Gross Catholic’s newest extra-curricular activity is the robotics team. Students study the engineering science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture, application, and structural disposition. They apply these skills with the construction and programming of their own robot for competition.
CEENBoT Showcase
Students from programming and physics classes formed a team to represent Gross Catholic High School at the annual CEENBoT Showcase on February 18, 2012, sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Computer Engineering department and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Education department held at the Strategic Air and Space Museum near Ashland, Nebraska.
The students prepared for the various competitions which included a robot foosball tournament, programmed robot maze navigation, and an engineering design and documentation competition.
Students Brandon Burbach, Christopher Thomas, and Nathan Henton designed extensions on their robots to play robot foosball where three robots from one school compete against three robots from another school in a double elimination tournament. The Cougar robot foosball team developed a very efficient design and practiced their driving skills extensively. They were undefeated throughout the tournament play.
Demetri Bikakis lead the team in the programmed robot maze navigation. In his first trial, Demetri put up a perfect score. During the day, another team attained a perfect score with a time that was 20 seconds shorter. Demetri continued to work on his program but in the end missed first place by two-tenths of a second.
Jake Kampschneider was in charge of the team documentation. He recorded the team ideas and the work done in creating the foosball playing robots. Jake earned a second place award for his engineering notebook in the design and documentation contest.
Mount Michael Tournament
The Cougar Varsity robotics team won the Design award at the Mt. Michael tournament on January 7, 2012, and the JV team won the Design award at a tournament on December 10, 2011. The Design Award is presented to a team that demonstrates an organized and professional approach to the design process, project and time management and team organization.
The Design award qualifies both teams for U.S. Nationals to be held in Omaha on March 15 - 17, 2012 and for the World Championship to be held in Anaheim, California on April 18 - 21, 2012.
The team finished their year by traveling to the World Championship held in Orlando to compete with over 400 teams from 25 different countries. The robotics team finished sixth in their division of 100 teams and qualified for the final rounds of the competition. The team advanced to quarterfinals which was the highest level attained of all the Nebraska teams finishing at the World Championship in the top 16 alliances.
Advisor: Steve Hamersky
