Photo By Public Affairs Office | Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – Team 78 AIR STRIKE, sponsored by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and mentored by its scientists and engineers, reached the final round of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) New England regional event held March 13-15 at the University of Rhode Island (URI).
FRC is a large-scale terrestrial robotics competition in which high school students, assisted by STEM professionals, build, wire and program custom robots within an eight-week period, then pilot them in head-to-head competitive matches.
“FIRST robotics provides a unique opportunity to challenge high school students to complete a true engineering challenge in the style of a varsity sport,” said Mike DeSousa, NUWC Division Newport’s program manager of K-12 STEM Educational Outreach. “Students work alongside professional scientists, engineers and technicians to build vehicles capable of both remote operation and autonomous control. In just two months, not only must the robots be designed to complete the challenge, they need to overcome opponents’ robots actively trying to stop them.”
Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings served as a keynote speaker during the opening ceremony on March 14, while Dr. Robert Ballard, a URI oceanography professor best known for discovering the Titanic wreckage site, also addressed attendees.
After the qualifying round of the competition, Team 78 AIR STRIKE was in seventh place out of 37 teams to advance to the playoffs. Placed in Alliance 2 with three other teams, Team 78 Air Strike reached the final match before falling. In total about 750 students participated.
“FIRST inspires students into STEM careers and provides the opportunity for training and mentorship to ensure strong capability when they enter the workforce,” DeSousa said.
Team 78 AIR STRIKE was given the event’s Quality Award, which recognizes machine robustness in concept and fabrication. The team is organized through Aquidneck Island Robotics (AIR), a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization more than 60 student members and 30 volunteer mentors. AIR is open to all students in Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts from public, private and home schools.
At FRC, Division Newport engineer Dr. John DiCecco, of the Undersea Warfare (USW) Platforms and Payload Integration Department, received the Outstanding Volunteer Award for his 10 years of judging events.
Joining DiCecco and DeSousa on the Division Newport event support team were Caleb Martin, Esther Velez-Sanchez and Mark Seidman, all of the Sensors and Sonar Systems Department; Alexis Varada, Tim Sieben, Kenneth Figuerado and Kyle Furtado, all of the USW Combat Systems Department; Areli Almaraz, Sean Holmes, Melissa Couch and Marco DeFruscio, all of the USW Electromagnetic Systems Department; Nathan Wiebe. Monica Blanchard and Irine Chenwi, all of the USW Platforms and Payload Integration Department; and Alexander Corey, Cody Raposa, John Terlisner, Emily Goyette, Matthew Bessette, and Keith Fox, all of the USW Weapons, Vehicles, and Defensive Systems Department.
Along with DeSousa, Division Newport team mentors are Mark Seidman, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department; Carly Winters and Tim Sieben, both of the USW Combat Systems Department; Joshua Wolf and Aiden Lynch, both of the USW Electromagnetic Systems Department; Richard Blight, Thomas Dolan, and Elizabeth Stevens, all of the Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department; and Alexander Corey and Cody Raposa, both of the USW Weapons, Vehicles, and Defensive Systems Department.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2025 11:41 |
| Story ID: | 494237 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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