The CCEFP sponsored a team
of 20 high school students from the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation community
in the midwest regional FIRST Robotics competition, held at Williams Arena
March 27 to 29, 2008.
FIRST stands for “For the
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”; the competition
was the first of its kind ever held on the University campus.
The competition started with
a 15-second programmed run around the track, which each robot made unassisted.
Next, the robots earned points by hoisting balls over a ladder in the middle
of the track and then crossing a finish line.
After the initial round
of robotic competition, alliances were formed between two or three robot
groups to create teams. Groups forming the team alliances exchanged and
combined strategies to develop the most efficient means of competing with
other teams. The team with the most points after the match ended went on
to further competition, with the top-rated alliance traveling to Atlanta
in April for the national championships.
The CCEFP sponsored and mentored
the anishinaabeg ogichidaag FIRST Robotics Team, formed by students from
a group of schools near Cloquet, MN. As first-time competitors, they were
excited to be part of the event; and they came away from the experience
with a greater understanding of how to score even higher in future competitions.
FIRST Robotics emphasizes collaboration and innovation over competition;
its main goal is to spark greater enthusiasm for and participation in engineering
by precollege students. This first-ever Native American FIRST team in Minnesota
certainly achieved those goals! |
