University News

Robots Scheduled to Invade Horrabin Hall at WIU

January 11, 2002

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MACOMB, IL -- These robots just may put the Jetsons' "Rosie the household robot" to shame.

Remote- or radio-controlled robots will face a variety of tasks as part of the Western Illinois Regional Science Olympiad to be held at Western Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 9. The robots, which are designed and built by students, will be required to pick up and move numerous objects to a new location within a prescribed playing field. According to Don Powers, WIU curriculum and instruction professor and Olympiad coordinator, the “Robot Ramble” event is just one of more than 20 different events at the Olympiad.

Students from 14 Illinois middle/junior high schools and 11 high schools will have the opportunity to test their scientific knowledge and processes as part of the competition. Teams of students will build balsa wood bridges and boomilevers designed to given specifications and
test their structures for strength in the “Bridgebuilding” and the “Boomilever” events while students in the “Sound of Music” event will build two or three musical instruments and perform a musical number with their instruments. In the “Cow-A-Bungee” event students are challenged to develop an elastic cord which will be attached to an object and dropped from a height with the purpose of getting the object closest to the target without hitting the target.

Other students may compete in such situations testing their scientific knowledge as “Life Science Process Lab,” “Feathered Frenzy" and “Practical Data Gathering.” Students also have the opportunity to build vehicles to travel certain distances and courses in the “Battery Buggy” and “Scrambler” events. The air will buzz with airplanes during an event called “Wright Stuff,” which challenges students to build an rubber motor-powered airplane which will take off under its own power, fly for the longest period of time and then land on its wheels.

Additional events include “Mystery Architecture,” “Egg Drop,” “Road Scholar,” “Reach for the Stars” and “Metric Estimation." Participating schools may bring up to 15 students with most events consisting of one- or two-person teams. Events will be held in the University Union and Brophy, Currens, Horrabin and Waggoner halls. The Olympiad is open free to the public.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 8 a.m. in the University’s Union Grand Ballroom, with awards and closing ceremonies beginning at 3 p.m. The top six middle/junior high schools and five high schools qualifying at the regional will participate in the Illinois Science Olympiad State Meet April 6 at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The following schools have registered to participate in the 2002 Olympiad: Division C (grades 9-12) - Canton High School; Colchester High School; Farmington High School; Griggsville-Perry High School; Hamilton High School; Illini Central High School, Mason City; Lewistown High School; Monmouth High School; Pekin Community High School; Sacred Heart Griffin High School, Springfield; and Stark County High School, Wyoming.

Division B (Grades 6-9) - Abingdon Middle School; Aledo Junior High School; Beverly Manor Jr. High School, Washington; Colchester Junior High School; Farmington Junior High School; Hamilton Middle School; Illini Central Middle School, Mason City; Ingersoll Middle School, Canton; Logan Middle School, Hanna City; Macomb Junior High School; PORTA Junior High School, Petersburg; Stark County Junior High School, Wyoming; Union Elementary School, Biggsville, and Warren Junior High School, Monmouth.

The Olympiad has members in all 50 states totaling more than 12,000 actively participating K-12 schools. This is the 15th year WIU has hosted this regional event. For further information, contact 309-298-1258.

Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing