Coral Springs Middle School Robotics Sends 2 Teams to World Competition

by News Staff May 30, 2024

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Coral Springs Middle School Robotics Sends 2 Teams to World Competition

VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas. {Submitted by Jill Slesinski, principal of Coral Springs Middle School}

The Coral Springs Middle School Robotics program sent two teams to the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Held from April 30 to May 5, they scored among the top 12 percent of the more than 400 teams competing.

Seema Naik, an engineer who became a teacher and now teaches robotics, was very proud of the team’s accomplishments. She and Jennifer Roberts, who also teaches robotics, sponsor the robotics club.

There are five robotics teams at Coral Springs Middle, and they competed at a state competition in Miami. Two teams qualified for the world competition and earned the opportunity to compete with teams from around the United States and about 50 nations worldwide.

According to Naik, the team members use engineering design processes to build a robot according to the game challenge. This year, it was Full Volume. They built and programmed the robot to compete in a game that takes place on a six-by-eight-foot field. The goal is to score the most points in one minute by getting the robot to put an object like a ball into a goal. The teams also must form alliances with other teams during the competition.

Beginning in the summer and throughout the year, the team members work together to build their robots. They meet, brainstorm on a design, and then work long hours to build the robot. They must document every step of the construction process. According to Naik, they must go through a trial-and-error process to program a robot they can drive and operate autonomously.

“During the game, they must work together and strategize to score maximum points in one minute,” said Naik. “But after they reflect on what went well and what they can improve one.”

One of the benefits of participating in a world competition is the opportunity to meet with robotics team members from around the world. “This was an exciting experience. We were able to meet teams from other places and learn from them,” said Rishi Pinapaka, 13, a seventh grader from Coral Springs.

Ayaan Desai, 14, an eighth grader from Coral Springs, said, “Going to the world competition was a good experience, and I liked seeing what other robotics teams are doing.”

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