MNTC's pre-engineering team will compete in tourney

By Peggy Laizure

Moore Norman Technology Center's pre-engineering team 1742, the Shockwave, bagged and tagged their robot entry for the regional For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition that will be held March 25-27 at the Oklahoma City Cox Convention Center.

Winners from this, and other regional competitions from across the United States, will travel to Atlanta, Ga., to compete for the FIRST Championship April 15-18 under the lights of the Georgia Dome.

MNTC's Team 1742 is comprised of high school sophomores to seniors from Moore, Westmoore, Southmoore, Norman and Norman North high schools and their instructors Jason Rausch and Art Waldenville.

They will compete against nearly four dozen teams from Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas in the three-day event using the robot they designed and fabricated in a six-week time period. It had to meet rigorous design specifications in order to qualify.

"We really worked well together as a team to get our robot designed and I'm confident we'll do well at the competition, too," Westmoore High School senior and programming leader on the class' robot Clint Shepherd said.

This year's competition theme is called Breakaway, and in a small way, mirrors the rules of a soccer game. They'll play on a 27 by 54 foot rectangular green field, shoot on vision targets, much like goals at different ends of the arena and defend their own goals. It will be done remotely in a pit area called the players station, using programmable logic controllers.

The competition for FIRST is a unique varsity sports for the mind, designed to help high-school-aged students discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and scientists can be.

Since 1989, the FIRST Robotics Competition has grown from 28 teams to over 1,680, including teams from 11 foreign countries. Over 42,000 students and 23,500 mentors participate in the program today. Learn how the competition is played at www.usfirst.org.

Members of Team 1742 have acted as mentors and co-developers of Lego League teams at Winding Creek and Earlywine elementary schools. They volunteered many hours to the students, teachers and Lego League competition. They won second place in the research project at the Dec. 12, 2009 competition in Stillwater.

Additionally, Shockwave nominated the entire team for the Chairman's Award. The Chairman's Award was created to maintain focus on changing culture in ways that would inspire greater levels of respect and honor for science and technology, as well as encourage more of today's youth to become scientists, engineers and technologists.

The Chairman's Award honors the team that best embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and is a model for other teams to emulate. One team is chosen at each regional to receive this award; these teams go on to be considered for the Chairman's Award at the Championship.

Instructor Waldenville was nominated by the class for the Woodie Flowers Award. This award celebrates mentors who lead, inspire and empower their team. Woodie Flowers Award winners demonstrate effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design.

Founded in 1996 by Dr. William Murphy, the Woodie Flowers Award is presented to an outstanding engineer or teacher participating in FIRST who leads, inspires and empowers using excellent communication skills. Students submit an essay that nominates one mentor from their team for consideration.

SHOCKWAVE thanks its sponsors and others who have contributed to its success. Team 1742 is sponsored by Moore Norman Technology Center, Boeing, the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering and York / Johnson Controls.

They have been mentored by Nick Grady from Boeing and OU engineering student Jordan Kuehn. They also have been helped by MNTC's welding, precision machining, carpentry, graphic design and automotive service programs.

FIRST Robotics is a life changing activity for those who participate. According to the FIRST Robotics Web site, students who participate in FIRST Robotics are:

· 50 percent more likely to enroll in college

· Twice as likely to pursue a degree in science or math

· Three times more likely to major in engineering

· More than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities.

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