Robots test kids' creativity

Robots took a tough challenge and made it look fun Saturday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Omaha.

They compelled dozens of kids from around the country to show interest in science and engineering.

The success of the VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas counted on students' natural desire to build, compete and be members of a team. Some 80 clubs from as far away as California, Florida and Hawaii participated in the competition, although most teams were from the Omaha area. Champions qualified for the VEX World Championship next month in Dallas.

If nothing else, some at the Omaha event experienced a different climate.

“I've never seen snow before,” said Owen-Starr Lee, a senior at Kalaheo High School in Hawaii.

The CREATE Foundation, based in Omaha, oversaw the event.

High school students, middle schoolers and some elementary school students competed. The game generally called for teams to build robots that could lift, push, catapult or otherwise force balls through or over a small fence onto the opponent's side of the playing field. A game for younger children involved pushing cubes into goals.

Students prepared for the contest for months, building their robots from hundreds of pieces contained in a kit. Students weren't allowed to weld, glue or tape pieces, but they could use screws, zip ties and certain kinds of rubber bands. Numerous and perhaps countless variations of robots could be created. The students continued to tweak on Saturday.

Hannah Lajba, an eighth-grader at St. Cecilia School in Omaha, said working with robots has helped her computer skills. “It's a lot of trial and error, but you have to keep going,” she said.

For the final round, rules required each qualifying team to select a partner team. This encouraged not only collaboration skills but also allowed more teams to participate in the finals.

The top qualifier in the high school division a San Jose, Calif., club chose a team of Council Bluffs home schoolers as its ally. Ryan Tweedt, a junior on the Council Bluffs team, said he and his teammates learned a great deal. “Strategy is just as important as robot design,” he said.

St. Luke Catholic School in the Los Angeles suburb of Temple City sent four teams. It's an expensive endeavor, said team adviser and computer teacher Carol Desy, but the students raised money through raffles, coupon-book sales, mistletoe sales and other ways. They learned budgeting, too.

Eddie Schooler and teammate Noah Yoshida, who made up one of Omaha Norris Middle School's two teams, made a Saturday morning adjustment to improve their robot's ability to hold a certain size of ball. They thought they had it right the first time. “If at first you don't succeed, you have to try again,” Eddie said. “And try again.”

Contact the writer:

444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com

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