Community Corner

Seneca Valley Student Part of International Robotics Competition in St. Louis

More than 500 student teams are competing in the world's largest robotics competition today through Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

An unprecedented number of student-driven teams converged in St. Louis this week to compete in the world's largest science and technology competition, which will award nearly $15 million in scholarships.

Among them is Melanie Young, a junior at Seneca Valley High School who is a member of the Girls of Steel. The Girls of Steel is an all-girls rookie robotics team composed of 24 students in grades 9 through 12 from 11 schools and four educational options throughout western Pennsylvania.

The team is based at the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Experts from the Field Robotics Center at the CMU's Robotics Institute mentor them.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the Girls of Steel, the field of robotics has always been male dominated. So, as an all-girls team, the women hope to be an inspiration to young females entering science, technology, engineering and math-related occupations.

The team's logo is Rosie the Riveter, but instead of a bicep, Rosie is flexing a mechanical arm.

Find out what's happening in Cranberrywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In March, the ladies took home the Rookie All-Star Award at the Pittsburgh Regional For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition and earned an invitation to compete in the St. Louis FIRST world championship.  

Once there, the girls will find a robotics championship that combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources and time limits, teams build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.

Nearly 11,000 young American and international students, who have worked alongside 90,000-plus coaches, mentors and volunteers, earned the right to compete at the championship.

This week's event showcases student teams from the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC-big robots) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC- small robots), both for high-school-age students; FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for elementary and middle-school students; and Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6- to 9-year-olds.  

"We've seen a 25 percent growth in the number of teams across all of our programs this year," FIRST spokesperson Dennis Garrigan said.

"The increased number of competition sponsors also designates that companies and institutions are solidly behind the concept of fostering innovation in youth."

FIRST founder Dean Kamen is an inventor and entrepreneur. The organization was launched in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. According to the group's background materials, the non-profit team, now based in Manchester, NH, designs accessible programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills.

Editor's Note: Check back with Patch for updates on how the Girls of Steel are doing in the competition. NASA also is webcasting the event.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here