[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 74 (Monday, May 7, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING OCCAM'S ENGINEERS ROBOTICS TEAM

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2007

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Occam's 
Engineers Robotics Team from West Morris Mendham High School in New 
Jersey, a team that I am proud to represent! They are celebrating their 
recent attainment of first place in the FIRST Vex Challenge World 
Championship.
  Occam's team was founded by Joshua Kaplan and Michael Medford, who 
also serve as co-captains. The other members include Adam Brozynski, 
Joshua Franklin, Julianna Brown, Thomas Cioppettini and Chase Tralka. 
The team was established at the beginning of the school year and began 
preparing for the competition in January. After placing last in the 
FIRST Vex New Jersey Tournament, they completely redesigned their 
robot, basing their new design on simplicity.
  For the FIRST Vex Challenge World Championship in April, the team had 
to build a robot no larger than 18 inches that was pre-programmed and 
controlled by remotes to pick up softballs and deposit them into 
differing receptacles from a set list of parts and guidelines. The team 
spent endless hours building and practicing leading up to the 
competition.
  They competed against over 10,000 students from over 23 countries. 
The judged award is based on the team that performs well in all 
categories, gaining votes from opposing teams based on performance as 
well as cooperation with others. Occam won not only the FIRST Vex 
Challenge Winning Alliance Award but also the FIRST Vex Challenge 
Inspire Award!
  Madam Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the Occam Engineers Robotics Team and all its members on 
all of their past, present and future achievements!

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