South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics MIT/NASA Zero Robotics Team Ranks 11th in Nation
December 11, 2011
COLUMBIA, SC – December 9, 2011 – The Governor’s School for Scienceand Mathematics (GSSM) robotics team, Pirate Squad, recently advanced tothe semi-finals in the Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge 2011, which isorganized by MIT and NASA. As the only team from South Carolina, thePirate Squad competed against more than 200 teams, ranking 11th in thenation and 14th in the world.
During the Zero Roboticscompetition, student teams wrote their own autonomous computer programsto control small spherical satellites in the International Space Station(ISS). The first round of competition was a two-dimensional (2D)simulation, while the second and third rounds were three-dimensional(3D). The third round, which took place December 2, included 54 teams,grouped into 18 alliances comprised of three teams each. The top ninealliances (27 teams) will go on to have their programs tested on a realsatellite aboard the ISS.
GSSM students on the Pirate Squadinclude Karl Schober of Greer, Paul W. Park of Columbia, Michael Lu ofFlorence, T.J. Melanson of Hilton Head Island and Joshua Seth Boland ofOrangeburg.
I am very proud of the hard work and hours ofprogramming that the team completed, says Elizabeth Bunn, GSSM computerscience instructor. We all had an amazing experience and learned morethan we ever imagined!
The SPHERES Challenge is held every fallto expose high school students to the outstanding research facilitieson the ISS. The goal is to cultivate critical engineering skills instudents, such as problem solving, design thought process, operationstraining and team work. The competition ultimately aims to inspirefuture scientists and engineers to push the limits of engineering andspace exploration.
To view the complete competition rankings and learn more about Zero Robotics, visit their website.
About
The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics
The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics(GSSM) is a two-year, public, residential high school in Hartsville, SC,specializing in the advanced study of science, technology, engineeringand math (STEM), with a unique emphasis on economics andentrepreneurship.GSSM can serve as many as 300 high school juniors andseniors annually from across the state. In addition, the school impactsmore than 24,000 teachers and students each year through its innovativeoutreach programs. Newsweek and The Washington Post consistently rankGSSM among the Top 20 public elite high schools in the nation.
InMarch 2011, GSSM launched the Wave Campaign to build awareness, energyand momentum around the study of STEM.
GSSM is committed to helpingbridge the achievement gap for our low achievers, providinggame-changing opportunities to our high achievers and building astronger workforce, ultimately impacting economic development.
GSSM isasking that all South Carolinians Do the Wave in support of STEMeducation. Support can be shown by flying the icon for the campaign, theflag, either at your home, business or on Facebook.
Learn more andstart waving by visiting www.scgssm.org or www.dothewavesc.com.
