BMS Students Form FTC Robotics Team – Take 3rd Place and Win Award for Best Design eachwood Middle School students Joel Green, Clinton Sansonetti, Gal Pinhasi, Jing-Jing Shen and Ryo Okamoto are not newbies to FIRST robotics competitions. All five middle schoolers were part of last year’s BMS robotics FLL (FIRST Lego League) pilot program. This year, however, they wanted to move up into the next tier of competition and joined together as a neighborhood team, The Thunderbolts, to compete in the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge). Their season kicked off in September and the rookie team met their challenge head on. The team met for hours every weekend and during their winter break to build and program their robot, “Big Jeff.” They spent additional hours strategizing, practicing and preparing for B the January 4, 2015, Qualifying Tournament, which was held at CCC Eastern Campus. Their efforts were rewarded as The Thunderbolts placed 3rd out of 24 competing teams and were the only team representing the Beachwood area. The Thunderbolts also won the tournament’s PTC Design Award, which recognizes design elements of the robot that are functional and aesthetic. FIRST’s mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills that inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication and leadership. FTC is designed for students in Pictured from left: Clinton Sansonetti, Gal Pinhasi, Jing-Jing Shen, Ryo Okamoto and Joel Green. grades 7-12 to compete head to head, using a sports model. Teams are responsible for designing, building and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Congratulations to The Thunderbolts! Dive-In to Support Diabetes! From the County – R eady, Set, DIVE! On Sunday, March 1, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., don your scuba gear and take the plunge to put together one of eight giant 220-piece puzzles, all underwater, at the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland’s 17th Annual Scuba for Diabetes. The event will take place at Cleveland State University’s Robert F. Busbey Natatorium, 2400 Chester Avenue, and 100% of money raised will remain in Greater Cleveland to support diabetes education and programs, and Camp Ho Mita Koda for children with diabetes. Divers, 10 years and older, can form a team or be paired with other divers. Minimum donation is $100 to participate and each diver will receive a 17th annual commemorative SCUBA FOR DIABETES t-shirt, 60-plus minutes of dive time and a certificate for a free air fill at one of the participating dive shops, valid April 1, 2015. Scuba for Diabetes is one of many Diabetes Partnership of Clevelands’ events and programs that support diabetes and education programs throughout Greater Cleveland, as well as Camp Ho Mita Koda, the nation’s oldest camp for children with diabetes, located in Newbury, Ohio. Visit www.scubafordiabetes.org for more information, to register, or make a donation to Scuba for Diabetes. C uyahoga County Executive Armond Budish is meeting with 100 business leaders during his first 100 days in office. In his inaugural address, Budish pledged to make job creation a top priority of his administration and called for collaboration between government, non-profit organizations and businesses. “We have a unique and diverse blend of talent, experience, and brainpower among the leaders in our business community. Their input is critical to turning Cuyahoga County into an economic powerhouse,” said Budish. “I want to hear first-hand about business opportunities and challenges to being successful right here in Cuyahoga County.” Budish will coordinate with Greater Cleveland Partnership’s CEO Joe Roman and other organizations on this endeavor. At the end of Budish’s first 100 days in office, Cuyahoga County will publish a full report, listing the meetings, highlighting the common themes, and laying out a course of action. “The Greater Cleveland Partnership is eager and proud to assist Executive Budish on this initiative,” said Roman. “Executive Budish understands what it takes to build a strong business community and to create jobs. I look forward to growing our partnership with Cuyahoga County and, more importantly, helping them grow our existing companies, support the creation of new businesses, and attract even more jobs to our region.” 42 Beachwood Buzz n February 2015