Tuesday, July 12, 2011

FIRST Robotics Teams from New York City Public Schools to Showcase Robot Creations in the Sony Plaza Atrium on July 13-14


Good Evening Alumni and Friends,
Tomorrow and Thursday the Morris Campus FIRST Robotics team will be showcasing the 2011 robot at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in NYC. Below is the press release sent out today.
Regards,
Gary
FIRST Robotics Teams from New York City Public Schools to Showcase Robot Creations in the Sony Plaza Atrium on July 13-14

NEW YORK, July 12, 2011 – Various high school students from the New York City area will showcase their award-winning robotic creations in the Sony Plaza Atrium at Madison Avenue and 56th Street on July 13-14, 2011.  The robots were created for the national FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition that took place from March 11-13 in the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, and will be on display for the public from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET each day.

Specifically, students from Morris High School Campus, Herbert H. Lehman High School, and High School for Computers and Technology in the Bronx will present their robots to the public and encourage visitors to interact with them in hands-on learning environment. Students will also share with visitors the mechanical and design challenges they faced in building the robots.

“At the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, we take great pride in allowing visitors to explore technology in a fun and engaging way, which is why we are thrilled to be hosting local students involved in the FIRST Robotics Competition again this year,” said Karen Kelso, Executive Director of the Sony Wonder Technology Lab. “Both organizations are committed to helping people discover just how rewarding technology can be, and we are delighted to be providing the general public with an opportunity to experience these students’ uniquely designed robots first-hand.” 

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that pairs professionals and young people together to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The annual competition is open to the public and appropriate for all ages.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway™, to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, FIRST designs accessible innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Sony Wonder Technology Lab (SWTL) is a free, four-story, interactive technology and entertainment museum for all ages. Located in mid-town Manhattan, SWTL inspires creativity in a high-quality, engaging, and family-friendly learning environment. By inviting visitors to experience the latest technologies in a hands-on setting, SWTL nurtures curiosity while awakening visitors to their own talent and potential. Through its permanent exhibits and innovative programs, including Sci-Tech workshops, ongoing screenings and associations with well-respected local non-profit and educational institutions, SWTL aims to educate and cultivate the next generation of leaders in media, science, technology and the arts. For more information, visit www.sonywondertechlab.com.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

NY Yankees & Curtis Granderson Honors Morris FIRST Robotics Team

Good morning friends and alumni,
 
Friday night the Morris FIRST Robotics Team ( 2TrainRobotics)  was honored on the field at Yankee stadium prior to the game with the Cleveland Indians which the NY Yankees won 11-7. During the pre-game ceremony Curtis Granderson congratulated each member of the team.  He then went on to hit a home run that night, another one on Saturday and then had 4 hits on Sunday. Granderson now leads the Yankees in home runs with 20. Could it be a coincidence or the magic of the 2Train?


Regards,
Gary
 




 

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Revolutionary new teaching tool!

Hello Fellow Educators,

Here at the Robotics Academy we are developing multiple technologies and resources that you might want to consider for your classrooms. In this edition you will find:
 

Revolutionary new teaching tool!

“A Revolutionary Way to Learn to Program Robots!” That’s what a teacher said at our ROBOTC forum.  “Wow, this is really cool.”; that’s what kids in classrooms say. 
Carnegie Mellon is developing an innovative tool that enables kids to program robots in a game-like environment. You can download a free version of the Robot Virtual World programming software that your students can use at home or at school. The great thing about this software is that you can test your robots in the virtual world and then use the exact same code to program real robots. Teachers are free to use this free resource in summer camps, at home, or in other settings this summer.  
Visit the Planet H99 site by going to www.cs2n.org/h99
This project is part of the development of our "Computer Science Social Network ". Computer programming and algorithmic thinking are new basics that all students need to understand. Our project provides students with opportunities to learn how to build animations and games, program robots, learn fundamental STEM concepts, and learn how multi-robot communications happens. The project started in September 2010 and we’ve already developed new technology that will change the way students learn.This project is inspired by DARPA. DARPA is looking out 10 years and predicts that based on the number of students currently studying computer science, we will only be able to fill 30% of the computer science related jobs that our country will need to compete economically. DARPA requests that we track student, teacher, and hobbyist usage and that is the reason that we ask you to login to get the free new Robot Virtual World Software.

New features, new robots, and a new planet

New game features include gripper arms on robots, access to light and touch sensors, four new challenges, the ability to accrue points and move to different levels, and an additional planet called H98. Pictured below is a new robot to program while you are on the planet. 

