JAY — It’s crunch time for the Spruce Mountain Area Robotics Team.

High school students need to build a 120-pound working robot by late February for the FIRST Robotics Competition in March.

FIRST was developed by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to inspire appreciation of science and technology in youth. The initials stand for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The advanced robotics program was launched this school year at Spruce Mountain High School.

Students who attended Jay schools in the past, and now those who attend the consolidated school system, have had opportunities to participate in robotics programs from grades three through 12.

The FIRST robotics challenge is the next step in developing the robotics program at RSU 73.

It adds another level of difficulty, another level of commitment, adviser and teacher Dan Lemieux said.

“We’ve got a history, we’re building on the past and we’re looking to the future,” Lemieux said about the program.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is a high school-only sport, he said. The program is a co-curricular activity open to both campuses. Lemieux and others are hoping to develop a varsity level team and have coaches at the school. Currently it’s an all-volunteer operation.

Lemieux, a teacher at the Jay campus, teaches a variety of courses, including pre-engineering.

The team is looking to find more mentors, including those in the mechanical engineering and programming fields, to provide advice and support for guidance.

“We cannot do this by ourselves,” Lemieux said.

They have grant money to cover three years of the program and willing students and faculty members. Large grants have been received from Fairchild Semiconductor, JCPenney and NASA. They also have local sponsors of Gear-up, Bilodeau Carpentry, Main-Land Development Consultants Inc., Griffin Couture and family, Mid-Maine Lawn Care of Livermore and Bailey Brothers Inc.

Students, parents and others involved have also raised funds for the program.

Staff members other than Lemieux helping out with the program are Rob Taylor, Karina Escajeda and Kym Bryant.

They also have three mentors from the community, Phil Maurais, Bill Calden and Fred Ouellette.

But they need more, Lemieux said.

“What we will need is long-term financial support and people with the skills to build robots,” Lemieux said.

Students learn problem-solving, engineering techniques, applying math, team work and other skills.

“The program has all kinds of math involved,” Lemieux said. “It is really applying all the academic learning and skills kids need in a very complex, high-end project.”

Scholarships are also available to students.

Students need to design a robot, and then take the parts they have received to build a robot and program a computer to make it do what they need it to do for competition.

Students need to build a practice robot and a competition robot. They are meeting after class and on Saturdays in January and February to build robots.

They could use donations of food during the building sessions on Saturdays, Lemieux said.

Team members competed as a pre-rookie team with a borrowed robot from a Messalonskee school team in the Mainely Spirit Robotics Competition in September at the Messalonskee High School in Oakland.

Now they are on their own with guidance from teachers, parents, community members and professionals.

Anyone interested in more information or helping out can contact Lemieux by phone at 207-897-4336, or by email at dlemieux@rsu73.org. People can also check out the Spruce Mountain Area Robotics teams on the website www.smart3930.org.

dperry@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link