'Oh My God!' This Detroit Robotics Team Will Compete In The International Championship - Techno Pedia

On the afternoon of February 10, after weeks of studying French, language arts, math, science, and social studies, students at the Detroit Foreign Language and Cultural Immersion School (FLICS) dropped out of Tyneisha Powell. to a nursery school. . A locked room in the school basement for increased academic rigor, but not for extra credit.

And the eighth grader wasn't alone. He is accompanied by seven other high school students, two adults and a robot.

You see, it was a high school COP robotics team meeting. And they had to prepare to take over the world, so to speak.

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The COPS robotics team has been invited to the 2023 International Championship (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), where the team will compete against other robotics teams from around the world in a four-day competition from 19 to April 23rd. in houston If the event is similar to the 2022 edition of this international competition, COP students will meet other young people representing more than 40 countries.

"It feels good to represent the city. We're going to go to Houston and a lot of people won't know who we are, so it would be great to have the Motor City there to let other people know that we can do this ." . . also!"

In the international championship, Powell will be the coach of his team's drivers. By helping guide his team's bot through a variety of complex tasks while staying on time in a stressful environment, Powell will need to demonstrate skills and leadership skills that will be needed later in life.

“I have a little plan: I'm going to get an engineering degree and study political science,” Powell explained, revealing that social studies is his favorite course. " And then I'll be an engineer until I'm old enough to run for political office."

Powell said early on that he was fully aware that he needed to be at least 35 to reach the pinnacle of his career goals: the presidency of the United States.

Sixth grader Joshua Baker stood five feet from Powell in the robotics team practice room. Like Powell, Joshua spoke with confidence, with a wisdom beyond his years. A key member of the COPS robotics team before transferring to Renaissance High School this school year, she explained that she felt a greater responsibility to “fill the shoes” of older brother Caleb and now, it's all about volunteering. Student coach for the Techno Phoenix team. Joshua then described how "very focused" he was at the FIRST Tech Challenge State Championships - Southeast Michigan Region last December at Macomb Community College. They were a finalist for the Techno Phoenix Inspire Award, which honors the group that most inspires other groups by "sharing experience, enthusiasm and knowledge with other groups, sponsors, communities and judges."

Joshua, an expert in intelligent robotics, was also on hand as he brought up the personal benefits of participating in robotics, including how the activity incorporates STEM/STEAM disciplines like math, science, art and more. in a broad and innovative way, helping students to get to know the "community" of the school. All of this led him to develop a close relationship with his teammate Varon Kirkland.

However, when Josu relived the moment on January 24 when he learned that his team had been invited to the International Championship, the bot's thoughtful and detailed analysis gave way to pure emotion.

"I came home from school and my mom was like, 'Did Caleb break the news?'" And I'm like, "What's the news?" And he said, "I shouldn't have told you." Then my brother went to the computer and opened Discord, with which we communicated. Then it scrolled down a bit. Then the message came that a Wild Place was open and we were invited into the world (the quiz) and I was like, "Oh my gosh!" Joshua remembers vividly, “Oh my gosh! Because I was surprised." "It's just surreal. I didn't expect to go this far, and to go to Texas for that, it's really crazy. We spent a lot of time on this bot and this way it feels like we deserve it, but it was still a surprise to me.

© Eric Sales, Detroit Free Press Joshua Baker, left, talks with robotics teacher Leon Pryor before practice while other students and a trainer discuss their robot in the cultural studies and language immersion loan basement at Detroit on Friday, February 2, 2019. 2023, the 10th team has qualified for the Robotics World Championship to be held in April in Houston. It is the first Detroit high school to compete there.

Techno Phoenix showed its "worth" at the state tournament last December, and Leon Pryor Jr. said the coach, and Michigan State became the "next" team in the league to be invited to international competition. If there is a place for competition. But before last December there were other signs that revealed the "specialization" of this robotics program in high schools. For example, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, during a time of school building closures and virtual classes in Detroit, the team's coaches (Dr. Breuer and Dr. Jean-Claude Quenome) found a way to connect with the students. A robot was then built, piece by piece, from students' homes. Persistence from students and coaches paid off in a state championship in late 2021, as Techno Phoenix was part of a "winning alliance" with two other teams. But due to a rule change that reduced invitations to International 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns, Techno Phoenix missed out on the Detroit Public Schools International First Team.

But this story will be written in April. And Zetia Hogan couldn't be happier.

"Last year we thought we could go (to the international championships) and we were a little disappointed. But we were excited to get (the top state award)," said Hogan, the COPS director, speaking from the team's practice room. of robotics. February 10. So this year, when we got the call that he was going to be there, I think I jumped for joy, and then I went to see Dr. Quenum and I said, 'Let's go to Cal.' to the world!" Then we danced together in the living room. It's been so exciting ever since we got the call. Our researchers were excited and our district (Detroit Public Community School District) was 100% behind it. Taking our scientists to Houston is a task, but we are up to the challenge.

