North Paulding Robotics will be operating at North Paulding High School this year, catering to grades 9-12 grade. This year we will have 3 teams competing at the MATE 2022 regional competition. Rocco and Mrs. Lee’s
2022
Here we come! About 6 years ago, I joined a robotics club at Sammy McClure Middle School, in association with the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center and NOAA. The program expanded to North Paulding High School to accommodate the upcoming freshman and is comprised of 12 students. The objective of the club is to introduce the students to STEM concepts in a fun, engaging way. The students construct underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) that must be able to complete a series of simulated real life tasks. Each year MATE introduces a new theme and tasks related to it. This year’s theme was the construction of a hyperloop terminal off the Port of Long Beach. The tasks simulated underwater construction, collecting sediment samples, opening valves, amongst other things. The students design and build all the components of the ROV, including programming computer controllers and wiring electrical components. The local program culminates in the South East Regional Competition in Savannah each year and was held last weekend. This year there were 17 teams, mostly from STEM approved schools. There were three divisions, and SMMS and NPHS won all three divisions. This was an enormous accomplishment and a testament to all the hard work and effort that has been put into the program. Due to this win, the NPHS team is now qualified to participate against teams from all around the world at the International competition in Long Beach, CA in June. Last year’s internationals included regional winners from the USA, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Denmark, and Russia. It is an outstanding opportunity for Paulding County Schools to be represented on a global stage and to display our progress towards STEM accreditation.