[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1666]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION WINNERS

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                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 1997

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to take this 
opportunity to congratulate 20 students from four Hammond, IN, high 
schools for winning the national robotics competition, FIRST [For 
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology], held at Walt 
Disney World's Epcot Center on April 10 through 12, 1997. Sponsored by 
Beatty Machine Manufacturing Co., Team Hammond entered 1 of 156 robots 
from 30 States and Puerto Rico, which resulted in 113 operating robots 
at the nationals. Beatty Machine's Team Hammond won the elimination 
matches to capture the first place national title.
  Members of Beatty Machine's Team Hammond include: Karl Fink, Tara 
Hasting, Laurie Michnal, April Roque, and Steve Wiant, of George Rogers 
Clark High School; Jim Ferguson, Dave Mohamed, Ebony Townsend, Kris 
Vankleek, and Owen Wels, of Gavit High School; Matt Jakubczyk, John Ly, 
Nicholas Piatek, James Severa, and Jeff Spector, of Hammond High 
School; and Wendy Camancho, Amber Lahners, Natalie Payonk, Danelle 
Rivera, and Chris Sikich, of Morton High School.
  The employees of Beatty Machine and its sister corporation, Bemcor, 
worked in conjunction with Team Hammond to design and build the winning 
robot during an intense 6-week period. The 116-pound remote-controlled 
robot worked to place inner tubes on a central post during 2-minute 
competitions. After winning the Midwest-Regional championship in March, 
Team Hammond was courted aggressively at the national competition by 
such Fortune 500 competitors as Motorola, Delco Electronics Corp., and 
Procter and Gamble. However, Team Hammond succeeded in eliminating the 
competition, some of which budgeted as much as $500,000 for this year's 
entry. In addition to winning the first place title, the team was 
awarded the Honeywell Leadership in Control Award. This honor is 
awarded by a panel of distinguished judges to the team, which 
demonstrates leadership in the application of electronic control 
systems. According to a FIRST spokesperson, ``Beatty Machine had a 
very, very strong team and good strategy.''
  In honor of their accomplishments, Team Hammond was awarded special 
recognition through a joint resolution in the Indiana State Senate and 
House of Representatives on April 25, 1997, and also met with Indiana 
Governor, Frank O'Bannon, in April. In addition, the team was featured 
on ESPN's 1-hour special covering the national competition on Saturday, 
August 23, 1997. The team expects appearances on other television 
shows, as well as a visit to the White House later this year.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in congratulating the Beatty Machine Team Hammond students on their 
outstanding accomplishments in the field of science and technology. I 
would also like to commend the employees of Beatty Machine for the 
leadership they have taken in the education of our community's youth. 
All involved in this project should be proud of the hard work and 
dedication they have put forth to succeed and achieve.

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