Hogan's ceremonial partner says the international competition will benefit COP students in robotics teams in ways that go beyond STEM education.

“It is a very interesting situation, because it is an international school, and here we speak four languages ​​(Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish) and we will participate in a world competition, where everyone will speak. languages," Quenum said, teaching French in her classroom during a typical school day. This is a hands-on opportunity for our students to share what they know with the world and meet people from countries where the language is spoken."

© Eric Sales, Detroit Free Press Aslan Fleming, 13, listens to his coaches, Jean-Claude Quenum and Leon Pryor, before practice Friday, February 2, at Detroit's School of Cultural Studies of Foreign Languages. 2023, the 10th team has qualified for the Robotics World Championship to be held in April in Houston. It is the first Detroit high school to compete there.

Following Quenum's statement, his partner, Pryor, shared what teammates did on February 10 to identify necessary improvements to their bot and refocus each teammate's roles ahead of the trip to Houston. Compared to the days when a Big Ten football team had to win the conference and wait weeks to play in the Rose Bowl. This analogy reflects Pryor's passion for the University of Michigan, where he graduated in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Michigan's football team finished 1997 undefeated (12-0) by defeating Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, with Pryor in attendance. But unlike Michigan football and its rich history that spans more than 100 years, Pryor says being part of a growing tradition of robotics in Detroit schools has given him a different kind of satisfaction that has positively connected him with other teams. . city ​​and area. , on your team's journey to compete on the world stage.

"The first time we went to the state tournament, we went by ourselves, didn't know what to expect and didn't know anybody," recalled Pryor, one of Mita's top game producers who began training players online. player. . The school's robotics team at COPS in 2018, which also gave him the opportunity to train his son, Leon. "We realized that all the other teams were working together, all the teams in Detroit were working in silos, so we said, 'Let's fix this, let's do a loose training alliance together and share any information we learn across the bots. faster and more solid construction conditions.

"We partnered with Frog Force Team 503 Novi and Southwest Detroit's Kinematic Wolves Team 5577 to form the Motor City Alliance, which is now a 501(c)3, and we now run sessions throughout the season. We have weekly support sessions, where our We work with our own bot (COPS), but we also support other teams. In fact, we came up with the design for the bot that dozens of teams in Detroit used specifically for this year's game (Contest Robotics). COPS designed it and shared it openly with all the teams in Detroit "The way it's about supporting our sister bands in Detroit, not just us. It's one thing to get something for yourself, but to do it in a way that helps others. It's ten times more satisfying."

A Detroit native, Scott Talley is a proud producer of the Detroit Public Schools and a lover of Detroit culture in all its forms. In his second outing with Prensa Libre, who grew up reading as a child, he had the pleasure and humility of reporting on the many interesting people who define the city's neighborhoods and its diverse communities. Contact him at: stallley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @Stalleyfreep. For more of Scott's stories, visit www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/.

Team: FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) 14010 The Techno Phoenix Robotics Team represents the Detroit School of Foreign Languages ​​and Cultural Studies (FLICS) located at 6501 West Outer Drive.

Their mission: to represent the Detroit Community School District and the City of Detroit in the 2023 International Premier League (for the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a four-day competition from April 19-23 in Houston. . . The theme of this year's contest is "Reinventing the future of sustainable energy."

© Eric Seals, Detroit Free Press Some members of the Detroit School of Cultural Studies and Foreign Language Immersion robotics team on Friday, February 10, 2023. Tire Ramey, 13, left, Caleb Baker, 15, Tenisha Powell, and robotics teacher Leon Pryor, his son Leon Prior, robotics coach Jean-Claude Quenome and 13-year-old Aslan Fleming. The team qualified for the World Robotics Championships in Houston in April. It is the first Detroit high school to compete there.

Team: COPS High School Robotics Team Members: Joshua Baker (6th grade), Aslan Fleming (8th grade), Jacelyn Gonzalez (8th grade), Varunnie Kirkland (6th grade), Aminata Mbodge (8th grade), Dionne McDonald (8th grade). 8) ), Tenisha Powell (Grade 8, Captain), Rami Tire (Grade 8). Coaches - Leon Prior Jr. (technical director) and Dr. Jean-Claude Quenome (coach). Student Volunteer Coaches: Caleb Baker (Renaissance Middle School 9th ​​grader and former COP Robotics Team member), Leon Pryor III (Marygrove 9th grader and former COPS Robotics Team member).

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: "OMG! This team of bots from Detroit is going to compete in the International Championship.

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