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Robotics team to host event
(by Kathryn A. Burger - September 15, 2008)
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Pascack Panda-monium
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| When: Saturday, Oct. 18 |
| Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
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Where:
Pascack
Hills
High School,
225 W. Grand Ave., Montvale
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| Cost: Free for spectators |
| Appropriate for: Children age 7 and older |
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More information is available at www.team1676.com.
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The Pascack Pi-oneers Robotics Team has amassed an impressive list of honors since its founding in 2004. Comprised of students from both Pascack Hills and
Pascack
Valley high schools, the team has doubled its membership since its inception and increased the number of regional competitions that it can participate in primarily due to sponsorships.
As the new competitive year begins, Team 1676 is embarking on two initiatives: hosting a robotics competition at Pascack Hills on Oct. 18 and adding to its roster of sponsors.
Competing in robotics has been described as, “a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high school-aged young people discover how interesting rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be.” All competing teams get the same kit of parts and have six weeks to complete their robot that must be designed to perform the same specific tasks. The kit parts and tasks are different each year.
At “Pascack Panda-monium,” 32 teams from tri-state area high schools will scrimmage. Organizers expect more than 500 competitors and spectators. Kevin Killian, Team 1676 coach, said, “This is a post-season event created to bring tri-state high school robotics teams together for a day of competition, learning, inspiring and mentoring. Each team uses their unique skill-set to create a robot ‘athlete’ to play this year’s game. These kids have worked hard building their team robots, each crafting a different solution to the same problem.”
Organizers advise that with a mission that combines mind and spirit, the purpose of the event is to show kids, ages 8 to 18, that embracing technology – programming, mechanics, engineering, 3-D animation – is a joy not reserved exclusively for “computer geeks.”
Coach Killian said that being a member of a robotics team has many dividends. “These kids are inspired to pursue technical careers and want to help solve the world’s issues.” He said in 2008 alone, team members – both boys and girls – were awarded more than $100,000 in college scholarships, most of which was directly connected to their robotic participation.
Admission to the competition is free for spectators. One parent compared the atmosphere at a robotics competition to that of a typical high school basketball game. “Rock music blaring over loudspeakers, crowds roaring and mascots dancing wildly to excite the crowd into a standing ovation, as the play-by-play announcer heightens the spirit of the arena,” she said.
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Sponsorship opportunities
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Platinum - $5,000 and above
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The sponsor’s logo will be displayed on the 2009 team robot and the team uniform. The sponsors will have a link to their business on the team Web site. A 10 X 4 banner will be displayed at the “Pascack Panda-monium” event and the sponsor is entitled to a full-page ad in the event’s ad journal. At the event, a table will be available for the display their products and/or literature.
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Gold - $1,000 to $4,999
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The sponsor’s logo will be displayed on the 2009 team uniform, and there will be a link to their business at the team’s Web site. A 5 X 4 banner will be displayed at the “Pascack Panda-monium” event and the sponsor is entitled to a half-page ad in the ad journal, and at the event a table will be available for the display of their products and/or literature.
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Silver - $500 to $999
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The sponsor’s Web site will be linked at the team Web site. A 5 X 4 banner will be displayed at the “Pascack Panda-monium” event and they will be entitled to a quarter-page ad in the ad journal.
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Bronze - $100 to $499
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The sponsor’s Web site will be linked at the team Web site and they will be entitled to a half-page ad in the ad journal.
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For more information about sponsorships or to discuss other sponsorship options, call Lisa Ruggieri at 201-893-1281.
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For the team to continue its growth, they are looking for more sponsors and have devised a multi-level “menu” of options. In addition, they are willing to customize whatever works best for each sponsor. Their current corporate sponsors include KPMG LLL, Montvale; Dassault Falcon Jet; LaCOUR; the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J., and Honeywell, Inc. In addition, the
Pascack
Valley
Regional
High
School District has strongly supported the team since its inception.
For the team to continue its growth, they are looking for more sponsors and have devised a multi-level “menu” of options. In addition, they are willing to customize whatever works best for each sponsor. Their current corporate sponsors include KPMG LLL, Montvale; Dassault Falcon Jet; LaCOUR; the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J., and Honeywell, Inc. In addition, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District has strongly supported the team since its inception.
Bruce Pau, office managing partner at KPMG said, “It is truly a pleasure to sponsor a group of students who plan on following admirable pursuits and who give back to the community in so many ways. Being on a team is not just about competition, it’s about sharing resources and knowledge with others so that everyone has an opportunity to succeed.” About the upcoming “Panda-monium” competition, he said, “We encourage the community to come out, see what it’s all about, have some fun and support our kids.”
The team recently held meetings for prospective members at both
Pascack
Valley and Pascack Hills. Although 10 members of the team graduated in 2008, the team is looking forward to a great competitive season and welcoming new members.
For more information about the Pascack Pi-oneers, visit www.team1676.com. For information about FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - the non-profit organization established in 1989 by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter, that sponsors annual robot competitions among students worldwide, visit www.usfirst.com.
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
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