 dispatch center, the group focused on how a windstorm would affect the county.
The Megamindstormers will present their Lego robot and board game this summer at the Big Butler Fair and at the Butler Farm Show.
In addition to Mack, other 4-H Robotic Club leaders are Ellen Fogel and Gerry Vaerewyck.
