Albany High School robotics team attends

competition in Hartford, Connecticut

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 1, 2009) -- On March 27-28, the Albany High Robotics Team attended the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition in Hartford, Conn. The team of 25 students, mentored by Albany High teachers Brent Cady, Richard Kissane and Varada Vaughan spent six weeks building a robot for this year’s event along with professors and students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The theme for this year’s competition was "Lunacy," in which teams were asked to design a robot that could shoot and dump balls into trailers that other robots tow behind them for points. The name “Lunacy” is a reference to the 40^th anniversary of the moon landing.

Albany High's team won four out of eight matches and placed 30^th among the 60 competitors in their field.

Thanks to a grant from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), 43 middle school students enrolled in the initial class of the Academy of Engineering joined the Albany High team in Hartford. While on the trip, these students took a tour of the Engineering and Architecture programs at the University of Hartford. The trip was intended to inspire and excite the students for the start of the Academy of Engineering next fall.

Overall, it was a great opportunity for the high school and middle school students, who were able to make connections with robotics teams from across the nation, exercise their logistic and strategizing skills, and represent the City School District of Albany in a nationwide venue.

“This was our best running robot in my six years mentoring the robotics team.” said Mr. Cady. “With the Academy of Engineering starting next fall, we’re going to see more students showing interest in robotics, which will help us produce better robots and continuously improve.”

FIRST robotics was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, N.H., the not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills.

Click here to watch a video of the FIRST Robotic competition on CNN.

The City School District of Albany serves approximately 8,400 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students. The district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students succeed in the 21st century.