New Mini Rover

NXT REM Robot

You will notice that it has similar characteristics to the NXT robot shown at the right; both robots have two drive wheels and a coaster. This robot has built-in encoders, a sonar sensor, and a compass sensor.
 

Helping Boy Scouts earn their new Robotics Merit Badges

Congratulations to the Boy Scouts of America on the creation of their new Robotics Merit Badge. The new merit badge will be a smash hit with boys across the world; the new merit badge appeared to be very popular at the recent Boy Scout Leader’s Conference in San Diego, California. At the conference, the Robotics Academy presented their plans to support the Boy Scouts as they earn the merit badge.
Click here to learn more about merit badge counselor classes, merit badge resources, and how the robot virtual world software can help scouts who don’t have access to robots.
 
 

Summer Robotics Teacher Training

Since 2003, Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Academy has offered robotics training to teachers across the country. This summer we will offer training on how to program Arduino, LEGO, and VEX robot controllers. Classes start the last week of June and run through August.  We limit the number of attendees to 24 teachers per week.Teachers learn from Robotics Academy instructors and also from each other. 
 

LEGO “Robots in Motion” Curriculum Testing this Summer

Another ongoing research project in the Computer Science Social Network is the integration of a Cognitive Tutor into our newly developed “Robots in Motion” Curriculum.
The curriculum foregrounds measurement, angles, speed, scale, and rate as students learn to measure and make precise moves and turns using robots that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
The AI-based tutor uses special algorithms to provide hints and measure a student’s mastery of STEM concepts as he or she works through a series of engineering design problems.
If you don’t have a CS2N account, simply click "New User" to get started!

Attention Teachers: What do you want in your robotics report?

This summer, we are also soliciting design input into the next generation of teacher interfaces for the Robots in Motion curriculum. Is there some key graph of student data you’ve always wished you could see? What information needs to be front and center on a student's robotics progress report? If you have an idea for what we need to include in our Robots in Motion teacher reports, drop us a line at robotsinmotion@cs2n.org!

PLTW Summer Training

PLTW Teachers for the Principles of Engineering, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Aerospace Engineering, and Gateway to Technology courses will receive training inROBOTC's new Natural Language to prepare them for their transition to the VEX Robotics system. To kick-off the training, a group from the Robotics Academy offered several workshops for the PLTW Master Teachers and Trainers, who will be training the rest of the PLTW network.
The Robotics Academy has committed to the continued support of the PTLW network through free webinars, curricular resources, forums and technical support. PLTW Teachers are also encouraged to attend one of the Robotics Academy's Online or On-site Training Classes.
 

Multi-Robot Communications in ROBOTC

It's not hard to imagine a world where robots are talking to each other. One part of the development of our Computer Science Social Network consists of a team conducting research around developing a combination of hardware, software, and curriculum that enables students to learn about Multi-Robot Communications. We have integrated libraries into ROBOTC for the LEGO NXT, VEX Cortex and Arduino Uno/Mega platforms.
The team’s plan for this summer is to demo and test the lessons and labs they have worked on with a group of teachers this summer. The technology that we are developing uses a low cost wireless Xbee radio to create a mesh network between different types of robot controllers.
The robots are able to pass small messages back and forth to create group intelligence and the ability to solve challenges that a single robot could not. To simplify this, the development team has begun building easy-to-use tools and commands into ROBOTC to make this technology accessible to all levels of programmers.

Take a sneak peak at some of the Video, Labs and Lessons on the team’s development Wiki are available at http://www.robotc.net/firewiki/. Check this part of the project often because we are expecting great work from this team this summer.

© Copyright 2011 Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy

Thursday, May 05, 2011

FLL Team #2357 - Thank you from World Festival!!



Registration for Food Factor Challenge is OPEN

https://gofll.usfirst.org/



2011 Food Factor Challenge: Keeping Food Safe
 Releases September 2, 2011

Food Factor logoCan FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of food by finding ways to prevent food contamination?   In the 2011 Food Factor Challenge, over 200,000 9-16* year olds from over 55 countries will explore the topic of food safety and examine the possible points of contamination our food encounters – from exposure to insects and creatures, to unsterile processing and transportation, to unsanitary preparation and storage – then find ways to prevent or combat these contaminates.  In the Food Factor Challenge, teams will build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT to solve a set of Food Safety missions as well as research, develop, and share their innovative food safety solutions.  Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL’s signature set of Core Values.

