NASA Sponsored RHS & SHS Robotics Teams Head to Regional US First Robotics Competition

Cheer on our Teams! Sat 4/5 and Sun 4/6 It's a quick walk from Grand Central or take the M42 bus from 42nd St. to: Javits Convention Center 655 West 34th Street New York, NY 10001 Student Websites Please take a look at the teams' websites. They are both wonderful chronicles of the entire Robotics experience, and demonstrate the students "dedication and commitment to the FIRST ideals of gracious professionalism." Be sure to look at the pictures. They're great! Roosevelt High School YAMETS631 Team 2524 Saunders High School Droid Factory Team 2344 Watch the NASA Produced US FIRST Robotics Animation Dean's Homework Forum Dean Kamen, the founder of US First, has a forum for ideas to spread the good word about the competition program. Thank You Dr. & Mrs. Economos A standing ovation from the audience at the January Board of Education Meeting greeted these gracious and generous benefactors of the Roosevelt High School & Saunders High School US FIRST Robotic Competition teams. FIRST Robotics Competition NASA Robotics Alliance

Since January, two teams of students from Roosevelt and Saunders High Schools have been building fully functioning robots from an identical kit of parts. Thanks to the incomparable support of generous donors, mentors, technical advisors, coaches, teachers and families, the teams head to the Javits Center Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the US FIRST Robotics Regional Competition.

Both teams have the sponsorship of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. NASA's sponsorship is part of its program to nurture talented robotics experts to develop future robotics systems needed for space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Working on one of those robotic systems now is Roosevelt High School graduate Air Force Colonel Ronald J. Garan Jr. Colonel Garan is a mission specialist who will fly aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to deliver robotic components to the International Space Station this Spring.

Back on earth, the Roosevelt and Saunders Robotics teams' mission has been to transform an identical jumble of motors, batteries, automation components and a control system into a fully-functioning robot that can race around a 27x 54 foot carpeted track, knocking down and moving 40 inch inflated trackballs, passing them over or under a 6 foot 6 inch overpass, then returning them to their original position in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

They will be among 65 teams from the UK, the midwest and the tri-state area to compete this weekend at the Regional US First Competition at the Javits Center. Both teams are competing thanks in large part to the generosity of the Andrew and Judith Economos Foundation, which provided $40,000 to help underwrite the costs.

Technical assistance, parts and support in manufacturing were only part of what Con Edison provided to both schools. Jose Nunes, Saunders teacher/coach, emphasized that it was the daily mentoring by Con Edison personnel, at the schools and in their shops, which was so important to the students.