280 Living Wired in
280Living.com
January 2013 |January Volume 62013 | Issue 5
neighborly news & entertainment
Area robotics programs start early to build next generation of engineers
Women of
280
Each January, 280 Living recognizes the businesswomen of our community whose tremendous energy and character shine through in all they do. Learn more about these amazing ambassadors for 280 inside.
280 page 13
Total breakdown
ALDOT’s proposed changes to U.S. Highway 280 are broken down by intersection inside. Cut out the confusion and see if your light stays or goes.
280 News page 6
Player of the Year
Best of the
BEST
Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
Spain Park junior Andrew Forsyth pilots the Engineering Academy’s 2012 robot in a test run after the regional BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) competition in Auburn. For BEST, students add PVC, metal and wood to competition-issued engines and computer chips to create robots that perform certain tasks. Spain Park’s robot, above, placed third in Robotics and was awarded Most Elegant Robot and Most Robust Robot at BEST.
It all starts with LEGOs: The Joseph Bruno Montessori Academy Lego Robotics Team placed second at its regional qualifier on Dec. 1. Kneeling: Elizabeth Bray. Front row: Ashton Tyler-Dudley, Deven Patel, Will Davis, Hannah Bray, Bela Patel and Soha Rasool. Back row: Katie Maxfield, Davis Tyler-Dudley and Thomas Rooney. Photo by Jeff Thompson.
By JEFF THOMPSON Some high school students are pushing themselves to their limits. They spend hours on the practice field, their test runs becoming test marathons. They end their evenings with dirty hands and tired brains. They rinse and repeat – all for one run at victory. It isn’t a traditional sport that’s driving them – it’s robotics. Students attending schools in the 280 corridor are seeing an increased focus on robotics programs, and a culture of engineering is blossoming. It goes handin-hand with a national push for education in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). In 2012 alone, Congress considered 30 bills that promote and forward these programs in public education systems. Locally, engineering classes are popping up in middle and elementary schools, including Berry and Oak Mountain. These feeder programs awaken interest in STEM fields for some young students and drive them toward joining and dedicating
themselves to “varsity” programs at the secondary level – students like Matthew Parent, a 17-year-old senior member of the Oak Mountain High School Robotics Club. “Of course, it all started with LEGOs,” he said. For many others, that’s exactly where it begins. Engineering competitions using LEGO building blocks weren’t around when Parent was moving through the system, but now younger students can join teams of toy bricklayers. On Dec. 1, the Joseph Bruno Montessori Academy (JBMA) Lego Robotics team, called EGGO My LEGO, took second place from a field of nine at the Central Alabama FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League Qualifier held at the school. The team, comprised of 11 students ages 10-13, prepared for months for the contest, working on both their robot and a corresponding research project themed “Senior Solutions.”
See ROBOTICS | page 29
Spain Park quarterback Nick Mullens took the Jags to the semi-finals of the AHSAA playoffs and, for that and many other reasons, has been named Gatorade’s Alabama Football Player of the Year. Find out more about Mullens and his standout season inside.
Sports page 24
Let’s take this party
somewhere else
Don’t feel like throwing your own BCS National Championship party this year? Find a list of where to watch inside.
Where to Watch page 28
INSIDE Sponsors ...................... 4 280 News ..................... 6 Business ........................8 Food .............................. 11 Community ................. 21
School House ........... 22 Sports ........................ 24 Faith ........................... 26 Opinion ...................... 28 Calendar .................... 30
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