Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø holds second annual robotics competition

Seven teams from Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø, Knox Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø and St. Ambrose University went head-to-head in the second annual Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø Invitational Robotics Challenge in early May. Teams from Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø won first and third place, while a St. Ambrose team took home second.

The object of this year¡¯s challenge, which was held in conjunction with Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s annual Celebration of Learning, was for robots to clear pingpong balls from a 2-by-8 foot course made of pegboard.

The first place team was made up of Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø students Abby Thomson ¡¯17, Al Vi ¡¯17, Daniel Zwiener ¡¯18 and Blake Erquiaga. The Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø team that won third place included Tan Nguyen ¡¯18 and Son Nguyen ¡¯20. 

¡°What happens inside the classroom is only one piece of a great college education,¡± said Dr. Forrest Stonedahl, assistant professor of computer science and the competition¡¯s organizer. ¡°Both years I have been impressed by the creativity of the students' designs. You can create very different robots that accomplish the same task, and I believe that creative problem-solving like this is a crucial part of a strong liberal arts education.¡±

See more competition photos in an online album.