NASA News
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John C. Stennis Space Center
(228) 688-3341 April 19, 2004 Paul Foerman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000
ASL-04-033
NASA News Chief
(228) 688-3341
PROVINE ROBOTICS TEAM SUCCESSFUL AT REGIONAL, NATIONAL COMPETITIONS
HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. – A team that started out in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition in 2000 with the help of a grant from NASA Stennis Space Center has become a respected, award-winning FIRST team.
The Provine High School robotics team, under the direction of teachers Lender Luse, Redmond Malone and Patricia Daniels, spent countless hours designing and building a robot to meet this year’s FIRST competition challenge.
With help from the NASA Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, Delphi Automotive, Entergy, the Jackson State University School of Engineering, the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation, the University of Mississippi and lots of student fund raising, the Provine team traveled to Houston for the FIRST Lone Star regional competition, and to Atlanta for the FIRST national competition.
Provine competed with more than 300 teams in the two events from locations all over the United States and as far away as Canada and Ecuador.
At the national competition, Provine was one of four teams out of 292 at the competition selected to win a Judges Award. At the Lone Star regional, the Provine team won second-place honors.
Besides winning second place at the regional competition, Provine mentor Luse was awarded the prestigious Regional Woodie Flowers Award. The award is named for FIRST National Adviser and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Dr. Woodie Flowers, and is given to an individual who has exhibited great dedication to mentoring and shaping a FIRST team.
Luse won the Regional Woodie Flowers Award based on an essay written by the team about her dedication to the students on the team. In the essay, her students describe Luse as “the glue that keeps our team together, the heart that gives so much.” Her efforts in fund raising, involving the team in community service projects and encouraging students to pursue careers in engineering fields are also highlighted in the essay.
Sedrick Johnson, a senior member of the Provine team, said that because of his experience on the Provine robotics team, he now plans to major in engineering in college. Luse said she has seen this happen with many students who participate in FIRST. “It is an excellent program and is a good opportunity for students to apply hands-on what they learn in the classroom,” she said. “Many of our students plan to major in engineering and science.”
For more information about FIRST Robotics, visit http://www.usfirst.org.
2004 News Releases