S.J. teens to compete in robotics tourney

It’s a first this weekend for South Jersey high school students when the popular FIRST Robotics District Competition comes to this region for, well, the first time. No longer will local students interested in building high-tech creations or being among the support staff essential in getting new-fangled robots the recognition they deserve have to travel to Central Jersey or across the Delaware River for the entire first round of competition in FIRST, a national program whose acronym means For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology. Thanks to a structural reorganization, there is an added starting tier of competition this year — and the Lenape Regional High School District jumped at the chance to be the first-ever South Jersey host Saturday and Sunday. The Lenape district will field two teams — the Iron Devils from Seneca and Shawnee high schools, which debuted in 2005, and STORM Robotics from Lenape and Cherokee high schools, which started in 2009 — at Seneca High School in Tabernacle on Saturday and Sunday. They’ll be joined by 38 other teams from New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. “Seneca is ideal for running something that large,” said Jim Hessler, a Lenape physics and astronomy teacher who advises STORM Robotics and its 80-plus team members. Among the district’s four high schools, Seneca boasts the most parking and was available for the weekend. Other tri-county teams participating include the Robotic Vikings from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, One TUFF Team from Camden County Technical Schools-Sicklerville campus, Anomaly from the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton, Cyberstorm from the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell, and the Red Devils from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly. It was when he was a student at Rancocas Valley that Cherokee electronics teacher Nathan Knauss first got involved in the competition. “The hands-on stuff is the attraction. This is the real world, and students are working with real engineers,” he said. Said Hessler, “We get kids who are interested in a challenge. They really have to stretch themselves.” Known as the ultimate Sport for the Mind, the FIRST program was founded by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway. It pairs mentors — corporate employees, teachers and/or college students — with teams of high school students in a collaborative effort to design and build a robot. The program has grown since its first competition in 1992 to include a “junior varsity” Tech Challenge for high school and LEGO Leagues for middle and elementary schools. Participants have increased from 28 teams to more than 2,000. In the “varsity” robotics competition, each robot must be able to play a new game designed by FIRST and announced in January. Teams come up with a design out of the parts they get from the Manchester, N.H.-based organization, and spend six weeks building it. Instructions do not come with the kit. “All you’re given are the tasks you must complete. Each team draws on its own skills set and strategy to build what works for it,” said Shawnee physics teacher Megan Jones, one of the 70-member Iron Devils’ advisers. This year's game is called Rebound Rumble. Robots must shoot basketball hoops and perform additional tasks, such as balancing another robot on a platform. Major mentors in the tri-county area include staff from Lockheed Martin/Siemens and Campbell Soup. Smaller companies also contribute mentors and funds, and in some cases, such as with the STORM team, parent booster groups have been formed. The district contributes about 20 percent of the funds needed. “I’ve really seen these kids blossom,” said mentor Ed Cohen of Mount Laurel, a computer consultant who got involved with the STORM program when his daughter participated in 2009 as a Lenape senior. He has stayed with it even though Rebecca Cohen is now a college junior. “These events are like rock concerts celebrating technology. There’s a lot of learning going on,” Cohen said. Teams are judged on design, team spirit, professionalism and ability to overcome obstacles. They must also function as entrepreneurs, creating business plans, raising funds and marketing and managing their project. Planning begins even before the game is announced, and Hessler estimated teams spend about 420 hours on the challenge during the school year. “It’s fun to go through the process,” said Joe Doyle, 15, of Marlton, a Cherokee sophomore helping to program STORM’s robot, known as Donald Duct. Cherokee senior Kanay Patel, 18, of Marlton, said exploring different strategies and working with engineers from Lockheed Martin have kept him in the program for four years. He may pursue mechanical engineering, probably at the University of Maryland. Lenape senior OmMahida, 18, of Mount Laurel, said he wasn’t originally planning to major in engineering but FIRST got him hooked. “There’s nothing cooler than robots,” said Mahida, who is mulling over where to attend school this fall. Teams typically compete at two competitions in the new beginning round to amass more points and awards heading into regionals. South Jersey teams compete in another state venue, or in one held in Philadelphia or a Pennsylvania suburb. In that way, they can get a bigger bang for their bucks — $5,000 to compete at up to two sites in the district round. Teams ranked highest in the beginning round — about half, or 52 of 99 teams competing in this district — go on to compete at the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship in Philadelphia, being held April 12, 13 and 14 at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. Several teams will emerge from that venue — where the registration fee is $4,000 — to vie against teams from more than 40 countries in the championship finals at St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome from April 25 to 28. The Iron Devils is one of a few veteran teams in the region that has already earned a spot in St. Louis regardless of whether it scores on top in Philadelphia. The team has begun raising funds for the trip, with 45 of its 70 team members signed up for the 18-hour bus ride to the Gateway City. Students compete for bragging rights and medals.There are no cash prizes — but it’s the journey, not its end, that keeps them passionate. Cherokee senior Jennifer Pease, 18, of Marlton, will study electrical engineering at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., this fall. “I love that we become a family on this team, and that we get to travel and meet people from all over the world,” she said.