Jeffrey Collett, assistant professor of physics, and students Dave Dostal, '98, Los Altos, California; Scot Shaw, '98, Springfield, Illinois; and Mark Nornberg, '98, Mequon, Wisconsin, are proud parents. Their progeny, "Thor," went head-to-head with some of the finest robo-athletes in the country and finished 14th in a field of 38 competitors. And all for a good cause.
Professor Collett and his students were part of a team put together by Appleton North High School, Lawrence University, and Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company to design and build a remote-controlled robot as part of an annual competition to encourage interest in engineering, science, and technology. During two days in early March, Thor--the team's entry--competed in the Motorola Midwest Regional FIRST competition in Palatine, Illinois, placing respectably in a stiff contest that included teams with names such as NASA and MIT attached to them.
Founded in 1989 by Manchester, New Hampshire-based inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a national, not-for-profit coalition that seeks to develop innovative new programs to create excitement among high school students about science and technology. This year's competition, the first for the Appleton team, began on January 11 when the rules for the robo-games were announced. Teams were given six weeks to create the robots from identical kits that included an on-board programmable control system, motors, wheels, shafts, and other parts.
The 23-member local team that built Thor consisted of three engineers from Boldt, a technician from Voith Sulzer Paper Technology Company, an Appleton North teacher, Collett, the three Lawrence students, and 14 high school students. The team met after school, between classes, and on weekends to plan and build a competitive robot. Working side-by-side, they literally built Thor from the ground up. The high school students did much of the design and building, while the Lawrence group helped with the electronic control system.
With two minutes on the clock and an Appleton North student at the controls, Thor had to find, collect, and transport up to nine automobile-tire inner tubes scattered on the playing field, all the while maneuvering to block two other robot players and trying to avoid being the casualty of a collision. Points were scored by hanging or shooting the tubes onto a spinning rack; placement on the higher rungs of the goal scored more points than those reaching the lower rungs.
The challenge of creation and thrill of competition were not the only outcomes of the venture. Participants had the opportunity to learn firsthand the technical and mechanical requirements involved in robotics and, perhaps more importantly, discover the value of teamwork, collaboration, and commitment in working toward a common goal. As Collett points out, students have to "compete with their heads." One of the objectives of FIRST tournament is to generate the same level of excitement for an intellectual competition as normally is associated with athletic events.
Appleton's entry and Lawrence's involvement were made possible through a $15,000 grant from Boston Scientific Corporation. CEO John Abele, a Lawrence parent, turned to Lawrence because of his belief that those with a broad liberal arts background are most likely to emerge as the next generation's leaders in technological development. Already, plans are in the making for participating in next year's FIRST competition and the creation of Thor II, the sequel.
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