By Hanna Singh
The Ruston High School Bearcats Robotics Team represented Region 8 at NASA’s Space Day at the Louisiana State Capitol. They exhibited their competition robot, joining other robotics teams from across the state to showcase various STEM initiatives for middle and high school students.
The event also featured presentations from the directors of Hunstville, Alabama, and Michoud (New Orleans) NASA facilities, the director of Greater New Orleans, Inc., and the public relations director from Boeing. The speakers emphasized the importance of STEM-careers and how they benefit the future workforce.
The team also had the opportunity to hear from NASA astronaut, Josh Cassada, who shared his inspiring academic journey from earning a doctorate in particle physics to becoming a Navy test pilot and eventually working for NASA. Cassada, who spent 157 days on the International Space Station, encouraged students to have academic courage and not be intimidated by tough-sounding subjects. He advised the teams to embrace challenges throughout their academic and career journeys.
The Bearcats Robotics is currently in its second year as a FIRST Robotics Competition Team. During the 2023-24 school year, they competed in two regional competitions, designing and building robots from parts and pieces to compete. The students programmed their robots using JAVA to perform tasks such as driving, taking turns and manipulating game pieces. In the current off-season, the team is focused on making significant performance improvements to their 2024 competition robot.
Robotics team coach Sarah Wages acknowledged the impressive work the team displayed throughout its second year of competition status.
“Our young team has shown extraordinary tenacity and maintains a positive outlook despite challenges that come our way,” Wages said. “We are so excited to see our robot back on the competition field.
The Bearcats Robotics Team will be competing in the Northshore Knockout Competition in Mandeville on July 20.
