Hopkinton’s Team Ozram wins first place in US First Robotics Regional Competition

On Saturday, March 27, the US First Robotics team from Hopkinton High School and John Stark High School, Team Ozram, came in first place out of 53 teams (including teams from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Brazil) at the Boston First Regional Robotics Competition held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.  Led by engineering teacher Mr. Will Renauld and several mentors, the 15+ member team will next travel to Atlanta, Georgia for the national competition to be held April 15-17.

First Robotics is an annual competition started by NH inventor and businessman Dean Kamen in the 1990s, and is designed to encourage students to pursue engineering careers.  Teams are given six weeks to construct a robot that can accomplish a different task each year.  Robots this year had to earn points by kicking a ball into a net.  In 2010 more than 3,000 high schools are competing in more than 40 regional competitions.  -  Heather Mitchell