November 13, 2009 in City

North Idaho students enter robotics contest

From Staff Reports The Spokesman-Review

Tags: North Idaho Discovery Association robotics

Students form two teams

The students will compete in two teams.

The first team: Stephen Goodwin, Zach Harvest, Nick Induni and Jake Taylor, of Coeur d’Alene High School; Enmar Abrams, of Post Falls High School; Blake Alfson, of Lakeland High School; and Tyler Dahl, of Classical Christian Academy.

The second team: Keith Cancel, Jacob Kaessinger and Jacob Merz, all of Bonners Ferry High School.

Ten North Idaho high school students are scheduled to travel to Boston next month to participate in a robotics competition devised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA.

“This competition is a challenge to see which team can successfully program a small satellite to accomplish a particular set of tasks while avoiding being hit by other objects in space,” said Brian Induni, executive director of business and marketing for the North Idaho Discovery Association, a North Idaho nonprofit organization paying for the students’ trip. The students will speak directly with astronauts and will have their programs run on the International Space Station, Induni said in a news release.

NIDA promotes learning and innovation in science and technology through hands-on experience and mentor-based programs. The nonprofit sponsors more than 120 regional robotics teams.