Circuit Sisters, Girls Inc. of Southwestern CT’s all-girl robotics team won First Place in Robot Performance at the Saturday, November 19, 2011 Regional FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition in Suffield, CT. To win the 2011 regional competition (themed “Food Factor”) the middle school-age Circuit Sisters constructed Lego components including farm animals, fish, vegetables, harvesters, trucks, boats, cranes, etc. and laid out a course for their robot to complete missions.
The Circuit Sisters — Andreana, Ariah, Carina, Emily, Jillian, Joyce, Maryam, Sashee, and Stephanie — not only built their Lego robot but also programmed it to perform the required tasks of safely delivering food from farm to table without contamination. The girls were guided by three volunteer GE Energy engineers, Joe Henry, Will Maurer, and Gary Michaelis , who made sure the girls did all the building, programming, and troubleshooting themselves for maximum learning.
Approximately 15 teams competed in Suffield, with Waterbury’s Circuit Sisters being the only all-girl team. Each team was allowed several attempts to achieve the highest score. With the teams jockeying for position as the day progressed, Circuit Sisters finally emerged victorious with 130 points to win the Robot Performance trophy and a golden ticket to the CT State FIRST Lego League Robotics Finals to be held Sunday, December 11, 2011 at Central CT State University.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our Circuit Sisters team,” said Anna Henry, Girls Inc. of Southwestern CT Chief Operating Officer. “This is their fourth year at the FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition, and each year they excel even more. They work hard and really love the engineering and technology involved. They want to pursue college and careers in science, engineering, and technology, and Girls Inc. will encourage them all the way!”
For more information about Girls Inc. of Southwestern CT, which serves and inspires Greater Waterbury and Fairfield County girls to be “Strong, Smart, and Bold?,” please contact the GISWCT Waterbury office at (203) 756-4639 or Fairfield County office at (203) 536-3322, or visit www.girlsincswct.org.