*9-14 in the US and Canada

Related Information

Monday, March 14, 2011

Congrats to all Teams at Javits Mega Robotic Event- FLL Team Awards Award Winners

FLL Team Awards –2010/11 NYC Wide Tournament - Jacobs Javits

Robot Performance
9114 - 5th place - Robomind Tech – Robotbeta
1222 – 4th place – PS 94K Lego Amazon Warriors
864 – 3rd place – MS 67Q Bionic Bot
778 – 2nd place – IS 75SI Panthers 1
2357 1st place – Dalton

Teamwork
9584 – 5th place – Robomind Tech Robostars
3916 – 4th place – IS 289M Manhattan Youth
1070 – 3rd place – Manhattan East School for Academics and Arts – Team Me
3906 – 2nd place – St Clare School - Castaways
11415 – 1st place – PS/IS 128Q Juniper Valley – Cyborg C lan

Team Spirit
8675 – MS 216Q Ryan Lyons

Against All Odds
3714 – Friends Seminary FS NYC - Robo Owls

Judges Award
1221 – PS 94K Lego Master Blasters

Robot Design
3305 – 5th Place - PS 126 MAT/Chinatown YMCA - Matobot
3745- 4th place – Forest Hills Team – Mindtorms Mechanics
10599 – 3rd Place - East Harlem Tutorial – Little Warriors of Harlem
4559 – 2nd Place – PS 94Q – PS 94 Admiral Bots
3307 – 1st Place - Dalton School – Dalton 2 Motors

RESEARCH
9658 – 5th place – Edward Bleeker JHS 185Q – Bleeker Techies
3719 – 4th place – Forest Hills Robotics League – Planetary Forces
3903– 3rd place – St ClareSI - Heartbreakers
5681 – 2nd place – Packer CollegiateK – Dr Bob 1
7577 – 1st place PS 28M – Wright Brothers – Innovator

Champions Award
11793 – 5th place - Hunter College HCHS – Hawkinators
1222 – 4th place – PS 94K Lego Amazon Warriors
9114 – 3rd place – Robomind TechQ – Robo Beta
778 – 2nd place - IS 75SI – Panthers 1
2357 – 1st place – Dalton School – Dalton SWAT.


-------

All,

I will start by simply saying Thank You for all of the work that you have done this past year to make FLL a success in NYC. However, there is nothing simple about the work itself. The countless hours, above and beyond your day jobs, which you put in to make the Body Forward season a success cannot really be summed up into words of gratitude that would do them justice. All that I can say is that they are very much appreciated, by everyone around, but especially the kids (which is really what it’s all about and why we do what we do). I look at it from this perspective: Even if what we do helps steer the life of one child in the right direction, then it’s worth it. But I know that the work we do has an impact not just on one child, but hundreds of them…and that’s definitely something to feel good about.

In respect to this past weekend’s Javits extravaganza – IT WAS GREAT. Everyone who has come up to me as well as to some other volunteers has said that the event was the best one they have attended yet, that everything from a spectators point of view worked as it should have, and that the teams had a lot of FUN! We had some very good press, especially on Sunday (which I attribute, ofcourse, to the FLL/Jr.FLL events which were present, but then again I’m biased ;)

I hope that all of you took some notes about what worked, didn’t work, what worked but needs improvement, and everything in between for our debriefing.

Thank you all again for a spectacular season and all of your hard work and dedication.

Regards,
Mark

------
Just wanted to send a quick note of thanks to everyone for making this past weekends tournament possible. My kids really enjoyed themselves. I hope you have all taken some time to rest and pat yourselves on the back. The event was truly remarkable.

------

Hello all,

I wanted to take this chance to thank Liz, Greg and Mike for giving me the opportunity to take part as a FLL technical judge in this weekend's event--it was such a huge success!

I am happy that I was part of such a great and inspiring event. As a third-year Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering student, I have learned many complex concepts and theory when it comes to mechanical components and design. What I saw on Sunday, as presented by the students, really showed me that one doesn't need to go to college to learn those concepts. All one needs is the determination, passion and willingness to learn. I will never forget this lesson.

Please feel free to reach out to me for other events--I would love to continue participating.

