Robotics Team Qualifies for State Meet

The NCS Alpha Eagles robotics team claimed a spot in next month's Virginia/D.C. championship for FIRST Lego League with two second-place finishes in a regional tournament Saturday, Nov. 14.

 

The competition challenged teams in robot design, project development, and team-building. NCS took second place in the robot competition, as well as second place overall in its division. That qualified the Alpha Eagles for the Dec. 3-4 state tournament, the largest First Lego League tournament in the world, at James Madison University. One of the teams will advance to the World Festival Championship

 

NCS, the only all-girl team in the competition, ran multiple missions at D.C.'s McKinley Technology High School with Alphie, the Lego Mindstorms robot it designed, built, and programmed. Alphie needed to be substantial and clever enough to survive a variety of terrains and challenges, from transporting a shark in a tank without bumping it or spilling water to grabbing a pig and transporting it to home base. The Alpha Eagles tirelessly wrote and rewrote Alphie's programming to shore up its functions and improve its ability to navigate a robotics board. They also worked in small groups to build Lego models of animals and humans in varied ecosystems and habitats for the mission board.

 

The project-development competition involved creatively solving a problem that arises when animals and humans interact. The Alpha Eagles selected as their problem animal testing by cosmetic and soap companies. Their solution was designing a machine with a thin "skin," to which researchers and product testers could apply new products, and inner workings that could read levels of potentially harmful chemicals. Students researched this concept and drew up several project plans, democratically deciding on one final prototype.

 

The Alpha Eagles include two returning members—Lyla Bhalla-Ladd '21, in her third year on the team, and Sarah Muoio '21, in her second year—and nine new teammates: Camille Beavers '23, Alyssa Bui '23, Lauren Lucy Caddell '23, Madison Imani Dunstan '23, Alexa Gerald '23, Eleanor Guha '23, Caitlin Hollingshead '23, Aisha Janus '23, and Carden Royster '23. Encouraged by coaches Frances O'Connor and Steven Rentz, they met twice a week beginning in September to research, code, design, and fix their robot and project.

 

The FIRST Lego League involves students from grades 4 through 8, and this year's team provided the Lower School and Middle School a great opportunity to work together toward a common goal. Congratulations on this fine result, and good luck at state!