First place at FIRST event

HHS Robotics Team captures the top honor at a regional competition in Trenton at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

By: Donna Lukiw
   The Hillsborough High School Robotics Team "went crazy" when it heard it received the Chairman’s Award, the highest award a team could receive, at the New Jersey FIRST Robotics regional competition in Trenton at the Sovereign Bank Arena on March 3.
   "It was pandemonium," co-Captain Andrew Douglas said. "It’s been 12 years that we’ve been working on this. Finally, we received the Chairman’s Award."
   Because HHS won the award in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition, the team automatically qualified to compete in the national competition from April 12 to 14 in Atlanta.
   On Wednesday, the team will be competing in another regional competition in Annapolis, Md., at the Naval Academy.
   FIRST added the Chairman’s Award in 1992 to acknowledge a team’s commitment and efforts toward achieving the goal of spreading technology awareness throughout the school and community.
   The award is presented to the team that has shown continued success and commitment in promoting an appreciation for science and technology to students of all ages.
   Two key projects for the team focused on holding school assemblies to involve more women in science and to enlist the help of elected officials to declare Feb. 26 through March 3 as Technology Innovation Week in New Jersey.
   The resolution celebrates the efforts of high school-age participants in the 2007 New Jersey FIRST Robotics Competition that took place last month.
   "We really try to expand the program past the Robotics Team," Captain Eric Chang said. "In the school we’ve started a science honor society and there will be a course next year — ‘Intro to Technology.’ It’s a big, huge effort."
   Now, the team is preparing to go to Atlanta to vie for the Chairman’s Award on the national level.
   "Our hope would be to win the Chairman’s Award in nationals which would qualify us for a championship every year," Andrew said.