Front (L to R): Mary Drummer, Nick Summers. Back: Whitney Canaday, Juliana Osgood, Tim Potter, Jacob Ramsey Smith, James Drummer, and Ethan Thill.
Two Miller Middle School teams competed at the FIRST LEGO League regional competition Saturday, Dec. 10, at Marshalltown Community College, with one team advancing to state.
The “Space Unicorns” won a trophy in Project Presentation, where teams explore an actual problem that scientists are trying to solve, develop an innovative solution, and share their findings.
This year’s theme is “Food Factor”, and the Space Unicorns’ project focused on the use of lasers in chicken processing as a means of reducing microbial contamination. The team includes Mary Drummer, Nick Summers, Whitney Canaday, Juliana Osgood, Tim Potter, Jacob Ramsey Smith, James Drummer, and Ethan Thill. Joel Thill assists as a tech coach.
The team will compete at the state FIRST LEGO League contest Jan. 14, 2012, at the Iowa State University College of Engineering. Out of 200 teams competing at regionals, only 72 qualified for state.
The “Mango-pacas” were sponsored by the Girl Scouts and won a certificate in Programming for their efficient use of code. This team includes Emma Alman, Olivia Arneson (Lenihan), Haley Hodges, Victoria Johnson (Lenihan), Hannah Lindgren, Andrea Lothe, Olyvia Mathews, and Sydnie Wohlert. Their coaches are Janine McCormick and Nate McCormick.
