BUDDING MECHANICS COLE STUDENTS VIE IN ROBOT-BUILDING.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Cole Middle School added another math and science accomplishment when it became the first middle school in the Antelope Valley to compete in a robot competition for junior high schools.

The students built two mini-robots out of Lego pieces that they entered into three tournaments, including one at Legoland, the mecca for children who love playing with the bright-colored plastic bricks.

``We got to go on the rides,'' said seventh-grader Michael Pawlak, 12, of going to Legoland. ``The best part was being able to play with Legos.''

The Lego robot enterprise came about after the Lancaster High School robotics team picked Cole to sponsor and mentor a team of robot builders.

The sponsorship was done in conjunction with the National Space and Aeronautics Administration and For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, which organizes the robot contests.

In September, the Cole students, who named their team ColeBOTS, received their kits that contained 1,000 parts from which to craft their Lego robots.

``NASA is trying to build more engineers,'' said Dave Evenson, a technology teacher at Cole. ``The whole thing coincides with the mission to Mars robots that will be landing in Mars in January.''

The Cole students' challenge was to build programmed Lego robots that mimicked the tasks the real Mars robots will have to perform on Mars, Evenson said.

Using a miniature computer, two teams of students programmed the robots' speed and movements, Evenson said.

In addition, the students had to do a research presentation about Mars.

The ColeBOTS went to competitions at California State University, Northridge, Newhall Elementary School and Legoland, where students made their robots perform their tasks and presented their research projects to judges.

``We've done pretty good for a rookie team,'' Evenson said. He said teams are not limited to schools and included after-school clubs and groups of children who formed teams on their own.

Three Lancaster High robotics team members advised the Cole team and accompanied them to the contests, said Carol Lowe, the Lancaster High team's co-lead adviser and parent volunteer.

``The kids are so enthusiastic and so driven. They are wonderful to watch. I was very impressed,'' Lowe said.

The Cole teams got honorable mention for creativity and for their research project at the CSUN tournament, said Pawlak's mother, Barbara, a parent volunteer.

``We have an awesome group of kids. They learned a lot this year,'' Barbara Pawlak said. ``They have to learn about gearing, what size gears will make it go faster or slower. You can't use oil or glue. You have to learn how to make the pieces stay together. The hardest is building it so it will not fall apart.''

Cole Middle School earlier this year was one of two Antelope Valley schools named a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Explorer School. The other was Edwards Middle School on Edwards Air Force Base.

The two schools were among eight selected in California and 50 nationwide to participate in the explorer school program.

In a three-year partnership with NASA, each school will be eligible to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 in the first year to help implement education plans.

The schools could each receive up to $5,000 in the second year and $2,500 in the third year if money is available, officials said.

As part of the program, students will get to work on NASA-related design problems, conduct scientific discussions, and collect and use authentic NASA data.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- 2 -- color in AV edition only) Cole Middle School students Justin Egan, Jayde Blair and Jillian Bentley, above, left to right, test a robot built from Legos, part of the school's competition in a regional tournament. The machines, below, use no glue or oil, and simulate missions NASA is carrying out on Mars.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer