NEWS RELEASE
NOTRE-DAME-DU-SAULT
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The Notre-Dame-du-Sault (NDS) Alpha robotics team is travelling to the World Robotics VEX Competition in Louisville, Ky., April 26 to May 1.
The team members are Luke Dallaire, Cole Clement, Gabriela Gutierrez, Ella Dubreuil, and Liam Spacek who are in Grades 7 and 8.
These five students have an immense passion for robotics. They were successful in both the Sault Ste. Marie Northern Ontario qualifier in January and the provincial robotics competition in Brampton in March. Their next challenge is competing on the world stage against 412 other robotics teams that represent more than 45 countries across the globe.
The NDS Alpha team has designed and built a robot with remote-control capabilities, as well as autonomous control. The robot uses light sensors, gyro sensors and rotation sensors to control the position while competing for points on the game field. The team programmed the robot using Robot C, which is a computer coding language used for these types of applications. This is similar to what the robotics industry uses today in the manufacturing industry.
The robotics program at NDS, which is coached by David Spacek, a professional engineer in the community, has been teaching and mentoring students for the past eight years. Last year, the NDS robotics team also travelled to Kentucky for VEX Worlds Robotics and placed 44th out of more than 400 teams. Their goal this year is to improve on that performance, as well as showcase their STEM Research project, which quantifies the problem of toxic algae blooms in the Great Lakes and identifies steps Sault Ste. Marie can take to promote environmental stewardship to reduce phosphates being released into the Great Lakes. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which are all core values of the robotics program. The NDS Alpha’s STEM project has won first place in Ontario.
They would like to thank their sponsors who help them promote STEM in the community by making their trip possible. Their sponsors include Tenaris, WSP Canada, Elliott Engineering, IDEA Inc., Wajax Industrial Solutions, SK Group, Domino’s Pizza, RF Contracting, Construction Equipment, Northern Dental Care, Professional Engineers Ontario, Soo Foundry, Soo Pee Wee Pro Shop, MET Energy, Canadian Bearings, Home Siding Shop, Soo Dance Unlimited, Dr. Lynda Robb, Hard Chargers Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Customs and Immigration Union (Local 26), Avery Construction, Savoy’s Jewellers, Notre Dame du Sault, and the Conseil Scolaire Catholique du Nouvel-Ontario.
Thank you as well to those who have contributed on the team’s GoFundMe page.
NDS Alpha would like to wish its fellow teams from the area, Lone Wolf and Ismak, the best of luck. Those teams will be competing at the VEX Worlds Competition as well.
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