MAY 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015, 3:11 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
It might sound like a scene straight out of a science fiction film, but this weekend’s rise of the machines won’t be the result of a Hollywood blockbuster. The anticipated sights and sounds, instead, are the products of middle school creativity and ingenuity.
George Washington Middle School (GW) will be crowded Saturday afternoon with young scientists and engineers, most of them showing off their robotic creations at the second annual FIRST Robotics Showcase. Those not exhibiting and competing will simply be there for the show.
And based on last year’s inaugural event, there will be plenty in attendance.
“Last year was a tremendous success; we had almost 500 people come,” student Ashton Rollins said during a presentation to the Ridgewood Board of Education earlier this spring. A member of the GW STEM Club, Rollins noted that roughly eight new teams formed as a result of the 2014 showcase.
“In other words,” he said, “they were so influenced at our event that they wanted to have a team themselves.”
The showcase, which takes place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. inside the new gymnasium at GW, will boast New Jersey’s best robotics teams in all age groups. Teams will compete in several categories: Junior FIRST LEGO League, FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition.
A handful of teams from both Ridgewood middle schools are expected to compete, as are notable squads from Glen Rock and the Pascack Valley area. Last year’s event, which also took place at GW, attracted teams from as far as Livingston.
Enthusiasm for learning STEM topics – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – is the main draw to the Robotics Showcase, and many believe the excitement is contagious.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-stem-clubs-branching-out-1.1344511
