DUBOIS – The 4-H DEADLOX FRC Team 4484 has started its second season in preparing for the 2014 Greater Pittsburgh FIRST Robotics Competition set for March 27-29 at California University of Pennsylvania.
In early December, team members learned that they were selected as recipients of the 2014 NASA Robotics Alliance Project Grant. The team received this program growth grant for the second consecutive year. The grant helped provide funding to cover the team’s registration through FIRST and the kit or parts costs for the 2014 season.
On Dec. 27–28, the team hosted a LabVIEW data acquisition programming class presented by Data Science Automation at the Brockway Area High School. This was the third training hosted by 4-H DEADLOX FRC Team 4484 over the past 12 months. Four team members and two mentors completed the two-day training.
On Jan. 4, the team traveled to Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh to take part in the FIRST Robotics Competition Kick-Off. Kick-off marks the start of the six-week build season and unveils what the 2014 game will be.
The 2014 game will be “AERIAL ASSIST,” and is played by two competing alliances of three robots each on a flat 25-foot by 54-foot field, straddled by a truss suspended just more than five feet above the floor. The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two-minute and 30-second match. The more alliances score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their alliance receives.
The team’s 2014 build season is taking place in DuBois. The team is holding various fundraisers to help cover the many expenses involved in the build and design of the robot, as well as a funding plan to sustain the program well into the future. The team is also planning events to help show the community what robotics is all about.
For additional information on sponsoring 4-H DEADLOX FRC Team 4484 for the upcoming season, please contact Jana Davidson at Penn State Extension in Clearfield County at 814-765-7878, Ext. 3.
The 4-H is a non-formal youth development educational program of Penn State Extension for all youth between the ages of 8 and 19, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, genetic information, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status.