Warm regards,

-------

I was there today. Great, fun & exciting atmosphere. I was a judge for FLL and I am proud to say that one of my groups won "The Team Spirit" award. Go team! So proud!
------

I went today (can't go tomorrow unfortunately but I really did want to see those operations!) and it was mind-blowing! it was like a super sporting event with mascots and 'uniforms' and war paint, except that competing teams were NICE to each other! the diversity was uplifting, and the enthusiasm was contagious and inspiring. I felt like I was seeing the future in these kids and I actually wept. thanks Norm.
BB

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Javits 2011 FLL Championaship, Sunday March 13 - Floor Plan and Schedule

LATEST UPDATED VERSION: FRIDAY 8AM
OLDER VERSION

Teams for Javits 2011 With Pit Table Assignments

By Pit #
Pit Number Team# School Number Contact Team Name Borough
1 3903 St. Clare School Mary Lee St. Clare's Heartbreakers Staten Island
2 3906 St. Clare School Mary Lee St. Clare's Castaways Staten Island
3 1221 PS 94 K Alfredo A. Pelaez LEGO Master Blasters PS 94 Brooklyn
4 1222 PS 94 K The Henry Longfellow School Alfredo A. Pelaez LEGO Amazon Warriors PS 94 Brooklyn
5 8395 PS 103 x Jarret P. Jackob Robo Beez PS103x Bronx
6 4687 Chelsea Prep Debbie Birstingl, Jaime Quinonez, Salim Virji Biorobotic Imaginations  Manhattan
7 5125 Chelsea Prep PS 33M Debbie Birstingl, Jaime Quinonez, Salim Virji RoboWizards Manhattan
8 3067 Archimedes Academy for Math, Science & Technology Justin Duffy
Miriam Lazar
Boogie Down Bots Bronx
9 1801 IS 119 Q Chris Dudin, Craig Edelman TopGearz Queens
10 1803 IS 119 Q Chris Dudin, Jenn Dudin SuperBotz Queens
11 10587 PS 372 K Vicki Holland Body Builders PS 372k Brooklyn
12 10590 PS 372 K Vicki Holland
Rita Fasano
Monster Machines Brooklyn
13 10004 The Urban Institute of Mathematics Ryan McCabe, Nicole Havel XLR8RS Bronx
14 2432 IS 49 SI Carol Obler
Francesco Portelos
Drefus Megabots Staten Island
15 864 MS 67Q Ruta Dave Bionic Bot MS 67Q Queens
16 1015 IS 24 SI Raymond Cottrell
Jane Frangos
Dark Knights of 24 Staten Island
17 2187 IS 383 K
Philippa Schuyler MS
Lindrick Outerbridge
Skybots Brooklyn
18 1070 Manhattan East School for Academics and Art MS 224 Lliana Villegas, Elisabeth Castelli TEAM ME Manhattan
19 3305 PS126/MAT/ChinatownYMCA/Manhattan Academy of Technology Hau-Yu Chu MATobot Manhattan
20 4541 Hunter College Campus Mr. Peter H. Glus HCHS FLL Robotics Team B Manhattan
21 4539 PS 94Q Peter Glus PS 94 AdmiralBots Queens
22 11793 Hunter College HCHS FLL Robotics Team B Peter Glus HCHS Hawkinators Manhattan
23 3631 Trevor Day School Steven Schechter Trevor Little Dragons Manhattan
24 8320 The Gateway School Eleni Liakaris
Ed Bringas
Jerry Pavlon-Blum
Gateway MS Manhattan
25 778 IS 75 SI Donny Swanson
Andrew Grandner
Denise Carsten
Panthers1 Staten Island
26 2422 Genesis at Xaverian Mr. James P. Schreiner Genesis Legosmiths Brooklyn
27 1525 PS 58 The Carroll School  Keith Wynne
Roger Levy
Bionic Boys PS 56K Brooklyn
28 5681 Packer Collegiate Inst. Maureen Reilly Dr. Bob 1 Brooklyn
29 11305 Packer Collegiate Inst. Maureen Reilly Dr. Bob 3 Brooklyn
30 7577 PS 28M Wright Brothers Denise Tinsley
Aimee Peguero
Innovator Manhattan
31 3714 Friends Seminary FSNYC Timothy Cooper Robo Owls Manhattan
32 5120 Urban Assembly Institute of Math & Science for Young Women Noam Pillischer
Nzinga Ebron
UAI Super Novas Brooklyn
33 3073 PS 8 K Brandeis Hayes
Tracey Pozluszny
PS 8 Mission Masters Brooklyn
34 5131 PS 5K Kesha S. Townsel PS 5 LEGO Rockets Brooklyn
35 8148 Coen Patrick Coen MicroBots Staten Island
36 9278 Dutchman Charles C. Brainerd Dutchman Manhattan
37 5354 Mott Hall Bridges Academy Mr. William S. Principal  Mott Hall Bridges Academy Brooklyn
38 3916 Manhattan Youth @IS 289 M Stephen Husiak
Theseus Roche
Cecilia Dobbs
Cougars Manhattan
39 7032 St. John's Lutheran School Thomas J. Smolka Lego Leaders Staten Island
40 5062 Good Shepherd Services Oscar A. Lemus   Bronx Task Force Bronx
41 6897 PS 9 K Monique Moore, Elina Mamasheva Electrical Minds Brooklyn
42 10599 East Harlem Tutorial Corbett Beder
Gerardo G. Garcia

