Bensalem’s Fightin’ Robotic Owls Team 5401 will enter tallest robot yet in 2018 FIRST Competition
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
The Bensalem High School Fightin’ Robotic Owls Team 5401 isn’t your average after-school club. It’s basically a family. For the past six weeks, the lives of BHS’s best and brightest students have revolved around a singular goal — to build the team’s tallest robot to date to enter into the 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition.
After 689 hours spent in the robotics lab and 1,530 slices of pizza consumed (yes, they kept track), the students unveiled their final product to the public during a special presentation and demonstration on Feb. 27.
Situated in the center of the lab was a massive platform, or “game field,” which simulated the objective of FIRST. Teams must use their robot to transfer “power cubes” from one scale to another across the field to gain advantages and earn points.
As members of Team 5401 operated their creation, with two behind the controls and one on the platform guiding the robot as it lifted the large, yellow cubes with ease, there was an infectious sense of excitement throughout the room. After endless planning, building and coding, they knew their robot would be a strong contender in the intense competition.
FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is an international high school robotics competition that’s expected to welcome 3,650 teams and more than 91,000 participants this year. Founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST challenges teams to perform a prescribed task against a field of competitors, all while providing teens with real-world experience in engineering, collaboration and making the most out of limited resources.
Though FIGHT pushes participants to their intellectual limits, the Fightin’ Robotic Owls Team 5401 is once again ready to show competitors what it can do. Despite being formed only four years ago, the team has twice earned the coveted title of world champions, a major feat as far as robotic competitions go.
“It’s the equivalent of winning the NCAA Tournament,” team mentor Kevin McKay explained.
For these BHS students, taking home a third win would showcase not only their talents, but the solid support system they have behind them. According to McKay, Team 5401 receives no funding from the Bensalem Township School District. Rather, it’s entirely self-funded, relying on grants from the Bensalem Education Foundation and the generosity of community sponsors to make the existence of Team 5401 possible.
This season, the team raised $10,866.37 through fundraising, $3,484.70 through donations and $15,025 through sponsorships. Major support came from local officials including state Sen. Robert “Tommy” Tomlinson and state Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, as well as organizations such as Boeing, Oat Foundry, Comcast NBC Universal, Verizon Foundation, Vincenzo’s Pizzeria of Bensalem, Shenandoah Biotechnology, Department of Defense STEM and Pennsylvania Steel Company, Inc., among many others.
“These sponsors believe we’re doing something worthwhile,” explained senior Katherine “Kat” Matveykina, who serves as the team’s non-technical lead.
To drive home her point, Matveykina gave a brief presentation to explain why Team 5401 is more than an after-school club. “This isn’t a robot,” she said, as a video highlighting the team’s latest creation played behind her. “It’s a lesson in humility, hard work and collaboration. It’s a roadmap to engineering, a machine to build people who will change the world.”
Powerful, right? According to Matveykina, Team 5401 carries itself like any professional organization or competitive sport with the goal of preparing the next generation of leaders. Students are able to experience real-world situations and pick up valuable life skills, such as collaborating with peers of different backgrounds. Whether a student thrives in engineering, business or art, Matveykina stressed that a role can be found on the team for those with virtually any interest.
Being a part of Team 5401 also allows members to venture beyond the robotics lab and recognize the impact of hands-on community service. To show their team spirit, introduce others to FIRST and give back to those that support them, members participate in and raise money for various local events, including an annual walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the 31 Days of Thirty One raffle in November.
More on Team 5401 and its upcoming fundraising initiatives can be found at team5401.org or facebook.com/team5401. Its next competition will be on March 23–24 at Seneca High School in Tabernacle, New Jersey, followed by Hatboro-Horsham High School on March 30–31. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
