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Students make world robotics competition, but their robot was stolen
Students make world robotics competition, but their robot was stolenEducation
By Moriah Balingit April 9 at 1:11 PM
@MoriahBee
After finishing as a finalist in the Smoky Mountains Regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Knoxville, Tenn., team members of RoboLoCo gather in front of their pit with their finalist and special judges award trophies. (Courtesy of RoboLoCo)
RoboLoCo, a robotics squad of about a dozen students from Loudoun County, was considered an underdog in a regional competition last weekend in Knoxville, Tenn., where it was up against veteran programs that had 30 or more students. And no one — not even the team’s coach, Michael Tomlinson — expected the students to make it very far.
But the team, made up of students from the Academy of Science, the Monroe Technology Center and Loudoun County High School, advanced round after round through the competition run by FIRST, an organization that promotes engineering education. The team came in second and received a wild-card invitation to the world championship in St. Louis.
By then, Tomlinson, an Academy of Science teacher, was racking his brain to figure out how to pay for the trip to Missouri. The club had not budgeted for the championship because members didn’t think they would get there.
But Sunday, the team awoke to a new challenge: The school’s SUV — along with the team’s hand-built robot — was gone. Stolen with it were a school computer and the trophies. More than $5,000 worth of tools and equipment were taken.
Donate to the Loudoun Education Foundation Today
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4/7/15 - SAVE ROBO LOCO!
The Robo Loco robotics team, comprised of students from the Loudoun Academy of Science and Monroe Technology Center, qualified to advance to the FIRST World Championships, April 22nd through the 25th in St. Louis... but the vehicle carrying all their equipment was stolen. Robo Loco still needs $15,000 to make the trip to St. Louis. Please click on the "Donate" button below and indicate "Robo Loco" in the memo line so the funds can be put in the right account.
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MORE: Community rallies, Loudoun’s RoboLoCo secures needed $15,000
Robot stolen in Tennessee turns up, but it’s found just too late for Loudoun team
Friday, Apr. 10, 2015 by Trevor Baratko
Two days was all it took for the Loudoun County community to rally around Team RoboLoCo and raise more than $15,000 to help the group of local students attend the FIRST Robotics nationals competition in St. Louis later this month.
You've likely heard the story by now. RoboLoCo, comprised of students from the Loudoun Academy of Science and Monroe Technology Center, came in second place last Saturday at the FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountains Regional in Knoxville, Tenn., a welcome surprise for a small team in just its second year competing against nearly 50 squads from the region. The second-place finish secured a spot for RoboLoCo in St. Louis, and the local teenagers were riding high, celebrating Saturday night with a team dinner and ice cream.
But RoboLoCo members awoke Sunday to find the SUV carrying their robot, trophies and laptops had been stolen, rapidly transforming a joyous weekend to a lesson about life's hardships.
Two days was all it took for the Loudoun County community to rally around Team RoboLoCo and raise more than $15,000 to help the group of local students attend the FIRST Robotics nationals competition in St. Louis later this month.
You've likely heard the story by now. RoboLoCo, comprised of students from the Loudoun Academy of Science and Monroe Technology Center, came in second place last Saturday at the FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountains Regional in Knoxville, Tenn., a welcome surprise for a small team in just its second year competing against nearly 50 squads from the region. The second-place finish secured a spot for RoboLoCo in St. Louis, and the local teenagers were riding high, celebrating Saturday night with a team dinner and ice cream.
But RoboLoCo members awoke Sunday to find the SUV carrying their robot, trophies and laptops had been stolen, rapidly transforming a joyous weekend to a lesson about life's hardships.
Robot stolen in Tennessee turns up, but it’s found just too late for Loudoun team
By Moriah Balingit April 14
@MoriahBee
Members of RoboLoCo with a $15,000 check they received to fund their trip to the world championships in St. Louis next week. More than 30 local organizations and businesses donated to the cause after their robot was stolen following a competition in Tennessee.
(Photo by Loudoun County Public Schools)
The “Red Baron” was missing and presumed gone forever, a robot with tons of promise that had become the victim of a Knoxville, Tenn. car theft.
The robot was the product of countless hours of engineering on the part of a group of Loudoun County high school students, and it had earned them an unexpected trip to the world championships in St. Louis. As they scrambled to re-create their invention on short notice during the past week, their long-shot hopes of success became even longer.
On Monday evening, police found the robot — along with a school laptop, tools and the team’s trophies — in a wooded area in Cocke County, Tenn. It was an exciting moment for the RoboLoCo team, but it came just slightly too late.
The robot, which remains with the Knoxville Police Department, will not be headed to the world championships because the team already rebuilt a replacement, which had to be shipped off to St. Louis on Monday for competition.
@MoriahBee
Members of RoboLoCo with a $15,000 check they received to fund their trip to the world championships in St. Louis next week. More than 30 local organizations and businesses donated to the cause after their robot was stolen following a competition in Tennessee.
(Photo by Loudoun County Public Schools)
The “Red Baron” was missing and presumed gone forever, a robot with tons of promise that had become the victim of a Knoxville, Tenn. car theft.
The robot was the product of countless hours of engineering on the part of a group of Loudoun County high school students, and it had earned them an unexpected trip to the world championships in St. Louis. As they scrambled to re-create their invention on short notice during the past week, their long-shot hopes of success became even longer.
On Monday evening, police found the robot — along with a school laptop, tools and the team’s trophies — in a wooded area in Cocke County, Tenn. It was an exciting moment for the RoboLoCo team, but it came just slightly too late.
The robot, which remains with the Knoxville Police Department, will not be headed to the world championships because the team already rebuilt a replacement, which had to be shipped off to St. Louis on Monday for competition.
