Nanotechnology In Newtown—

 Small Particles,

Small Kids, Big Ideas

Elementary school students from The Fraser-Woods School took ninth place in the robotics state championships at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Six 8-to-10-year-olds — Josh Becker, Austin Bodetti, Sophie Hodson, Brian Keller, Cole Manuzza, and Trevor Nelson — competed against teams of elementary and middle school students from across the state.

The theme of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League tournament was nanotechnology. Teams competed by using autonomous robots of their own design and construction. Each team’s robot had 2½ minutes to complete as many as nine different “missions” with nanotechnology themes. The teams also gave five-minute presentations on a specific application of nanotechnology.

The Fraser-Woods robotics team, the Nano Nachos, was initiated by Josh Becker, a Lego and robotics enthusiast. Josh’s dad, Peter, inspired by his son’s passion for Lego, found other Fraser-Woods students who were interested in robotics and helped to establish the team. While the Nano Nachos will have no competition in the spring, there will be an after-school robotics class that will provide a foundation in the design, creation, and programming of robots.