Angi Agle Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Robotics: After regional alliance win, Secret City Wildbots will compete in World Finals in Houston

Posted at 3:18 pm March 27, 2018
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After a regional alliance win at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, March 24, 2018, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge (Team 4265) is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April. (Photo by Angi Agle)

Information and photos submitted by Angi Agle

KNOXVILLE—After a regional alliance win in Knoxville on Saturday, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April.

The Wildbots finished the qualification rounds ranked number eight at Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee. That made the Wildbots a team captain, eligible to select two more teams for their alliance.

However, captains select their alliance partners in the first round, with the highest-ranked team picking first. Team 2614, MARS (Mountain Area Robotics) of Morgantown, West Virginia, was the number one seed and selected Team 4265 (the Secret City Wildbots) as their first alliance pick.

The two then agreed upon Team 4306, the Robo Komodos of Franklin, Tennessee, as their third alliance partner. [Read more…]

Ben Stephens appointed to Oak Ridge school board

Posted at 1:01 pm March 27, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Ben Stephens

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday appointed Benjamin Stephens to fill the seat being vacated by Vice Chair Robert S. Eby, who is resigning at the end of March in order to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education.

Stephens will serve through the county election in August. The winning candidate in that election will then serve through the November election, which will have candidates for municipal, state, and federal offices.

Stephens is manager of academic partnerships at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been involved in community activities, and he serves on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

At Monday’s meeting, BOE member Angi Agle said she and Laura McLean, another board member, served on a 2020 Committee with Stephens and were impressed with his service there.

Stephens said he has worked with the board on several strategic plans, and he is honored to serve on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots competing in Palmetto robotics competition

Posted at 9:21 am March 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Secret City Wildbots compete in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition on Friday, March 2, 2018. Pictured above, Mantis, the robot, loads a cube for a powerup. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots are competing in the Palmetto regional robotics competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend.

The Wildbots ended the first day of qualification rounds on Friday with four wins and three losses, Oak Ridge Board of Education member Angi Agle said. In two of the losses, the third robot on the team did not play, and Oak Ridge was 2-on-3 for both of those.

The Wildbots ended the day ranked 33rd of 64, with two more matches today (Saturday, March 3). Number 75 is scheduled for 9:42 a.m., and Number 96 is at 12:09 p.m. Alliance selections should occur at 12:15 p.m.

Agle said Mantis, the robot, has performed better with each successive match, so two more wins could significantly improve Oak Ridge’s standing, “thereby improving our odds of being selected for an alliance for the elimination rounds tomorrow afternoon (Saturday afternoon).” [Read more…]

School board expects to ask city for more money for salary increases for staff

Posted at 7:54 pm May 17, 2017
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Schools presented its proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 to the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education expects to ask the Oak Ridge City Council for more money for a 2.5 percent salary increase for teachers and staff members.

The total amount needed to fund the 2.5 percent salary increase is $855,810, after about $98,000 worth of budget adjustments.

Most of the money for the salary increase could be available if the City of Oak Ridge agrees to continue putting into the budget $538,046 worth of funding that was given to the school system last year on a one-time basis to help pay for a digital device initiative that includes convertible laptops for students, among other expenses. In other words, the school board will ask the city to make that $538,046 a recurring source of funding, as opposed to non-recurring (one-time) money.

The school board will then ask for an additional $317,764 on top of the $538,046, or $855,810 total.

Oak Ridge Vice Chair Bob Eby made the proposal to ask for increased funding from the city. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge teams take top honors in FIRST Robotics World Festival

Posted at 5:44 pm April 28, 2017
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Secret City Wildbots FRC Houston 10 April 22 2017 Agle

The Secret City Wildbots, Team 4265, were underdogs in the quarterfinals, but they survived to the semifinals where they lost to the number one seed in the First Robotics World Championship in Houston on Saturday, April 22, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

From Wednesday to Saturday last week, the Master Builders (Team 3132) from Jefferson Middle School and the Secret City Wildbots (Team 4265) from Oak Ridge High School competed in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics World Festival in Houston, Texas.

“We are pleased to announce that both teams experienced success in the World Festival,” Oak Ridge Schools said in a press release.

The Jefferson Middle School FIRST LEGO League team, the Master Builders, received trophies for the top awards in the world for first place in robot performance and second place in programming during the FIRST Robotics World Festival in Houston, Texas from April 19-22, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The FIRST LEGO League team, The Master Builders from Jefferson Middle School, received trophies for the top awards in the world for first place in robot performance, and second place in programming. There were 108 teams present for FIRST LEGO League at the World Festival from all over the globe, the press release said. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots survived to semifinals before loss to No. 1 seed

Posted at 10:07 am April 26, 2017
By Angi Agle Leave a Comment

The Secret City Wildbots, Team 4265, were underdogs in the quarterfinals, but they survived to the semifinals where they lost to the number one seed in the First Robotics World Championship in Houston on Saturday, April 22, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

HOUSTON—The Secret City Wildbots were underdogs in the quarterfinals, but they survived to the semifinals where they lost to the number one seed in the First Robotics World Championship in Houston on Saturday.

Alliance member Team 3824, Hardin Valley RoHawkTics, suffered a drive train failure after the first semifinal round, and was replaced by backup Team 3140, Farragut Flagship.

