Pathfinder Initiatives

Following NASA's Mission to "inspire the next generation of explorers," the NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium has also adopted NASA's four primary pathfinder initiatives.


Students Gear up for Robot Competition
BY KRISTIN ZAGURSKI
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Tools lay scattered among metal and wood shavings on the floor of Scott Kneifl's classroom Monday at Papillion-La Vista High School.

School wasn't in session, but a handful of students hurriedly drilled and filed the robot they've been building for six weeks in preparation for its journey today to Kansas City.

The 17 members of Big Red Robotics - as the combined robotics team from Papillion-La Vista and Papillion-La Vista South High Schools is called - will join the robot there next month for a regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

This year is the first that a team from Nebraska has competed, Kneifl said.

He and two other teachers solicited applications for the robotics team last fall. About 32 students from the two schools applied and were interviewed. Seventeen boys were selected for the team.

The students, who receive class credit for their work, met weekly from October to December to learn about problem-solving and engineering.

The program officially kicked off last month, and the team has been working since to design, build and program its robot.

There are dozens of robotics programs for students in the United States, Kneifl said. But only the FIRST program requires students to work with professional mentors.

Papillion-La Vista junior Matt Wahonick said the mentors brought up ideas the students never would have thought of.

"We could've built a robot (without them)," he said. "But it wouldn't have been nearly as good."

Each team starts with a standard "kit of parts" and a common set of rules. Groups can spend up to $1,000 on additional materials to complete their robots, which must perform certain functions to earn points in competition.

Matt's main job was to read the 1.5-inch-thick rule manual several times to make sure the team's robot was in compliance.

For example, the robots may be no taller than 6 feet and weigh no more than 100 pounds.

The latter proved a problem for the team, whose robot last week weighed in at 102 pounds.

The boys drilled holes in the ramp, cut 6 inches off the platform and cut excess length from bolts to get the robot down to 98 pounds by Monday.

"The last week's been pretty crazy," Papillion-La Vista South sophomore Erik Hagerup said.

Erik's main duty was working on the robot's design, but he pitched in in other areas.

He said he would stick with the team through high school if it remains active.

Being part of the team requires a big time commitment. The boys spent about 10 hours a week on the robot during the first three weeks and 14 to 15 hours a week in the last three weeks, Kneifl said.

Matt said working on the robot was fun. But he said there occasionally were other things he would rather have been doing.

As the team crossed the final items off its checklist Monday, Matt worried about who would control the robot at the competition.

"I don't know who's the best driver," he said. "Nobody does."

Whoever it is won't get much practice. The robot must be shipped tonight for the team to compete.

"It'll come down to the wire," Matt said. ,