The high school GearTicks. Back row, left to right: Henry Hussey, Ken Hawkey, and Skylar Bogner. Front row, left to right: Camille Gammack, Amelia Pillar, Audrey Gammack, Erin Crisafi, Prerna Karmacharya, and Andreas Muzila. (see more photos below).
Lincoln students in this year’s FIRST robotics programs tackled worldwide shipping and transportation problems in two February events.
The 12-member high school GearTicks team participated in the FIRST Tech Challenge Freight Frenzy qualifier in Canton, while the FIRST Lego League Explore team (grades 2-4) in Cargo Connect designed models of package sorting centers and forms of transportation including trains and planes.
In their first in-person competition since before the pandemic, the high school GearTicks had to design a robot that fit within an 18-inch cube to compete on 12-foot playing field. Four teams are partnered randomly to create two alliances that compete for two and a half minutes, fostering both cooperation and competition. The remotely piloted robots had to to pick up “freight” (blocks, Wiffle balls, and rubber ducks) and deliver them into wobbly “shipping hubs.”
The team’s robot performed well, scoring 145 points in their best match. They placed sixth after preliminary matches, earning the team a place as an Alliance Captain in the elimination rounds. They eventually earned the second-place Inspire Award, given to the team that performs well in every aspect of the competition including their robot, community outreach, and team spirit. The GearTicks also received the Connect award, which is given to teams that best impacts their local STEM community. The team earned a spot at the Massachusetts State Championship on March 5 at Natick High School, where they won another Connect Award.
The team has met mostly remotely this year but also held some in-person meetings at Bemis Hall. “After two years away and most of the season online, it was fun to see teams enjoying themselves, and I loved the energy the competition brought,” said team strategic captain Audrey Gammack.
“It was so great to interact with other teams again and see everyone’s robots,” added team technical captain Amelia Pillar. Both she and Gammack are seniors at L-S.
In the fourth annual Lincoln Legopalooza, a virtual expo for FLL Explore teams, players thought about ways to optimize shipping and package delivery. One team explored using drones to deliver packages, and another came up with a plan to get elderly citizens their groceries. The GearTicks FLL Challenge team (grades 4-8) also presented their Lego robot virtually at Legopalooza.
At the end of the day, each team received an award for their achievements ranging from the Budding Builders Award to the Inquiring Minds Award. The high school GearTicks designed custom trophies for the teams, complete with etching and Lego bricks.
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Very impressive. Proud of them all.