District 75 robotics teams qualify for state

Posted January 10, 2017 10:00 pm

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All six of Mundelein School District 75 robotics teams have qualified for state championships this year.

The D.R.E.A.M. (District 75 Robotics Engineering And Math) Team students, in fourth through eighth grade, are gearing up for the annual First Lego League robotics competition after each won their regional.

The younger students will compete at Elgin Community College on Saturday, Jan. 14, and the middle school students will compete at the University of Illinois in Urbana on Saturday, Jan. 28.

For the FLL competition, students from around the world designed robots and created code for them to accomplish tasks. Teams are scored on how well their robots accomplish the tasks. Students are also graded on their development of a solution to a problem facing today's scientists that is affecting animals.

The six Mundelein teams have created solutions like steering dolphins away from oil spills with the use of drones and putting sound boxes on top of skyscrapers to prevent birds from crashing into windows.

Teacher Tony Cho and parent Fred Goldman coach the six robotics teams.

"Introducing Mundelein girls and boys to engineering and robotics is important and a fun hands-on way to explore what may become their careers someday," Goldman said. "Engineering and programming skills are one potential ticket to college scholarships and high paying careers."

"While girls today equal the number of boys graduating from college, only about 18.5 percent of engineering degrees are earned by women," Cho said.

"We separated some of our teams by gender to provide everyone hands-on experience programming and engineering robots."

Superintendent Andy Henrikson said, "Our kindergarten through eighth-grade programs are designed to best position Mundelein students to take advantage of all the new science, technology, engineering, and mathematic offerings at Mundelein High School. We couldn't be more proud of our students and coaches."

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Teacher Anthony Cho helps seventh-graders Brandon Valeroso and Marco Gilardi with their robot. Courtesy of Mundelein School District 75

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