Robocup Junior Competition at Ohio University -- May 13, 2002

It's the game of soccer with a mechanical twist. The battery-powered players are made out of legos and they depend on infrared sensors to direct them around a tabletop playing field.

It was the first annual Robocup Junior Competition at Ohio University. The event was sponsored by the Colleges of Education and Science and Technology, and professor David Chelberg was the competition director.

Chelberg says, "We want to give back to the community, reach out to schools around here; especially in applachia. We need to encourage students to peruse careers in high technology."

Seventh graders from Alexander Junior High and Logan Middle School competed in the two-on-two competition Saturday. They made the robots from Lego Mindstorm kits and even developed the computer software to control them.

Professor Rosaline Romano of the College of Education says the idea was to encourage the kids to think about careers in high technology.

Romano says, "What we have is young people using the language of science technology of problem solving universal to scientists and right in front of our very eyes, creating the very reason why we went through this project in the first place."

The program began after approval of an 1804 grant from Ohio University, but will need more funding if it's to be held again next year.