Engineering excellence on display at regional teen robotics competition

On Oct. 19, the Rutherford High gymnasium buzzed with excitement as families filled the stands to watch a regional robotics competition. Sixteen teams from Northwest Florida competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge, with Rutherford, The Collegiate and Genesis Community representing Bay County schools.

The day’s event was sponsored by FSU Panama City ASCENT. The university’s website says it is a six-year, $23 million project, partially funded by Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc.

On the ground, metallic robotic “cars,” controlled by joysticks, maneuvered with precision and speed to move small plastic bricks around the ring. Each match lasted approximately three minutes with four teams competing at the same time. Zebra-striped referees announced scores and penalties.

Mariana Solorzano-Hidalgo, a robotics instructor at Collegiate School – FSU Panama City, said her freshman team received a robot kit in the mail, then she left to see if her students could work together as a team.

“They had to do a lot of coding and a lot of construction,” Solorzano-Hidalgo said. “We also had a specimen challenge, which was like a little competition that they had with each other, to see who was going to control a robot today. But it’s a lot of teamwork.

Kasi Coulther, International Baccalaureate teacher at Rutherford High School and moderator of the event, said there was great community support for her team’s science efforts, especially from R. Todd Mitchell , principal of the school, FSU ASCENT and the local US Navy base.

“We are the only high school in the (Rutherford) district to offer four years of college-level physics, and (our students) take what they learn in physics and apply it to their robotics,” Coulther said. “We also offer college-level coding courses.”

The robotics initiative aims to contribute to the development of a strong regional workforce in the field of cybersecurity and new technologies. FSU Panama City ASCENT’s efforts are visible in all eight coastal counties that were impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, from Escambia to Wakulla.

Brianne Biddle, ASCENT K-12 liaison, said the robotics program begins as early as third grade and there are technology certifications for that age group.

“We started LEGO leagues,” Biddle said. “But anyone, including adults, who is in any of the eight coastal counties, we support them.”

Ultimately, the FIRST Tech Challenge at Rutherford was more than a competition; it was a celebration of teamwork and the endless possibilities of what students can create using science and math.

For more information about the program and how to participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge, visit https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc

This article originally appeared in The News Herald: Northwest Florida middle and high school students compete for top honors in robotics.