Colonial Beach Mayor Robin Schick visits the Colonial Beach High School robotics team as they run their robot through a practice course during the second day of the High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
When Rappahannock High School received materials to construct a robot for the second annual High School Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren, physics and math teacher Preston Ailor noticed students became frustrated.
They were unable to code the robot for motion and some were ready to give up before sophomore Ricardo Alvarez stepped in. “The next thing you know, Ricardo sits it on the floor and it is running around the classroom like a pet,” Ailor said. “He is just a wizard with it.”
Alvarez put his wizardry on display, helping Rappahannock land the top spot at the Innovation Challenge held March 31 to April 1 at the University of Mary Washington’s (UMW) Dahlgren Campus.
Designed to engage students with STEM learning, the challenge welcomed 22 teams from 19 schools across the Fredericksburg region, from New Kent to Stafford and throughout the Northern Neck.
The two-day competition had students programming robots to complete simulated missions to maneuver a course and retrieve an object crucial to national security. It was hosted by Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), UMW, MITRE Corporation, the Fredericksburg Regional Military Affairs Council and King George Economic Development Authority. Read more.
