PLAINSBORO: WW-P robotics team wins regional competition

   In a competition against 60 other teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the West Windsor-Plainsboro FIRST Robotics Team No. 1923, MidKnight Inventors, was a top winner in the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition, New Jersey Regional; Team No. 1923 is part of the winning alliance of three teams. Team No. 1923 also won the Judges Award for building their robot in a short time frame with few resources and facing major challenges.
   The school team, composed of students from High School North, High School South, and a local resident, receives support from the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, a division of Ortho-Janssen-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Integra Foundation, Ashtin Electrical Contractors, and Friends of 1923.
   Team captain Libby Kamen, a senior at High School North, said ““This is my last year on the team. I am so proud of the team members for stepping up and working as hard as they did. We are looking forward to the world championship in Atlanta.”
   Marcia Smith Fleres, executive director of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation, added, “We are proud of Team No. 1923 for its inspiring efforts and congratulate them on a successful journey and the life lessons learned along the way.”
   For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is an organization that promotes an appreciation of science and technology in today’s youth. The FIRST Robotics Competition allows student teams from different schools to compete against one another to determine which teams created the best robots. he competition itself consists of a game called Lunacy, which is designed to highlight the capabilities of each robot while simultaneously eliminating teams as they progress toward the finals.
West Windsor-Plainsboro’s FIRST Robotics Team No. 1923 scored big in the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition, New Jersey Regional. From left: Amanda Lagana, Gerri Falk, Krishna Yarabarla, Mark Fleres, Shivang Patel, Kishan Desai (hidden), Mehul Tanwar, Matt Lagana, Sarah Brooks, Katie Stevens, Wayne Penn (FIRST mentor), Heather Nelson, Bridget Riley, Taimur Shah, Kelsey Stevens, Gareth Dicker, and Libby Kamen, team captain (seated).