Bay View Girls Win Rhode Island FIRST LEGO Competition

Monday, January 17, 2011

GoLocalProv Features Team

For the first time in Rhode Island LEGO history, the girls really ruled.

A savvy team from Saint Mary Academy Bay View (calling themselves S.M.A.R.T.) captured the top title in this weekend's Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League Championship Tournament - the first time an all-girl team has won, and a first win for an all-girl school as well. The team will go on to represent Rhode Island at the World Festival in Missouri.

Stiff competition

The Bay View team vied with 57 other elementary and middle school teams from RI and MA who put research presentations and robotic designs to work, in a stiff competition at Roger Williams University on Saturday. The public crowded the field house to watch and cheer for the hundreds of kids bent to their tasks.

Bay View, an all-girls squad, and all the other competitive teams showed off their skills in problem solving, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year the teams were charged to build an autonomous robot to carry

out pre-designed challenge missions in matches lasting 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The teams also had to analyze, research and invent a solution to a real world problem in the Biomedical or Biotechnology field, and present that project to a team of judges.

A S.M.A.R.T. project, a robot named Becky

S.M.A.R.T.’s proposed real-world project: to design a pair of glasses with LIDAR sensors to assist blind people and allow them to be independent. The sensors, using light detectors and radar, would continually scan the area to determine if an object were in the way of the person wearing the glasses. If an object or change in elevation was detected, a signal or voice (like a GPS) would be transmitted to an earpiece attached to the arm of the glasses. Additionally, the glasses would be charged by solar, much like calculators are.

On Saturday, S.M.A.R.T.'s robot, named Becky, had a few minor problems in the first round of competition. The girls returned to the “pit” area for some minor programming adjustments and were thrown into their second match after rushing back from call-back judging. The girls and the robot had a great run and moved them into third place, where they finished the day, in the robot challenge. This, along with their impressive presentation and technical skills in front of some 50 judges brought the the 1st Place Champions Award.

On to Missouri

The champions will now go on to take on teams from 30 different countries at the FIRST Lego League World Festival on April 27-30 in St. Louis, Missouri. Each member from the S.M.A.R.T. squad also won $5,000 scholarships, renewable for four years, to Roger Williams University, which hosts the FLL competition.

First LEGO League is a global program created to get children excited about science and technology. Students between the ages of 9 and 14 solve challenges based on real world scientific problems. The S.M.A.R.T. victory certainly proves girls can not only love science and technology, but also excel.

Linda Grasso, Technology Instructor and coach for the Bay View Elementary and Middle School team, along with co-coach Erica Cross were very excited by the victory. “We are so proud of this team," Grasso said. "These girls have worked so hard and logged many hours of practice to carry out the task given and make their creation shine among of field of such strong competition.”

“At Bay View we continue to develop a rigorous science, math, and technology program," said Grasso, "specifically designed to build our girls into critical thinkers who will be ready for the new global economy. These girls achieved much today for themselves and girls everywhere.” Cross agreed. “Today was about hard work, smarts, creativity and a little bit of girl power!”

The Bay View all-girls squad

Rebekah Pendrak, grade 5, North Providence
Blaine Lynch-Gadaleta, grade 5, North Providence
Jacqueline Capuano, grade 7, Cranston
Allison Cross, grade 7, North Providence
Soraya Pierre-Louis, grade 7, East Providence
Allison Paul, grade 7, Pawtucket
Megan Nadeau, grade 7, North Kingstown
Alix Santos, grade 8, Swansea, MA
Sarah Healy, grade 8, Bristol
Mae Lynn Harrington, grade 8, Johnston