Lebanon robotics club stays busy with rebuilding

LEBANON - It's August, which means the Scalawags are rebuilding.

The Lebanon-area high school FIRST robotics team is seeking new members for the 2010 competition season. Although team members won't get the rules and pieces for their next robot competition until January, they have scrimmages scheduled this fall with their old robot to keep in practice.

Problem is, the old robot needs some rebuilding, too. That makes August a perfect time for new high school students to join the team, get to know each other and learn the basics of robot design, construction and repair before the competitions get critical, said Daron "Guppy" Schmadeka, the team's president.

Meetings take place each Tuesday in Lebanon. Team members also spend the off season doing presentations and community service projects.

This is Schmadeka's third year on the pirate-themed team. "It's like a good kind of stress," he said.

Schmadeka joined because he's interested in an engineering career and knows FIRST has multiple scholarship opportunities.

That's true, said Bill Buskirk, one of the adult mentors. However, he said, the team needs people with a wide spectrum of skills. Marketing, finance, administration, communication and general creativity all have a place in FIRST.

"We are actually like a small business," he said.

Created by inventor Dean Kamen of Segway fame and sponsored by NASA, FIRST stands for First Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The idea is to spur, and sustain, interest in careers in engineering and technology.

High school students can be part of FIRST robotics teams. Younger students compete in FIRST Lego robotics events.

Lebanon's team is unique in that it is also a Boy Scout Venture Crew, which opens membership to youths beyond Lebanon High School. (The Boy Scouts of America are the parent group for Venture Crews, but membership is coed.) Homeschoolers, private school students or high schoolers from Albany, Sweet Home and other cities are welcome.

No previous experience is necessary, Buskirk said. Youths who came in last year with only the vaguest idea of how to hold a screwdriver now know how to build a pneumatic system to deliver a payload of plastic balls.

Much depends on mentors and sponsors, and more of both are needed, Buskirk said. "We're really looking for people in Lebanon to step forward and support this program."

Garage sale

The Scalawags, Lebanon's FIRST robotics team and Venture Crew, will have a garage sale this weekend to raise funds for the 2009-10 competition season.

The sale lasts until 4 p.m. today and runs 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at 813 Manor Way, Lebanon.

Sponsorships and monetary contributions also are welcome. For more information, call (541) 928-5087.