MOSCOW - The atmosphere in Memorial Gym Saturday was pretty congenial, considering the 26 teams had spent months preparing for this robotics competition.

Rather than trying to intimidate opponents, the teens were mostly curious about the other robots in the room and eager to help their potential rivals figure out any last-minute glitches.

"The way this challenge is set up is brilliant," said Stephanie Goeckner, a coach for the Artificial Intelligence team from the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. "Each team is randomly paired with another team to form an alliance, so they have to look at the other robots as a potential teammate, not as antagonists. It immediately creates a sense of community."

Hosted by the University of Idaho Extension 4-H, the FIRST Tech Challenge tournament drew participants from every corner of Idaho. The opening ceremony featured a few words of welcome from UI President Chuck Staben and a colorful crowd of kids excited to put their programming, engineering and robots to the test.

FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - is an intermediate robotics competition for high-school-aged kids who work alongside mentors, applying real-world math and science concepts to solve the annual challenge. Cooperation is key at the high-energy regional tournaments, which reward the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students, said Robin Baumgartner, coordinator of 4-H science programs at UI.

"Not only is it really awesome that you have kids building amazing robots, these challenges teach them lifelong skills, such as how to be gracious, public speaking, budgeting and time management," Baumgartner said. "These teams also do a lot of community outreach and usually mentor younger Lego league groups."

The Artificial Intelligence team, led by Goeckner and RaeAnn Goodnow, was dressed in red and working on a robot named Hypercube 2.0. The seven members, ranging in age from 12 to 16, spent almost every day together in the two weeks leading up to Saturday's event. Over the past six months, they've been meeting regularly at Goodnow's house in Clarkston to build and program the robot and document the process through notes and photographs.

"These kids are dedicated and determined," Goodnow said. "They have learned to fix problems on the fly. We are just two moms who have kids who wanted to be on a tech team. We are not mechanical or experienced programmers, so the kids kind of have to figure it out themselves."

Her 14-year-old son, Derek Goodnow, was up until 3 a.m. working on the programming.

Each robot had to complete a series of tasks during the games, both autonomously and with "drivers" holding the controls. Using a combination of sensors, including infrared tracking, line following, magnet seeking, ultrasonic and touch, the students programmed their robots to operate both alone and with control modes.

Mallory Hardin, a 15-year-old Clarkston girl, was in charge of driving the robot for the Artificial Intelligence team. Hypercube 2.0 was ready to race around a playing field as family and fans cheered from the stands.

"It's really thrilling, nerve wracking and adrenaline-filled," Hardin said before the competition began.

Paulie Sanchirico, 14, of Lewiston, said the robotics program has been a valuable experience from both educational and social standpoints.

"I feel like I learned a lot about engineering and I get to hang out with my friends," Sanchirico said. "It's a good way to meet other teams and talk about how they designed their robots."

Eileen Rowan, who coaches the Clearwater Atomic Robotic Technician team based in Orofino, brought five kids to the challenge. Dressed in white lab coats and fedoras, the group was thrilled when their robot passed the mandatory inspection, prior to the actual games.

"Other teams have helped us here today and that's why we're able to compete," Rowan said.

Madison Colwell, a 15-year-old Peck resident, said she enjoys the camaraderie as much as the actual competition.

"I do a lot of 4-H projects and most of them are individual projects," Colwell said. "This one is team-based. We all get along and don't get along at times. We are like a family. We argue like siblings."

Baumgartner said the best way to get on a team is to start one. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the 4-H robotics program can contact her at (208) 364-4603.

"This is a challenging, technology-rich, exciting program that inspires kids to get into science, technology and engineering," she said. "They discover the rewarding and engaging process of innovation and how to compete with gracious professionalism."

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.

Link:

Robotics event offers lesson in teamwork - Lewiston Morning Tribune (subscription)