Students Compete in International Robotics Competition

Westminster College students recently returned to campus after competing in the Trinity College Firefighting Home Robot Competition in Hartford, Ct.

Dr. David Shaffer, associate professor of mathematics and computer science, advised the group of five computer science students, six students from area high schools and one student from an area elementary school. The international competition hosted 140 teams from the United States, Canada, China, Portugal, Israel and Indonesia. The Westminster students were funded by the Drinko Center for Experiential Learning and the math and computer science department.

During the competition, students programmed their robots to autonomously navigate through a mock home, find a candle and extinguish it. Two Westminster robots placed in the top ten: “SuperNova” created by Ben Parker and Anthony Groves, placed third, and “Flippy,” created by Chris Mazur and Rachael Huff, placed tenth.

More information about the competition can be found at http://www.trinityrobotcontest.org/.

Contact Shaffer at cdshaffer@acm.org or 724-372-0430 with questions.

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Student Information: 

Benjamin Parker, a senior computer science major, is a son of Robin Smith and a graduate of Knoch Senior High School.

John Griebel, a senior mathematics major, is a son of John and Jackie Griebel and a graduate of Keystone High School.

Rachael Huff, a first year computer science major, is a daughter of Jeffery and Laurel Huff and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.

Anthony Groves, a sophomore computer science major, is a son of Keith and Debra Groves and a graduate of Trinity High School.

Christopher Mazur, a first year neuroscience major, is a con of Rob and Diana Mazur and a graduate of West Middlesex Area High School. 

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