“Despite a great performance, the alliance fell to the team led by Team 973, the Greybots of Atascadero, California,” Oak Ridge Board of Education member Angi Agle said.

“This is the first time, to my knowledge, that these three teams (Oak Ridge, Hardin Valley, and Farragut) have partnered on the same alliance,” Agle said. “Hopefully, this will open the door to increased collaboration in future years, embodying the FIRST spirit of ‘coopretition.'” [Read more…]

Photos: Secret City Wildbots competing in First Robotics Championship in Houston

Posted at 11:47 am April 21, 2017
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The Secret City Wildbots Team 4265’s robot, Luna, successfully climbs at the end of the second qualifying match of the day at the First Robotics Championship in Houston on Thursday, April 20, 2017, with the drive team in background. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots Team 4265 are competing in the First Robotics Championship in Houston this week.

Qualifying matches started Thursday, and there are matches scheduled for today (Friday, April 21).

Here is a schedule sent by Angi Agle, with Team 4265 playing at the following times and with corresponding match numbers, in case the matches run off schedule: [Read more…]

Photo: JMS First Lego League team competing in Houston

Posted at 11:31 am April 21, 2017
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At the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, the Jefferson Middle School First Lego League team, the JMS Master Builders, is also competing in the FLL Division. Pictured above on Thursday, April 20, 2017, are team members, from left to right, Matthew Alexander, Thora Spence, Amelia Thomson, Jessica Mohr, Stella Scott, and Adam Blanchard. (Photo by Angi Agle)

At the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, the Jefferson Middle School First Lego League team, the JMS Master Builders, is competing in the FLL Division (see photo above).

The FLL matches began Thursday at 12:50 p.m. Central time.

Photo and information provided by Angi Agle.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Secret City Wildbots going to robotics championship

Posted at 9:27 pm March 25, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Secret City Wildbots, Team 4265 of Oak Ridge, celebrate their second semifinals win to advance to the finals at the Smoky Mountain Regional in Knoxville on Saturday, March 25, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots won the Engineering Inspiration Award in the Smoky Mountain Regional on Saturday, and the Wildbots, Team 4265 of Oak Ridge, will advance to the FIRST Robotics Championship in Houston on April 19.

The Wildbots had advanced throughout the day on Saturday, said Angi Agle, an Oak Ridge Board of Education member who attended this week’s robotics competition at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

The team finished qualifying in third place, so it advanced to the quarterfinals. They won the first quarterfinal 455-273.

They tied the first semifinal round against a Hardin Valley-led alliance and then won the second semifinal against Hardin Valley, Agle said. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots start qualification rounds Friday morning at Smoky Mountain Regional

Posted at 8:29 am March 24, 2017
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Members of the Secret City Wildbots crew work on Luna, the 2017 robot, during the opening practice matches on Thursday, March 23, 2017. At left (in black long sleeves) is Eric Thornton; center (also in black) is Jacob LaRose, Luke Buckner (next in yellow) as a graduate advisor, Caden Webb (in pink), mentor Chuck Agle (in black, back to camera), and Olivia Mahathy (in black, back to camera). (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots start qualifications rounds Friday morning at the Smoky Mountain Regional in Knoxville.

The first match for the Wildbots, Team 4265 from Oak Ridge, is scheduled at about 9:45 a.m. Friday. It’s Match Number 7 at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Wildbots are competing in the FIRST Robotics “FIRST Steamworks” challenge, which is scheduled from Thursday, March 23, to Saturday, March 25. Their 2017 robot is named Luna.

There were practice matches on Thursday. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots to compete at Smoky Mountain Regional this week

Posted at 3:36 pm March 22, 2017
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

The Secret City Wildbots are primed for competition this weekend in the FIRST Robotics “FIRST Steamworks” challenge at Thompson Boling Arena in Knoxville from March 23-25, 2017. (Submitted photo)

The Secret City Wildbots are primed for competition this weekend in the FIRST Robotics “FIRST Steamworks” challenge.

This year’s event is scheduled from Thursday, March 23, to Saturday, March 25 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. It invites teams and their robots to join an adventure club and prepare their airship for flight. Teams were challenged to build their robot for collecting and placing gears on their airship for their pilots (the team’s human player) to populate gear trains to start their airships rotors, scoring fuel (“wiffleballs”) into a low goal or firing them into a high goal of their boiler in order to build up steam pressure, and lastly, climbing a rope to board their airship so they can help their pilots win the race.

The Secret City Wildbots, along with their alliance, were semi-finalists at the Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from March 2-4. [Read more…]

Photos: Secret City Wildbots at Palmetto Regional

Posted at 5:15 am March 10, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

The Secret City Wildbots, an Oak Ridge team, competed in the FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots, an Oak Ridge team, competed in the FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last week.

The Wildbots, Team 4265, lost in the semifinals, but will likely face many of the same teams at Smoky Mountain Regionals from March 22-25, said Angi Agle, an Oak Ridge Board of Education member who was at the Palmetto Regional.

“The Wildbots made some significant improvements and adjustments in the later rounds, resulting in a robot that is capable of competing consistently at a high level,” Agle said.

The three-day competition was from March 2-4. There were practice matches on Thursday, and qualification rounds on Friday and Saturday. Elimination rounds were Saturday afternoon. [Read more…]