By Jason Scheer
The Malverne team took home the Judge's Award for most improved team at the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics competition, one of the most prestigious and comprehensive engineering events in the country.
For the competition, which was held on March 18-19 at Hofstra, teams were to build robots that could lift objects onto similarly shaped pedestals and drop them. Though that in itself would be a challenge even for the scientifically gifted, the competition is far more than that.
Throughout the event, teams are coupled with other teams and, in turn, face another coupling. The two square off, trying to not only fulfill their task, but also to prevent the competition from completing its. The result is a lot of crushed metal and twisted gears.
After each match, teams have about 20 minutes to put their wrecked robot back together for the next match, creating a raucous and pressure-cooked atmosphere. Apparently, the Malverne team, nicknamed the Quarks, didn't feel the pressure. "I think that this year, we had a much more stable plan from the beginning and that made it easier," Ken Kruger, a senior, said of his team.
Since FIRST kicked off on Jan. 9, the members of the team have been meeting several times a week, mostly at 7 or 8 at night. The first two weeks of meetings were devoted to planning, and members had learned from past mistakes that the team was too concerned with planning and not concerned enough with building.
"We decided what we were going to do and just did it in the most manageable way," Kruger said.
The team built a speedy, defensively oriented robot that helped them finish 27th out of a field of 40 teams. This was a tremendous improvement over last year's outing.
"Last year, we couldn't even get the robot on the stage," Kruger explained. "But this year we were able to compete, and we made big strides."
Robert Dropkin, also a senior, is the team's captain and a four-year veteran of the competition. He said he is confident that the robotics program is in better shape today then when he first arrived. "It's headed by good people, and I think it's going to be really strong," he said.
One of the students Dropkin is passing the baton to is Matt Johnson, a freshman. He said that the robotics team offers an interesting way to satisfy his passion for building things. "Definitely, I will be here next year to continue our success, and we will try to take big steps from our first year," he said, speaking on behalf of the younger members of the team.
Florence Dodier, a physics teacher at Malverne High, is one of the team's advisors. She said that next year, Malverne will bring fans and teachers to the competition to cheer the team on. In addition, she said that she will begin fund-raising efforts this month to help support an even better robot next year.
"We will get better," she said.
Comments about this story? Mal-wheditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