Little Warriors of East Harlem Manhattan
43 11855 RMS @ I. S. 192 Eric Greene Robo Fusion 192 Queens
44 2357 Dalton Samara Braunstein Dalton S.W.A.T Team Manhattan
45 4375 PS 233K  Langston Hughes Jennifer Humphrey
Sandra Boyke
LEGO Minds Brooklyn
46 8873 NYC Parks Dept. Cromwell Center Anthony Traverso Parks Wizards Staten Island
47 4581 MS 113K Ronald Edmonds Learning Center Jeffrey Stephens-Prince
Jemal Graham
Falcon Robotic All-Stars Brooklyn
48 4114 LREI Little Red School House Sherezada Acosta LREI Knights Manhattan
49 4371 PS 11K  Purvis J Behan School Rasheda Lyons
Carlo Yuvienco
Mission 11 Brooklyn
50 3749 PS 21K Crispus Attucks School Donna Johnson
Carla Arnold
Crispus Attucks' Panthers Brooklyn
51 4348 PS 71Q Janna T. Carbone PS 71Q Top Botz Queens
52 9658 Edward Bleeker JHS 185 Primal Dhillon Bleeker Techies Queens
53 4389 PS 636 K Young Scholars’ Academy for Discovery and Leonarda Huertas YSADE Boogie Bots Brooklyn
54 11858 Bedford Academy Cluny Lavache
Deji Komolafe
Bedford Bots Brooklyn
55 3307 Dalton Rob Quatrone
Charles Forster
Chad Gallant
Dalton 2 Motors>3 Manhattan
56 3308 Dalton Rob Quatrone
Charles Forster
Annette Marcus
Chad Gallant
Dalton RBXterminator Manhattan
57 11699 Cambria School of  Excellence Sheryl Liles
Sheree Palmer
Eagles Queens
58 9868 NYC Lab School Suzanne M. Dwyer Gators I Manhattan
59 11413 PS 128Q Juniper Valley  Michael Zwicker Robo Warriors Queens
60 11415 PS 128Q Juniper Valley  Michael Zwicker Cyborg Clan Queens
61 3719 Forest Hills Robotics League Iffat Mai, John Lewandowski/Jane Tsou Planetary Forces Queens
62 3744 Forest Hills Robotics League Iffat Mai, Stella Wang/Howard Lee Robo Squad Queens
63 3745 Forest Hills Team Iffat Mai, Lisa Brody Mindstorm Mechanics Queens
64 3133 PS/MS 194 Cynthia Khadaran Techno Tigers Bronx
65 3105 Eltingville Lutheran School Peter Hansen, Dorie Marrone Eagles Staten Island
66 2497 PS 76X
The Bennington School
Russell Heath
Jamie Modon-Cohen
76ers Bronx
67 5140 IS 49Q Noah Schumacher PS 49Q Benders Queens
68 11043 PS 153 x Michelle Solomon, Lee Hollman Robotronics Bronx
69 9948 Bronx Latin MS Colleen A. Thomas
Cynthia Klebon,
Architecti Bronx
70 5171 PS 3K The Bedford Village School Ryan F. Cain  RoboTigers Brooklyn
71 5218 IS 318K Russ Holstein
Eric Windley
Blood, Sweat, and Gears!  Brooklyn
72 6307 RoboMindTech Dennis Chan RoboTron Queens
73 9114 RoboMindTech Dennis Chan RoboBeta Queens
74 9584 RoboMindTech Dennis Chan RoboStars Queens
75 11426 Louis Armstrong IS 227 Q Steve Taormina
Richard Akalski/ Joshua Blum
LAMchops New Schoolers Queens
76 8675 MS 216Q George Ryan Peter Xanthus Ryan Lions Queens
77 8846 IS 162 X Cleveland Bradley BX Ryders Bronx
78 2342 MS 302 X Sharon Shoatz MS302 Tech Squad Bronx
79 10821 CS 134 X Edward Taveras Tigers Bronx
80 4968 Home Schoolers of Brooklyn Ted Z. Doudak Home Schoolers of Brooklyn Brooklyn