Lorenzo Lopez and his team, the Bright Badgers, at St. John Paul STEM Academy have won the 2019 World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) USA National Championship, junior division. The competition took place September 14-15 in Sunnyvale, California.
The freshman and the Bright Badgers designed a robot that was required to perform a variety of designated tasks in a one-minute time frame.
Lorenzo Lopez working on a robot. (St. John Paul II STEM Academy)
“We’re so proud of Lorenzo and his team,” said Bridget Higgins, dean of academics at St. John Paul II STEM Academy in Burbank. “The team utilized many of the skills that are taught here at JPSTEM. These include conceptualizing and building the robot (mechanical engineering), computer programing (software engineering), problem solving, research, teamwork, collaboration, time management — and lots of prayers.”
Lopez and the Bright Badgers will now compete in the WRO international finals in Gyor, Hungary, November 7-10. Sixty-five countries will be represented, with over 115 teams competing in each division.
