Tuesday, November 21, 2006
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – Innovative students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore used LEGO materials for prototyping and as components for two robot designs that placed first and seventh at the American Society of Engineering Education’s national student design competition in Chicago earlier this summer. There, freshman and sophomore students comprised 16 teams from 10 community colleges and universities.
UMES students Lee Long, a mechanical engineering major from Crisfield; LiAundra Calhoun, an engineering technology/mechanical engineering technology major from Annapolis; Mark Bivens, an engineering technology/electrical engineering technology major from Accokeek; Travis Turner, a math and computer science major from Princess Anne; and Amy Jarrett, a mechanical engineering major from Bivalve, designed and constructed two robots capable of depositing standard ping-pong balls into pockets located in the corners of an 8 foot by 8 foot square track..
In the competition where the perfect robotic design could earn up to 565 points, the UMES Hawks-1 one-car design earned 529 points, taking first place, and the Infrared Controlled UMES Hawks-4 four-car design earned 270 points. Other design members were James Vainqueur, an engineering technology/mechanical engineering technology major from Silver Spring; LamisAbunora, an engineering technology/electrical engineering technology major from Salisbury; TemitopeOlowoporoku, an electrical engineering major from Lagos, Nigeria; DagemMengeste, an engineering/mechanical engineering major from Silver Spring; Vernon Carter, an engineering/mechanical engineering technology major from Edgewater, NJ; and LonkoTuma, an engineering/electrical engineering major from Philadelphia, PA. The total time spent on the projects was more than 750 hours, and Drs. Emin Yilmaz, professor in the Department of Technology, and Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, professor in the Department of Engineering & Aviation Sciences, served as faculty advisors.
“Participating students from engineering, engineering technology and mathematics and computer science should be congratulated for their dedication and hard work and for completing successful design projects,” said Dr. Leon Copeland Sr., chair of the Department of Technology.
Participating students and faculty represent various programs within the School of Business and Technology at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-651-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
