Students show off robots at competition
BUTLER TWP — They clash. They crunch. They spark. And it's all part of a learning experience.
High school robotics clubs from across the region competed Friday in the BotsIQ preliminary competition at Butler County Community College.
Students spent months designing and building robots to compete against others, using various engineering, math and machinery skills.
“For awhile, I've been interested in electronics,” said Drew Meier, a sophomore at Butler Intermediate High School, while tinkering with his team's robot named Arachnid before the competition.
He and his father have bonded through building electronics before, so he wanted to expand on his curiosity.
“When I saw this program at school, I couldn't wait to join,” Drew said.
Two groups of six students at Butler Intermediate and six at Butler Senior High each have a robotics club and robot they designed.
“They have an interest in building and design and engineering,” said Rich Boeh, a teacher at the intermediate high school. “They enjoy it.”
The robotics programs prepare students for a variety of jobs, said Bill Padnos, executive director of the regional BotsIQ program.“Young people who are interested in how things are made are the future of high-tech manufacturing. These students make up a job-ready trained workforce pipeline,” he said.Butler is in its second year competing with robots; Seneca Valley is in its first.“We have a good mix of kids with different interests — some engineering, some hands-on,” said Joe Logsdon, an engineering teacher and robotics club adviser at Seneca Valley.There are 12 students who are part of the club there.One of his former students, Haylie Helbig, a Seneca Valley High School senior, plans to double major in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Management at Michigan Tech next year.“I had a class with Mr. Logsdon and I like to build circuits,” she said of deciding to join the club. “Since it's our first year we wanted to be more simplistic (with robotic design) and get the gist of what we wanted to do.”Schools in Beaver, Indiana, Lawrence and Mercer counties also competed Friday at BC3.During competition, robots can be obliterated within minutes. The remote-controlled robots are paired and set up in an isolated area with clear plastic walls stretching several feet high. Audience members — many parents, teammates and friends — watch in bleachers, eager to catch a good view.Teams are judged on strategy, design, aggression and safety, among other factors. Winning teams will advance to a regional competition at the California (Pa.) University next month.
“I had a class with Mr. Logsdon and I like to build circuits,” she said of deciding to join the club. “Since it's our first year we wanted to be more simplistic (with robotic design) and get the gist of what we wanted to do.”Schools in Beaver, Indiana, Lawrence and Mercer counties also competed Friday at BC3.During competition, robots can be obliterated within minutes. The remote-controlled robots are paired and set up in an isolated area with clear plastic walls stretching several feet high. Audience members — many parents, teammates and friends — watch in bleachers, eager to catch a good view.Teams are judged on strategy, design, aggression and safety, among other factors. Winning teams will advance to a regional competition at the California (Pa.) University next month.
