OTTUMWA —
Cookies, girls and robots.
That’s the phrase Jeff Henderson uses to describe one of the teams he coaches at Ottumwa High School. Robotics is the subject, and all of the team members are female.
The girls have the spotlight because they’re the only all-girl team in the state. They’re sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and they received a Scale-Up Grant from the Governor’s STEM initiative.
Recently, the girls’ Team 4144 Engineer Imagineer won the Motivate Award and finished in 14th place in a recent statewide competition.
“All of us decided to take the challenge,” Henderson said Friday. “We brainstormed, made drawings and wrote stuff.”
The team designed the robot, built it and did the programming.
“It’s a male-dominated event and we all accepted the challenge,” said team member Kelsey Granneman.
Henderson said the team worked hard to be competitive.
They use “tele-op,” and that’s where the team can drive with joy sticks. Henderson said they’re “working with a box that’s 18 by 18 by 18” inches.
To be that size, there are certain materials they can’t use, and they have to buy pre-made parts, Granneman said.
Henderson said the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa has been helpful to the team and so has John Deere.
The robots and the competitions are part of the First Tech Challenge, Henderson said.
“The purpose of the robotics is to get young people — who might not be in a sport at all — involved with a team,” he added.
Team members get a chance to learn how to run a wrench, how to cut plexiglass and other skills.
Granneman said she enjoyed going to state and was pleased the team could “stand out from the other 48,” she said. And, the team was “only” girls.
Henderson, however, said there was one thing that bothered him some, and that’s when one of the girls spilled glitter on the robot.
The team is comprised of Granneman, Kassidi Henderson, Nicole Peyton, Mady Feather, Kenzie McCoy, Claire Carlson and Caroline Carlson.
Community News Network
Related Photos
-
Robots are no longer just for the guys at Ottumwa High School. The girls have a team of their own. Shown are three members of the team including, from left, Kassidi Henderson, Kelsey Granneman and Nicole Peyton. The girls are the only all-girl team in the state. Cindy Toopes
Share your thoughts!
OHS all-female robotics squad proves they can compete with the boys
- Community News Network
-
-
LIVE BLOG: Massive tornado hits south of OKC
A massive tornado touched down Monday afternoon in Moore, Okla., just south of Oklahoma City. Follow live coverage of the aftermath of the storm.
-
VIDEO: Tumblr sold to Yahoo! for $1.1 billion
Yahoo! has purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion, hoping to compete more effectively with sites like Google and Facebook.
-
What you need to know about preparing for tornadoes
Tornado survivors and seasoned observers suggest people do two simple things to prepare for tornadoes: Know where to take shelter, and move quickly when the time comes.
-
VIDEO: How technology helps predict tornadoes
At the National Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, the team charged with predicting tornadoes relies on ever-changing technology to determine when and where storms may strike.
-
SLIDESHOW: Tornado passes through Oklahoma
A fast-moving storm brought rain, hail and tornadoes to Oklahoma late Sunday afternoon and evening.
-
Officer treated and released after injuries from Oklahoma windstorm
Enid, Okla. police officer Lee Friesendahl was treated and released at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center Saturday night after his patrol car was struck by a strong windstorm triggered by a heat burst.
-
Kia Optima is a hit with the buying public
When it comes to midsized family sedans, the Kia Optima ranks high on my list for its good looks, economy and value.
-
The story behind the viral deer on a bus video
The way bus driver John Porter tells it, some of his co-workers now call him “John Deer.”
-
Identity-theft victim jailed on culprit’s warrant
Kurt Millard spent most of last weekend in jail, locked up on another man’s arrest warrant. The 26-year-old resident of Joplin, Mo. could not convince his jailers they had the wrong guy.
-
SLIDESHOW: Texas storms damage homes, uproot trees
After a series of tornadoes touched down outside Dallas, residents of many Texas communities are cleaning up.
-
VIDEO: Man hands out Abercrombie clothes on Skid Row in bid to shame brand
Anger has mounted online against clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch due to comments made by its chief executive and its strategy of not making women's clothing in any size above large.
-
Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
-
VIDEO: Bombing suspect allegedly wrote confession in boat
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly penned a note inside the boat where he was found hiding from authorities, explaining his rationale for his part in the deadly explosion.
-
MAP: Tornadoes carve across North Texas communities
As many as 10 tornadoes touched down soouthwest of Dallas, Texas on Wednesday.
-
Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
- More Community News Network Headlines
-
