Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 6, 2007|Volume 35, Number 24

It may not look like R2-D2 of "Star Wars" fame, but the robot at left took top honors in the FIRST regional competition. Here, physics teacher Ernie Smoker (center), an adviser to the "Robo Squad," shows Mayor John DeStefano Jr. how the robot can grip objects, like this rubber tube.

Yale applauds award-winning
robotics team from city school

The Elm City Robotics Squad -- a team from Hill Regional Career High School whose robot was the winning entry in the regional competition of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition -- was honored recently by representatives from Yale and the United Illuminating Company, as well as by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr.

David Johnson, a research support specialist in chemistry instrumentation at Yale, is one of the technical mentors for the team of 40 students. Yale also sponsors the team.

Yale Dean of Engineering Paul Fleury, DeStefano and New Haven Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo met with the student team at City Hall for a demonstration of its winning entry on March 26.

"The team's dedication is inspiring," said Fleury, noting that just about everyone in the group walked -- in some cases for miles -- to get to evening and weekend meetings to work on their project. The team's win at the regional event, held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, earned it an invitation to the National Championship in Atlanta this month.

The team beat out more than 40 teams from 8 states, overcoming some big challenges in the process. Most teams competing for the top prize, the Chairman's Award, have 50 or more student members, as well as access to six to eight engineers from a local technology company and an annual budget of between $50,000 and $75,000. The application and interview process for the award is so daunting that barely a third of all teams even apply to take part in the competition.

The Elm City Robotics Squad operates on a shoestring budget of about $6,000 and has just two technical mentors -- Johnson and Career High School physics teacher Ernest Smoker. Other mentors for the team are Career High School business teacher Laura Roblee and science teacher Angel Tangney.

The Elm City Robotics Squad built its first robot eight years ago with the help of retired engineers Jim Crowe and the late John Buffa. That team placed 735th out of 750 entries. This year's first-place team spent about six weeks building their robot.

The team is now hoping to raise funds to go on to the 2007 FIRST Championship on April 12, which will be held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Contributions to support the team in its quest to win the national competition can be made by contacting Claudia Merson, director of public school partnerships at Yale, at (203) 432-4098.

FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kaman, inventor of the Segway, to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, the not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills. For more information, visit FIRST's website at www.usfirst.org.

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